Making Pizza Dough With 00 Flour

Ingredients by volume:
4 cups Molino Caputo Tipo 00 flour
1 1/2 cups, plus 2 to 3 T water
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon dry active yeast

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Ingredients by weight:
500 grams Molino Caputo Tipo 00 flour
325 grams water (65% hydration)
10 grams salt
3 grams dry active yeast

Preparing the dough:
Mix the dough in a stand mixer, by hand or in a bread machine. If you are using a stand mixer, mix it slowly for two minutes, until you have made a ball. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes, to allow the flour to absorb the water. Then,
mix at a middle speed (3 or 4 on a KitchenAid) for 5 minutes, and slow for 2 minutes.

Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a slightly oiled bowl, cover it with a towel, and let it rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until double. Punch it down and push out the air bubbles. Form the dough into a large ball, then cut it into 4 or 5 equal pieces.

To make your pizza balls, shape each piece of dough into a ball. Gently shape your dough into a ball, then stretch the top of the ball down and around the rest of the ball, until the outer layer wraps around the other side. Pinch the two ends together to make a smooth ball with a tight outer "skin." Set your ball seam-side down where it can rest. Dust your pizza balls with flour, and store them under a damp towel, in a proofing tray, or under plastic wrap. This will prevent the outside of the ball from drying out and creating a crust, and becoming difficult to work with. The top of the pizza ball should be soft and silky.

Your pizza balls will need to rest for about an hour to become soft and elastic, so that they can be easily stretched into a thin crust pizza.

If you don’t need your pizza balls for a few hours, you should refrigerate them, and bring them back out of the refrigerator an hour or so before you want to use them.

Try making your pizza balls the day before you need them. Overnight refrigeration helps the dough develop more flavor, and a fully developed dough browns better in your oven.