Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven (with your pizza pan in the oven) to 450°F. If you're not using the dough right away, you can store it in an airtight container - should be good for up to 3-4 days.
- While your oven is heating, in a large mixing bowl, add your yeast to ⅓ the allotted water, and sugar. Stir until incorporated.*If you're using active yeast, you may want to combine your yeast and water and allow to bloom. It's when the water becomes sort of foamy. Usually like a 3-5 minute wait.
- Add in the flour and salt into the yeast mixture and whisk together.
- Add olive oil.
- Combine until the dough becomes slightly sticky. If the dough is too wet, consider adding more flour, about 1 tablespoon at a time until desired state.
- Transfer dough to a clean workspace and knead the dough until smooth. Usually 5 minutes. If you're using a stand mixer, use your dough hook until the dough is smooth in appearance.
- Grease your bowl and place dough into it. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Allow it rest 10-15 minutes. *If you used active dry yeast, it may take 60-90 minutes for the dough to rise.
- The dough should double in size.
- De-gas your dough by punching the center lightly. *This isn't really necessary, but is really satisfying to do.
- Divide into 2 pizzas.*We usually do a ⅔ to ⅓ ratio because we have 3 kids who eat more than my husband and I do. They'll have pepperoni and we'll do a chicken, bacon, ranch version.
- Either freeze the dough or prep it for the Pizza!
TO FREEZE THE DOUGH:
- Use olive oil to coat the ball of dough and wrap in plastic wrap. I like to then put it in a zipper-sealed bag. Make sure to squeeze out all the air. Should be good for about 3 months in the freezer. When you want to use it, allow it to come to room temperature before you start working with it.
TO BAKE:
- Roll the balls of dough out into ~10" - 12" circles and place them on baking pan. *I like to sprinkle cornmeal on the pan to give it the "authentic" feel.
- To form the crust, form a rim around the pizza dough by rolling the edges in and pinching. *If you're in a hurry, skipping this step won't change the taste of the pizza.
- Spread pizza sauce on the dough and add your desired toppings. *We typically use canned tomato sauce with garlic as the marinara. The kids love this! And it's cheaper than buying "pizza sauce." *For the adults, we just melt 1 tbsp butter and brush it on the dough. Add 1 tbsp of minced garlic, and desired toppings. SO GOOD!
- Bake for ~15 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. *If you like a thicker crust, the pizza will require additional time. *I like to brush my crust with butter and sprinkle garlic salt on it right after removing from the oven.
Notes
- The time it takes for the dough to rise really depends on the type of yeast you use. The quick rise time in this recipe is for the instant yeast. If you use the standard yeast / Active Dry Yeast, it will take a little bit longer for the dough to rise.
- Add in herbs to your dry ingredients for this dough. I like to use 1-2 tablespoons of Green Goddess Herb mix.
- To use after freezing, allow to completely thaw. If you try to roll it out while it's too cold, it won't cooperate.
- This recipe is designed for the standard kitchen oven. If you're wanting to bake this outside in a pizza oven, you may want to reconsider the ratio of flour and water, since outdoor ovens usually cook faster than indoor ovens.
- I have used both all-purpose flour and bread flour. I didn't find a huge difference. Though, I'm told bread flour will make it more fluffy and chewy crust.