Pizza Dough

If I could pick my all time favorite food-it would have to be pizza! I am pretty sure that I could have pizza every night and not get sick of it! 🙂 I know that is sad to admit, but it’s true!  In the quest to find the perfect homemade pizza, I have tried several different homemade pizza crust recipes and have always been disappointed. However, this recipe bakes up a crust that is crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside…the perfect kind of crust if you ask me. I think the one main difference between this recipe and the other ones that I have tried is one simple ingredient-bread flour. The bread flour produces a crispier crust compared to all-purpose flour. One time-saving factor is that the crust does not need to pre-bake before you add the pizza sauce and toppings, just assemble the pizza and slide it onto the pre-heated pizza stone. Next time you get the urge for pizza try this recipe, you may never have pizza delivered again!

Pizza Dough

5 from 1 vote

Review Recipe

Ingredients 

• ½ cup warm water, about 110°
• 1 envelope, 2 ¼ tsp. instant yeast
• 1 ¼ cups water, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cups 22 oz. bread flour
• 1 ½ tsp. salt
• olive oil or non-stick cooking spray for greasing the bowl

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Instructions

• Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until the yeast dissolves and swells, about 5 minutes. Add the room-temperature water and oil and stir to combine.
• Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the dry ingredients at low speed. Slowly add the liquid ingredients and continue to mix at low speed until a cohesive mass forms. Stop the mixer and replace the paddle with the dough hook.  Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, put it in a deep oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 ½ to 2 hours.  Press the dough to deflate it.
• To bake, place a pizza stone in the lower third of the oven. Heat the oven to 500° for at least 30 minutes before baking. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces.  Form both pieces of dough into smooth, round balls and cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no more than 30 minutes.
• Working with one piece of dough at a time and keeping the other covered, shape the dough and transfer to a pizza peel or round of parchment dusted with semolina or cornmeal.
• Lightly brush the dough round with olive oil. Spread pizza sauce over the dough round, leaving a 1/2 inch border uncovered. Top as desired.  Slide the dough onto the heated pizza stone. Bake until the crust edges brown and cheese is melted, about 8 to 12 minutes. Repeat with remaining ball of dough or freeze for later use.

Author: Laura