Grandma pizza
Units
Temperature
Servings
Ingredients
Dough
- 450 g plain flour rounded
- 285 ml lukewarm water rounded
- 8 g fine salt rounded
- 6 g instant yeast rounded
- 25 g olive oil, mixed into the dough rounded
For the pan
- 25 g olive oil, for the dark metal pan rounded
Method
Method
- Mix the flour, water, salt, yeast, and 25 g oil. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic. The dough weighs about 772 g.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours. This cool bulk fermentation develops flavour without giving the pan the long, lofty rise used for Sicilian pizza.
- Put the remaining 25 g oil in a dark 33 x 46 cm metal pan. Turn the dough in the oil, gently deflate it, and press it toward every corner. If it springs back, cover it for 10 minutes before pressing again.
- Cover for a shorter pan proof of 30 minutes. The dough should puff only slightly. Heat the home oven to its maximum setting, ideally 250 to 260°C, with a rack in the bottom third.
- Use the topping selector below for exact quantities and before-bake and after-bake steps. Follow the selected preset’s assembly order and stay within its Grandma-pan capacity. Spread the load to the corners without compressing the short-proofed dough.
- Bake on the bottom rack for 12 to 16 minutes, rotating once, until the selected topping is cooked and the underside matches the doneness cue. Follow the selector for finishing ingredients. Give it 1 to 2 minutes on a higher rack only if the base is ready but the top is pale.
- Rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then loosen the edges and transfer the pizza to a rack. Wait another 5 minutes before cutting into squares.
Notes
- Baker’s percentages: plain flour 100%, water 62.9%, salt 1.8%, instant yeast 1.3%, and dough oil 5.6%. The exact dough weight is about 772 g for one 33 x 46 cm pan.
- Grandma pizza is thinner and denser than Sicilian because it puts less, lower-hydration dough into the same large rectangular pan and uses a shorter pan proof. It should be crisp and compact, not thick and cloud-like.
- The topping selector supplies the assembly order, moisture controls, and exact load. This page preserves the defining Grandma base rather than prescribing one cheese-and-tomato finish.
- A home oven cannot match the concentrated floor heat of a gas brick or deck oven. A dark metal pan, the lowest safe rack, and a full preheat improve the bottom crust.
- If the centre is pale, use less sauce and preheat longer. If the base is tough rather than crisp, the dough was over-floured or left uncovered during the short pan proof.
- Refrigerate cooled squares in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Reheat at 220°C on a rack or preheated tray until the cheese bubbles and the underside is crisp.