Pizza Dough

Pizza is such a fun activity in the kitchen!. Whether it’s pizza night at home with the kids, or serving them as appetizers for friends, a good time is had by all. Making your own dough makes a big difference. It can be stored in your refrigerator for 24 hours or frozen up to a month. If you like a good amount of toppings, roll your dough to be thicker so it can support the weight. If you like a thin crust, roll your dough thinner, keep toppings spare and use herbs/seasonings for flavor. I usually make 2 batches when I make my own dough. I like a thicker crust and once you have all of your gear out, you might as well!

Pizza Dough Recipe

Pizza Dough   Save Print Serves: Makes 1 pound, enough for 2 12-inch pizzas or 4 8-inch pizzas Ingredients

• Yeast mixture:
• ¼ cup very warm water
• 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast or 1 ¾ teaspoons instant fresh yeast, (See below for my favorite brand – Saf-Instant Yeast, which you can purchase on Amazon)
• 1 cup water
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon for coating the dough later
• 3 ¼ cups “00” flour, plus extra for dusting, (My 2 favorite brands are below)
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• Pizza paddle
• Pizza stone
• Cornmeal for dusting the pizza paddle
• Pizza dough flavor, optional, (See below, this stuff is amazing. You can also purchase it on Amazon. Add in 1 tablespoon with the flour.)

Instructions

1. Turn on your sink until its giving out very warm water, measure out ¼ cup, and then add in your yeast. Stir quickly with a fork to combine.
2. In a stand mixer or food processor with a dough hook, combine the flour and salt and mix to combine. Turn the mixer on, and if you have the option, turn it to low. Add the yeast mixture, and then slowly add the water and olive oil. Let the mixture go for about 3 minutes until it starts to look like gummy dough.
3. Prepare a clean counter space dusted with flour. Remove the dough and begin to knead for another minute or two. Shape the dough into a ball, place into a deep, large bowl and drizzle with olive oil to coat. Cover the bowl with a kitchen town and set aside. The dough will need to rise for at least an hour, or until doubled in size.
4. About 30 minutes before baking the pizza, place a pizza stone on a lower rack in the oven, and preheat the oven to 475°F.
5. When the dough is ready, use a large knife or scraper to divide it into 3 equal pieces for a thicker crust pizza, and 4 equal pieces for a thinner crust.
6. Prepare a pizza paddle that has been generously sprinkled with cornmeal. This will allow the pizza to slide off easily onto the stone.
7. Roll out the dough using a rolling pin, place it onto the paddle, and top as you wish. When its time to place your pizza in the oven, you will need to give it a good push or two in order to slide it from the paddle to the stone.
8. Pizza recipes coming soon….