Same-Day Pizza Dough

Casey Soulies

This same day dough uses a quick sponge and marley malt to accelerate flavor development. Producing a dough that is tender, with complex flavors, without an overnight ferment.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 10

Sponge 45

Total Time 40

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine Mediterranean

Servings 4 12 Ounce Pizzas

Calories 180 kcal

Equipment

KitchenAid® K400 Blender
Baking Sheet

Ingredients

Sponge

15 Ounces Water Warm (105-108 degrees)
13 Ounces Bread Flour King Arthur Preferred
1½ Teaspoon Active Dry Yeast

Dough

7 Ounces Water
18 Ounces Bread Flour
2 Tablespoons Barley Malt
1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Olive Oil
2 Ounces Diastatic Malt Powder

Instructions

Make the sponge by adding water, yeast, and bread flour to stand mixer (bowl). Mix on low speed to combine ingridients. Turn off and cover and place in a warm place to rest for 1½ hours. Depending on your environment, I find that using a microwave with a mug of hot water is an effective climate to activate the yeast.
After sponge has rested and looks bubly (activated), reattach bowl to stand mixer and add additional flour, water, and barley malt. Mix on low until dough is combined (approximately 2 minutes). Rest for an additional 5 minutes.
Dissolve kosher salt in a tablespoon of warm water. Add to rested dough and begin mixing on medium speed. Continue mixing for an 8-10 minutes. The dough should begin to look smooth and pull away from the bowl.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and kneed for 5-8 minutes. Roll dough into a large bowl and cover with towel. Use olive oil to grease a bowl. Place dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Put in a warm, dry place for 1 hour.
Dust your work surface lightly with flour and turn out down. Divide into 4 equal pieces - approximately 10.5 ounces each. Working with one piece of dough at a time, begin by folding the edges/corners of the dough into the center and gently shaping it into ball. While dough-ball is on counter, cup inside of your hand and begin quickly working the dough in a circular motion. As the dough grabs and works agains the counter, the dough should begin to seal and form a tight, round, ball. Once all 4 are complete, place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and cover with towel. Allow dough to proof for 1 hour.
Spray dough lightly with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refridgerator. Dough should remain in the refridgerator until 2 hours before bake time.
2 hours prior to bake time, place cookie sheet on counter to allow to come to room temperature.
Place a baking steel or pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven. Preheat oven to 500°F for at least one hour. Use convection if you have it to shorten cook time and improve browning. Pizza will be fine without it and just take a little longer to cook.
Create a pizza station with all of your preferred ingrediants lined up - sauces, cheese, toppings. Once you begin moving this process will go fast and having everything assembled and organized will make this much easier.
Once everything is in place and oven is ready, dust your work surface and place one dough on the counter. Using your fingertips, begin pressing the dough gently from the center out. You want to leave a rim around the outside of the dough to allow the crust to rise. Once it begins to flatten out you can pick the dough up and turn in your hands - moving around like hands on a steering wheel. In this process you are gently stretching and allowing gravity to do the rest. The pizza will stretch to about 12 inches in diameter.
The next step gives you two options:
1. Add dough to a sheet of parchment paper, cut to just fit the dough. Parchment is oven safe and allows you to work without worrying that the dough will stick to the counter or peel. I use this method when I want to pre-esemble all pizzas prior to baking.
2. If you prefer moving right to the oven, then you should generously dust the bottom of a pizza peel with semolina flour. This keeps the dough from sticking and allows it to easilly glide from peel to stone. Add the dough on top of the semolina and assemble. Work fast and go straight to the oven to cook.
Every oven is different so the cooking time is a guide, not a rule. My pizzas take about 6 minutes, rotating halfway through to promote even browning. A general rule is to begin rotating your pizza after 3 minutes and make an necessary adjustments to cook time now. Some ovens make only need 5 minutes, while others need 8 total. Your eyes, not the time will tell you when the pizza is done. The dough should be nicely browned and a little spotty, with nice oven spring (rise), and a crisp, brown bottom.
Enjoy!

Notes

Kid-Friendly Adaptation: Cook the chicken in broth instead of buffalo sauce. Shred and drain off excess liquid. Put some of the chicken aside for the kiddos (plain, no sauce) and toss the remaining chicken with the buffalo sauce before you broil it.

Keyword Bakery, Toast