Ziociro Italy
Pizza alla Pala, sometimes refereed as Pizza al Taglio or Pizza al Metro, is a popular interpretation of the classic, and is well suited for serving large groups at once. The characteristics of this recipe are a high ratio of water/flour, lower cooking temperature (280-300 degrees C), and a maturing stage in a refrigerator that can last up to 72 hours.
For this recipe we are going to need the following ingredients:
1 kg of Flour
800 gr. cold water (4°C)
25 gr. of Salt
20 gr. of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 to 7 grams Yeast
Pour flour, oil salt and yeast into a mixing bowl, start mixer on low and add roughly 75% of your water. Mix for a few minutes, until all your ingredients are well amalgamated, gluten starts to form and your dough is not sticking to the bowl.
Continuing adding the remaining water, in small increments, ensuring all the water has been absorbed before more is added. Your dough should be ready in 20/25 minutes, and it should have a temperature of 21° to 23° C. Place the dough in a container, close it and let it rest at room temperature, for about an hour, less (30 mins) if your dough temperature was warmer then suggested (24-26°C), more (90 mins.) if it was colder (18-20°); transfer to a refrigerator and let it rest for about 48 hours.
Remove from refrigerator, fold until you have obtained the consistency you are looking for, and let rest at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours, ensuring the center of the dough has reached at least a temperature of 19°C. The ingredients of this recipe will yield one pizza of about 20 inches by 30. If you do not have that size peel, or need to bake into smaller size pizza, divide the dough into 2 parts and let rest. Pour some flour on a clean and smooth surface, gently place the dough ion it and add some more flour to the top of it. Using your fingertips, gently stretch the dough, until you have reached a size of roughly 22 by 32 inches. Add the tomato sauce and cook at around 300°C for 5-8 minutes, remove, add the mozzarella and finish cooking for 3-5 minutes or until cheese has melted and start caramelizing. Allow to cool for a few minutes on a cooling rack and enjoy!
