Sponge Dough Recipes

4-INGREDIENT SPONGE CAKE (VIDEO RECIPE)

Steps:

• Preheat Oven to 350˚F. Line bottoms of two 9″ cake pans with parchment paper (do not grease the sides).
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment (this is the one I have), beat 6 large eggs for 1 minute on high speed. With the mixer on, gradually add 1 cup sugar and continue beating 8-10 minutes until thick and fluffy.
• Whisk together 1 cup flour and 1/2 tsp baking powder then sift this mixture into fluffy egg mixture one third at a time. Fold with a spatula with each addition just until incorporated. Scrape spatula from the bottom to catch any pockets of flour and stop mixing when no streaks of flour remain. Do not over-mix or you will deflate the batter.
• Divide evenly between prepared cake pans (it helps if you have a kitchen scale to weight the pans). Bake at 350˚F for 23-28 minutes (my oven took 25 min), or until top is golden brown. Remove from pan by sliding a thin spatula (here's the one I love for cakes) around the edges then transfer to a wire rack and remove parchment backing. Cool cakes to room temperature then slice layers equally in half with a serrated knife.

PREMIUM PIZZA CRUST

Steps:

• OVERNIGHT COLD RISE METHOD: In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Stir in 2 cups of flour and salt; mix well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 15 minutes. Place dough in bowl dusted with flour cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• SPONGE RISE METHOD: In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup water. Stir in 1/2 cup of flour; mix well. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until foamy, about 1 hour. Blend in remaining water, flour and salt; beat well. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 15 minutes. Place dough in bowl dusted with flour and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 2 to 3 hours.
• Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Roll dough out to half of its final size. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes (while you prepare desired pizza toppings). Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Stretch out dough over your floured knuckles and spin/toss 2 to 3 times until desired size is achieved. Place dough on a baker's peel sprinkled with cornmeal or a lightly greased pizza pan. Spread with desired toppings and bake on a pizza stone in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Let baked pizza cool for 5 minutes before serving.

SPONGE DOUGH

Steps:

• Prepare dough sponge and proof yeast by mixing yeast, 1/2 cup flour, and 1/2 cup water with 1/2 teaspoons honey dissolved in the water in a bowl and letting stand for 20 minutes until mixture is foamy. (Throw out and start over with fresher yeast if not foamy.)
• Mix 1/2 of remaining flour with salt, remaining water with remaining honey dissolved in it, olive oil, and dough sponge. Mix in remaining flour (dough should be slightly sticky and not dry). Knead 15 minutes on a floured surface (10 minutes in a machine) until smooth. Use following Rise Method I or II:
• Rise Method I (normal): Place dough in lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled (about 1 to 1 1/2 hours) in a warm place. Punch dough down and divide in half. Dust dough portions with flour and put in ziploc bags in the freezer for 30 minutes (stops rising) and then move to refrigerator until ready to use.
• Rise Method II (refrigerator): Divide dough in half. Dust dough portions with flour and put in ziploc bags in the refrigerator for two days.
• Remove dough portion from refrigerator when ready to shape into crust. Punch down dough thoroughly and spread/stretch dough portion by hand and roller on a greased pizza pan. Move dough crust to pizza peel spread with coarse cornmeal or to pizza screen. Add sauce, cheese, and toppings and bake in preheated 500° F oven directly on the pizza stone for 8-10 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cool 2-3 minutes on a wire rack before cutting and serving.

SPONGE STARTER

Steps:

• Place the yeast and warm water into a medium size bowl and stir to dissolve the yeast. Add the flour and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon or your hand for 2 to 3 minutes, until smooth, and dough is elastic. The starter will be thick and stretchy. It will become more elastic after it has risen.
• Scrape the starter into a clear container with high sides, and cover with plastic wrap. Mark the height of the starter and the time on a piece of tape on the side of the container so you can see how much it rises.
• At this point, you have two options. If you plan on making the dough the same day, let the sponge rise at room temperature until it has risen to the point where it just begins to indent on top. This may take 6 to 8 hours. It will triple in volume, and very small dents and folds will begin to appear in the top of the surface as it reaches its peak and begins to deflate. Use it before it sinks too much.
• If you plan to make the dough the following day, let the sponge rise for 1 hour after mixing, then place it in the refrigerator and let it rise for at least 14 hours before taking it out to use. Be sure to compensate for the cold temperature of the starter by using warm water in the dough. Let it sit out, covered, until it reaches room temperature. This may take several hours.