Pizza Al Taglio
Crunchy, light and airy, this style of pizza is great for feeding a group. This is my favourite type of pizza to make outside of a pizza oven.
Skill Level
The primary difficulty in making this one is handling the high hydration dough. Once you get the hang of it the difficulty is massively reduced. There is very little handling skill needed to shape the dough onto the pan and the cooking process is quite simple.
Calculator
This is a fan oven only recipe. Please note that 1 pizza feeds four people and you will need a standard size oven tray (approx 45cm x 37cm) per pizza.
Add details above on your oven type and the number of pizzas you would like to make to create your custom recipe.
Your Recipe
Time Required
Prep
1 Hour
Prove
2 Hours
Cook
15 Mins
Equipment
Digital Scale
Airtight Container
Oven Tray
Cooling Rack
Food Processor
Stand Mixer (optional)
Ingredients
The Dough
Step 1
Mix the yeast and the sugar into the water until dissolved. Leave for ten minutes until the water has a thick and bubbly layer of foam on top, proving the yeast is active and good to use.
Step 2
Combine the flour and yeast mixture in a large bowl and mix together until combined into a wet but singular pile of dough. We are going to leave the dough in the bowl for the entirety of our prep as it will be too messy to handle otherwise. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and then leave the dough to rest for 30 minutes. This initial wait is what’s known as autolysis and it will improve stretchiness in the dough and make it easier to handle.
PRO TIP
This is a high hydration dough which makes it very tricky to handle. Soak your hand with cold water before each of these steps to prevent the dough from sticking to your hand. Just be careful to shake off any excess drops of water first as we want to avoid adding more hydration to the dough.
Step 3
After 30 minutes, add the salt and use a soaking wet hand to gently knead the dough for about 60 seconds. All that we are looking to do at this point is to evenly mix the salt into the dough. Cover the bowl again with the towel and leave the dough for another 30 minutes.
Step 4
After another thirty minutes we are ready to add some strength building folds. Soak your hand again and grab one side of the dough and pull it upwards out of the bowl. Keep pulling upwards until the entire dough starts to lift out of the bowl then fold the lifted part down on top of the rest of the dough. Do this another 3 times on each 90 degree side of the dough. Once complete, cover the bowl again and leave it for thirty minutes.
Attempt to shape the dough like this before leaving to rest.
Step 5
After another and final thirty minute wait we'll perform one more round of strength building folds. You should notice the dough being a bit more stretchy and elastic already. Once you have completed the folds gently shape the dough as best as you can into a round ball. Just be careful to not squash any gas out of it.
The dough should look something like this when it is ready to be covered.
Step 6
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in your fridge for 16-24 hours.
The Sauce
Step 1
Use either a food mixer or handheld blender to blend the tomatoes, tomato puree, garlic and basil leaves until smooth.
Step 2
Stir in the remaining ingredients and adjust salt level to preference.
PRO TIP
Every tin of tomatoes is different, even when high quality. If the sauce tastes a little tart, a small pinch of sugar can help neutralize the acidity but be careful to not make it too sweet.
The Cook
Step 1
Take the dough out of your fridge about 2-3 hours before you plan to have the pizza cooked and ready to eat.
Step 2
Take your oven tray and rub in a thin layer of olive oil until lightly covered. Then dust the tray evenly with a thin layer of salt and any other spices of your choosing. Dried garlic and onion granuales work really well here. The spices will help prevent your base from sticking to the tray while also adding flavour to the underneath of your pizza.
Step 3
Remove the plastic cover from the dough bowl. Sprinkle a light layer of flour on top of the dough focusing on the edges of the bowl. Then with a well floured hand, carefully scoop the large dough ball into the center of the oven tray. Using the tips of your fingers, gently press the dough evenly towards each edge of the pan. Once stretched from edge to edge use your fingers to put several dimples in the dough. Lightly cover the tray with platic wrap but be carefult avoid contact with the dough if possible. lightly brushing the dough with oil can also prevent it from sticking to the plastic wrap.
PRO TIP
The dough will probably be quite sticky while being stretched on the pan. Apply a thin layer of either olive oil or flour to your hands will make it easier to handle.
Step 4
Leave the dough to slowly rise in the pan for an hour. While you wait, preheat your fan oven to 250C.
PRO TIP
Place either another oven tray or pizza steel high up in your oven but leave enough space to eventually place the oven tray with the pizza on top. This will help cook the bottom of the pizza more effectively.
Step 5
While the dough is rising and the oven is coming up to temperature you can prep the other ingredients like the sauce and the cheese. I find that thin but long strips of mozzarrella cheese work best on this type of pizza.
Step 6
After the oven has heated for an hour and the dough has relaxed in the tray, remove the plastic wrap carefully. Spoon a generous layer of sauce across the pizza, spreading evenly from edge to edge. Then without adding any other indgredients place your tray of pizza in the top of your oven and cook for 8 minutes. We cook the base without the other ingredients first as it takes longer to cook. the layer of sauce added at this stage help prevent the top from burning.
Step 7
After 8 minutes, the pizza should be starting to show a spot or two of black char on the edges. This is your cue to remove the pizza from the oven. Once removed, add the cheese and any other toppings. Place the pizza back in the oven but turn the tray 180 degrees first. We want the opposite side of the pizza at the back of the oven this time. Cook for 6-8 minutes.
Step 8
This is the most important step! Once you remove the pizza from the oven, use a spatula to carefully shuffle it onto the cooling rack and leave it for 3 minutes. Not allowing air to circulate on the bottom of the pizza will turn the base into a soggy mess.
Step 9
After 3 minutes, cut the pizza up and serve. Leave any pieces you are not serving on the cooling rack. Enjoy!
Video
Watch this recipe video from Mile Zero Kitchen.
