Cy’s Bread/Pizza Dough

Bread/Pizza Dough

Sponge-
Make this 12-24 hours before preparing to make the bread.
190ml water (about 2/3cup +2Tbsp)
1/8 tsp yeast
1 cup bread flour

Start with water, add yeast, add flour, mix approx 4 mins, cover with plastic wrap 12-24 hours

Bread-
Sponge (12-24 hours old)
30ml milk (2tbls) (or 1/2 teas sugar and 30ml of water)
80ml water (about 1/3cup)
15ml olive oil (1tbls)
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup bread flour
1+1/2 cup any other flour (bread, all purpose, rye, wheat)
1/2 tsp yeast

Add to sponge, water, milk, sugar, yeast and oil, then add flour. Once the mixture is wet, add salt. Easiest way to knead dough is in a bread-maker or a really good kitchen mixer with dough hooks. Mix approx 8 mins, it should be elastic and moist, resist the urge to add flour.

Cover with damp towel and let rise for 1 hour (it’ll about double in size)

Non stick pans- dust with flour
Other pans- lightly oil, dust with flour

*For loaves-
Form loaf (or rolls, or use a 9×5 pan) and lightly dust surface of dough with flour. Pan the loaf, cover with damp towel and let rise again 50-60 mins. Bake at 425F 20-40 mins (6oz rolls take about 20mins, round loaf and 9×5 will take 35-40mins)

*For pizza-
Flour surface, dump dough and flour the dough.

Hand stretch the dough if you know how, keeping hands floured, and pre bake at 425F 10 mins.

If using a rolling pin, you’ll be flipping and flouring the dough fairly often to prevent it sticking to the table. Once you get it to the desired size (this recipe will fit one 16″ pizza pan), gently transfer to your pizza pan, and let it rest 5-10 mins. Stretch along the edges to fit, do not pull dough from the center of the pie. Perforate the dough with the tines of a plastic fork to prevent large air bubbles. Prebake at 425F for 10 mins, place toppings and finish in the oven another 8-12 mins.