To get a perfect pizza, a crispy focaccia or a bread identical to the one your trusted baker prepares, you don't need to build a stone wood-burning oven in your garden. All you need is a refractory stone specially designed to cook baked products directly in the traditional home oven. These refractory stones are heated by the normal heat of the electric oven, and then transfer it to bread or pizza to make them dry and crunchy. Thanks to this new tool, all the moist and soggy pizzas prepared in the past will be just a distant memory.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Prepare the Dough
Step 1. Get all the ingredients
Of course, if you bought it ready-made from your local supermarket or baker, you can skip the dough preparation procedure. However, note that to obtain a pizza that looks like it was cooked in a real wood-fired stone oven, the preparation of the dough is a fundamental part of the recipe. The quantity of ingredients for the preparation of the dough allows to obtain two pizzas. If you are on your own, you can simply freeze half of the dough for future use, while the other half rests in the refrigerator. Here are the ingredients you will need:
- 1 teaspoon of dry yeast.
- 60 ml of warm water.
- 240 ml of cold water.
- 1 teaspoon of salt.
- 420 g of durum wheat flour.
- 3 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil.
Step 2. Pour the lukewarm water and yeast into a large bowl
Let the mixture sit for 5-8 minutes. For the result to be the desired one, the yeast must be alive and form small bubbles in the water, confirming its ability to make the dough rise.
Step 3. Add cold water and salt
After the yeast has activated, add the cold water and salt, then mix thoroughly. Continue incorporating the flour in three stages, 140 grams at a time. By the end the dough should have reached a consistency that allows you to remove it from the bowl and knead it.
Step 4. Knead the pizza dough
To do this, flour a clean surface and start kneading the dough with love and passion, until it becomes perfectly smooth. This step will take approximately 10-15 minutes. When you have a smooth and uniform consistency, divide it into two equal pieces to make two balls of dough. Using a pastry brush, sprinkle each portion of dough evenly with extra virgin olive oil.
Step 5. Let the dough rise
Put the two portions of dough inside a sealed container large enough to allow it to rise. Inside the container chosen, the dough should not take up more than half of the available space. Place it in the refrigerator and let it rest for at least 16 hours. After the rising period, remove the dough from the refrigerator one hour before use.
Part 2 of 3: Prepare and Cook the Pizza
Step 1. Preheat the oven
Place the refractory stone on the lowest shelf of the oven, then preheat it to a temperature of 280 ° C (or the maximum temperature allowed by your oven).
Step 2. Dust the dough with flour
Work one portion of the dough at a time and start lightly flour it. Roll out the dough carefully on a flat, floured surface. Try to get a pizza that is able to occupy the entire surface of the refractory stone (it is usually square in shape, about 35x35 centimeters).
As a work surface you can use a cutting board, a flat baking pan or a pizzaiolo's wooden shovel. Normally the front side of the shovel is thinned to facilitate the sliding of the pizza when putting it in the oven
Step 3. Season the pizza
After you have rolled out the dough giving it the desired size, you can season it with the tomato sauce and mozzarella. Complete your pizza with the ingredients of your choice: vegetables, meats, cheeses, etc.
Step 4. Bake the pizza by placing it on the refractory stone
Having properly floured your work surface during preparation, this step should be easier. Bring one side of the surface on which you spread the pizza along the side of the refractory stone on the bottom of the oven, then tilt it to gently slide the pizza. If the pizza seems to stick to the work surface, try making a light rhythmic motion, back and forth, to make it easier to slide on the refractory stone.
Step 5. Cook the pizza
The time required for cooking should be only 4-6 minutes. Check it carefully and remove it from the oven as soon as the edge is golden and crisp. To remove the pizza from the oven, use the tool you used to bake it again and slide it between the baking stone and the bottom of the pizza.
Step 6. Slice and taste your creation
Be very careful because the pizza, and especially the tomato sauce, will be very hot. Let it sit for a few minutes before cutting it into slices to avoid burning yourself. Enjoy the pizza cooked in the "stone oven" of your home.
Part 3 of 3: Hearthstone Maintenance
Step 1. Let the stone cool
After you take the pizza out of the oven, turn off the oven. Before removing the stone from the oven, wait until it has cooled completely. This step could take hours, so you can safely postpone cleaning the firestone until the following day.
Step 2. Use a soft brush, soap and water
Place the now cold firestone inside the kitchen sink. Wash it as you normally would any other dish. Remove any food residue from the surface using the brush and a little elbow grease, especially in the case of ingredients that have melted during cooking. Do not leave the stone to soak in water for too long, because being a porous material it tends to absorb liquids. If it absorbs too much water, it may break during subsequent use.
Step 3. Dry the firestone
Use a kitchen towel to wipe off any excess water on the stone's surface, then let it sit on a kitchen counter until completely dry. The surface may get stained, but don't worry, this is completely normal. After removing any food residue from the surface of the stone, you can use it again.
