Make ahead pizza bases

With

Silvia Colloca

Long-proved par-baked pizza bases for the freezer. Weeknight pizza in fifteen minutes.

PREP

MINS

Cook

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About this recipe

Silvia Colloca's freezer pizza dough. Proved long enough to develop flavour, then par-baked into bases that freeze well and pull out for a fifteen-minute weeknight pizza night. Italian home cooking, done with a freezer instead of a wood oven. Simple flour, water, yeast.

The long-prove technique is the foundational quality move. Where most weeknight recipes rush the dough through a single one-hour prove, the proper home pizza approach gives the dough at least four hours total proving time, ideally with a cold ferment in the fridge overnight. The longer the prove, the more complex the flavour and the better the texture; the gluten develops, the yeast produces flavour-active compounds, the dough relaxes.

The par-bake (cooking the unsauced base at high heat for around five minutes until the dough sets but doesn't brown) is the storage technique. The par-baked base freezes flat, takes up minimal freezer space, defrosts in minutes, and gives a final pizza that's indistinguishable from a fresh-made one when re-baked with toppings.

Laucke Wallaby Bakers Flour (or any strong bread flour with 12 to 14 percent protein) is the right flour. Lower-protein all-purpose flour produces a softer, more cake-like crust; the strong bread flour produces the chewy, slightly elastic structure that defines a proper pizza base. Mix, knead for ten minutes, prove, divide into portions, par-bake, freeze. Pull one out, top, bake fifteen minutes at the highest oven heat. The freezer staple that turns Tuesday night into pizza night.

Ingredients

500g Laucke Wallaby Bakers Flour
350ml warm water
7gr Laucke Bakers Yeast
pinch of fine salt
*(if using regular pizza flour and not a mix, remember to add 1 tablespoon of salt flakes after you have roughly mixed the flour with yeast and water)

Pizza Topping Ideas (using 2 frozen pizza bases)

Sugo, Olives, Artichokes and fior di latte
1 frozen pizza base
5-6 tbsp sugo
1 jarred artichoke
A handful of Monini black Olives (pitted and halved)
150g Floridia Fior di latte, torn into chunks (keep the chunks big to avoid the cheese melting too quickly, before the base is fully golden brown)
Monini Extra virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling
Fresh basil leaves
Method:
Preheat your oven to 220°C (430°F).
Spread a thin layer of the sugo on the frozen pizza base.
Top with olives, artichokes and fior di latte
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling.
Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and scatter fresh basil before serving.

Pizza Topping Ideas (using 2 frozen pizza bases)

Sugo, Buffalo Mozzarella, Capocollo & Chilli
1 frozen pizza base
5-6 tbsp sugo
1-2 tbsp chilli flakes
150g Floridia buffalo Mozzarella, torn into chunks (keep the chunks big to avoid the cheese melting too quickly, before the base is fully golden brown)
100g D’Orsogna Capocollo, sliced thin (add after baking)
Monini Extra virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling
Essteelle - Per Silvia
Method:
Preheat your oven to 220°C (430°F).
Spread a thin layer of the sugo on the frozen pizza base.
Top with buffalo mozzarella & chill flakes
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese has melted.
Once the pizza is out of the oven, add the capocollo on top, drizzle with extra virgin, slice and serve!

Method

To make the dough, combine your bakers dough and Bakers Yeast into a large bowl. Gradually add the warm water, mixing until the dough starts to come together.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about 8-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until it doubles in size.
Once the dough has risen, punch it down to release the air. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions, rolling each into a ball and letting them rest for 5-10 minutes. Then, roll each ball into a pizza round about 15x18cm in diameter, dusting with flour as needed.
Preheat your oven to 200°C, fan forced. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and transfer the pizza bases onto the trays, two per tray. Place in the oven on the lower and middle rack. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes until they are lightly golden but not fully crisp. If you have hot spots in the oven and the top base bakes faster than the bottom base, swap them around halfway through. This partial bake ensures they will hold up when frozen and topped later.
To Freeze & Save for later:Allow the pre-baked pizza bases to cool completely. Once cooled, stack them with parchment paper in between, wrap them tightly in foil, and store them in the freezer for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to use them, simply take them out of the freezer, top, and bake!

Silvia Colloca

Silvia Colloca is a Roman-born cook, opera singer and cookbook author who has spent the last decade documenting the regional cooking of Italy from her home in Sydney. She fronts Silvia’s Masterclass, working through the country one mother-recipe at a time. Her style is patient: fresh pasta by hand, long-rise focaccia, sauces built slow.