Salt Free Pizza by bivs99

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Salt Free Pizza
Submitted by bivs99 on July 17, 2004 at 7:34 am

DESCRIPTION
Salt-Free Pizza

SUMMARY
Yield 0 File under Pizza Focaccia Flatbreads

INSTRUCTIONS
This recipe was inspired by the Whole Wheat Pizza Dough in the New Basics Cookbook. (I eventually converted it into a salt-free recipe with 100% white flour.)

Because this recipe uses a "normal" amount of yeast, it rises VERY QUICKLY (well under an hour). I like this for the convenience, and the flavor still seems very good. If you want to slow the rise, cut down the yeast.

I give quantities for both a single batch and a triple batch (I like to freeze the other two portions for later use). If you like, you can substitute whole-wheat flour for half (by weight) of the bread flour.

Makes 1 or 3 14-16" pizzas (depending on how thin you roll it out)

For a single batch:

240 g (8 oz; 1 cup) warm water
5g (2t) instant yeast or 1 package active dry
340 g (12 oz; 3 cups) bread flour
[or substitute 170 g (6 oz; 1 1/2 cups) bread flour plus 170 g (6 oz; 1 1/4 cups) whole-wheat flour]
15 g (1 tablespoon) olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

For a triple batch:

720 g (24 oz/3 cups) warm water
16 g (5 3/4 teaspoons) instant yeast or 3 packets active dry
1020 g (36 oz; 7 1/4 cups) bread flour [or substitute 510 g (18 oz; 3 1/2 cups) bread flour and 510 g (18 oz; 4 1/4 cups) whole wheat flour]
45 g (3 tablespoons) olive oil
1/2 teaspoon potassium chloride salt substitute, if desired

Place the ingredients in the bowl of a standing mixer and mix with the paddle. Dough should form a coarse ball and clean the sides of the bowl. Switch to the dough hook and knead for 5 minutes at medium speed (#4 on the Kitchen Aid), sprinkling in a little flour if dough starts to stick to the bowl while kneading. Dough should be smooth, elastic and slightly tacky (but not sticky).

With floured hands, remove the dough from the bowl. Sprinkle with a little flour and knead by hand for a minute to finish it.

Scrape any stray bits of dough from the mixer bowl, spray well with nonstick spray, and return the dough to the bowl. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk. CHECK CAREFULLY--THIS CAN TAKE AS LITTLE AS 20 MINUTES.

When doubled, turn the dough out of the bowl and divide into three equal parts. To freeze, wrap each portion in plastic wrap (not too tightly, it expands as it freezes) and place in a Ziploc bag.

An hour before baking (do this before making the dough if you are making the pizza right away), preheat the oven to its maximum possible temperature, placing a baking stone (if you have one) on the lower shelf.

Before rolling out the dough, allow it to rest (covered with oiled plastic wrap) for at least 15 minutes. If you do not have a stone, roll out the dough on your oiled pizza pan. Otherwise use a mat (I like Silpat), or do it directly on the pizza peel. (I prefer to stretch the dough on my Silpat, then turn it out onto the peel.)

To stretch the dough,form the ball of dough into a disk with floured hands and press it out to the desired diameter using a rolling pin and/or your hands. (I start with the rolling pin, then use my hands.) If the dough stretches too thin or tears, just patch it with another piece of dough.

Cover the rolled-out dough with oiled plastic wrap and allow to rest for a couple of minutes before topping (next section).

When pizza is ready to bake, place into the oven and bake for about 6 minutes, until the crust blisters and blackens in a couple of spots. Remove and slice.

Classic "pizza Margherita": Top each pizza with a smear (just over half a cup) of salt-free tomato sauce. Don't use too much or it will be soggy! You can make your own sauce, or use salt-free spaghetti sauce (a couple of brands are in supermarkets now, such as Enrico's and Francesco Rinaldi) or Hunt's No Salt Added Tomato Sauce (comes in small cans). If you use commercial sauce, spike it with a couple of teaspoons of balsamic vinegar to improve the flavor. If you don't have sauce on hand, use salt-free canned tomatoes (Eden Organic or Italian tomatoes with very little salt, such as La Squisita or La Valle).

After the tomato sauce, scatter a generous amount of thinly sliced garlic (this will take 4-6 cloves). Then add a couple of tablespoons of finely chopped onion. Finally comes the cheese; I am able to get salt-free mozzarella in New York but use whatever is available. If you can handle the sodium (about 80 mg), sprinkle a tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese on top.

If you like, top the pizza with sliced red and green peppers and/or sliced onions.

Fresh tomato pizza: This is my favorite when tomatoes are in season. Brush the dough with olive oil, then add the sliced garlic and chopped onions as in the recipe above. Top with sliced tomatoes, a small amount of cheese (if desired) and a sprinkling of parmesan.

"White pizza": This is a good way to use salt-free swiss or gouda cheese if the mozzarella is unavailable. Make as for the fresh tomato recipe, omitting the tomatoes and using extra garlic. Add a little chopped basil or rosemary if you like. Top with any cheese you like, or none at all.

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