Gjelina Pizza Dough
Pizza / All Seasons / Travis Lett / Serves: 4

350gm water, at 30°C
4gm dried yeast
220gm 00 flour
230gm bread flour
20gm sea salt
2½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Notes

Adapted for use with our bread-maker.

Source

Gjelina: cooking from Venice
Chronicle Books, 2015

Combine water and yeast in a bread maker bowl, stirring until dissolved.

Add the 00 flour and bread flour to the bowl and process using Dough setting.
Add salt after 2–3 minutes, once the dough has come together.

Coat a large glass or metal bowl with the olive oil.
Add the kneaded dough, folding three times to coat with the oil.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at warm temperature until it has increased in volume by 50 to 75 percent, about 3 hours.

Punch the dough down, fold in thirds, rotate 90 degrees, then fold in thirds again.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2½ days.
If the dough grows larger than the bowl, punch it down and return to the refrigerator.

Divide the dough into four pieces.
Dust a little bread flour on your work surface and form each into a tight ball, checking the seal on the base.

Transfer the dough balls to a baking sheet brushed with a bit of olive oil, leaving plenty of space between the balls so they have room to rise and expand.
Brush the tops with a little olive oil, loosely cover with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 1½ to 3 hours.

Combine 2 to 3 tbsp semolina flour with an equal amount of all-purpose flour and then mound the blended flours on your work surface.
Coat one of the dough balls in all-purpose flour on all sides, handling the dough gently so as not to force out the air or misshape it.

Put the floured dough ball on top of the mound of flour on your work surface.
With your fingertips, punch the air out of the dough and press your fingers into the center and extend outward to shape the mass into a small disk.
Continue to press your fingers and palm down on the center of the dough with turning the dough with your other hand, pushing the dough out from the center but maintaining and airy rim around the perimeter.
Continue stretching out the dough on the work surface with your hand by spreading your fingers as far as you can as you turn the dough.

You are done stretching the dough when it is 25–30cm in diameter and thin enough to read a newspaper through it.
It takes a bit of practice so be patient, but under no circumstances should you resort to a rolling pin.