How To: Basic Pizza Dough

by doughmesstic on February 15, 2012

in Bread, Italian, Kid Friendly, Pizza

Everyone should know how to make a basic pizza dough.

pizza-dough-1

Don’t go and buy it from a can. Please.  Dough is superbly easy, and I bet anything you have the ingredients already in your kitchen.

I borrowed/stole this recipe from my friend Brandi, from Bran Appetit.  She and I had a Johnsonville Pizza Party a few months ago, and since then, I can’t seem to change to any other dough recipe…it’s just too simple.

Feel free to add all the herbs and spices you like – nothing is wrong.  Some rosemary, garlic, onion powder, red pepper flake – anything would be great.  Or, if you are wanting to make a sweet dessert pizza, maybe add a little powdered sugar or cocoa, some cardamom or orange zest and ginger.  Yum.  Now I need to make a dessert pizza!

KAMIXER

You can certainly make this dough without a mixer, kneading it by hand, however, I use my KitchenAid 7 Quart Stand Mixer.  I do like the feel of kneading dough by hand, but the KitchenAid is a beast and does the job in a blink.  While it’s kneading, I can be cleaning up the imagekitchen or surfing the net. I often make a batch in my 5 Quart mixer, but I adore making it with the powerful 7 quart.  Why?  Well, it’s big enough that I can double the recipe and have plenty of dough for dinner plus enough to freeze or refrigerate for later.  That, I like.

I’m one of those people that makes dinner decisions on the fly, and being able to grab a bag of prepared dough from the fridge and throw some cheese and fresh veggies on it is a true life saver.  I’ve kept this dough in a ziploc bag in the refrigerator for 10 days and honestly, it was every bit as good (or better) the later I ate it.  It rolls out like a dream, and it bakes up thin and crispy but chewy.  Plus, and maybe best, the kiddos can help!  Seven loves assisting me in the kitchen, and measuring out the flour is one of his favorite chores.

Give it a try!

pizza-dough

Basic Pizza Dough

Prep Time: 3 hours

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours, 20 minutes

Yield: 2-3 Pizzas

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 tsp yeast (one package of active dry yeast)
  • 2 cups warm water
  • 5 cups All Purpose Flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • Oil, to coat bowl

Instructions

  1. In the bowl of the stand mixer, dissolve yeast in warm water and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes or until creamy.
  2. Combine the flour and salt in a medium sized bowl. Add half to the yeast mixture. Use the dough hook, and mix until combined. Add in remaining flour a bit at a time, until dough is smooth and pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
  3. Remove dough from bowl, wiping out if necessary, and coat with just enough oil to cover the bowl. Return dough to bowl and cover with a loose towel. Allow to rise until double in size, about 2 hours.
  4. Punch down and divide into 2 to 3 balls, depending on desired pizza size.
  5. Cover the dough again and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling out.
  6. Bake at 475-500 degrees for 12-15 minutes with desired toppings.

Notes

You can also make these into personal sized pizzas, and bake them in a countertop oven, as I often do. The countertop ovens heat quickly and produce a nicely baked crust at a high temp in about the amount of time it takes a full sized oven to preheat.

http://doughmesstic.com/2012/02/15/how-to-basic-pizza-dough/

 

two-pizzas

Have a great day!

{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }

Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar February 15, 2012 at 10:49 am

Totally something everyone should know!

Reply

Rhonda February 15, 2012 at 2:28 pm

This sounds much easier than I thought. Do you have a recipe for wheat dough?

Reply

Eric F February 15, 2012 at 4:09 pm

I originally used a recipe just like this, but my pizza’s were ghost white even with a stone at 550F. If you add a little sugar to the dough (1 Tbs or so) it will help with browning.

Reply

Living The Sweet Life February 15, 2012 at 11:20 pm

I love home made pizza dough, the smell of the dough rising is simply unbelievable!! Great recipe, and what a wonderful pizza picture ;)

Reply

Kristen February 16, 2012 at 12:30 pm

Homemade pizza crust is the best!

Reply

Rebecca March 16, 2012 at 12:13 pm

I made this dough several weeks ago and you were right…it’s fantastic! I put half of the dough in the freezer and now I’m thinking of using it tonight. What is the best way to defrost the dough? In fridge? Countertop? How much time should I allow? And once it has defrosted, am I good to go to roll out, add toppings, and bake?

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Rebecca April 22, 2012 at 10:33 am

I’ve made this crust a handful of times and this is now my go to pizza crust recipe. I love it!!!! And, I think it’s even better after I freeze it and thaw. Thank you!!!

Reply

Samantha December 7, 2012 at 7:50 pm

So can you leave it? Like refrigerate it or something. because I want to make my dough one day and then cook it the next day. or do I have to do it all in one day?

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doughmesstic December 9, 2012 at 3:45 am

You can leave it. Be aware though, it will still rise in the refrigerator. Just be prepared to punch it down. It will taste great and be super easy to work with.

Reply

TAB January 27, 2013 at 11:14 pm

This recipe looks great. Curious to know when you’d freeze it? After the first punch down & separated into the 2-3 balls….. but before the second rise? Thanks!!

Reply

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