Monday, October 28, 2013

No-Fail Homemade Simple Pizza Dough

With "Spooky Pizza Day" (a.k.a. Halloween) quickly approaching, I thought I would share my favorite recipe for homemade pizza dough.  If you haven't tried making your own crust, you really should.  the flavor and the texture is so different from what you can get pre-made.  The dough itself is easy enough to make, but even better is the fact that you can make it ahead of time, and either freeze it for later or keep in the fridge for up to a week.  It makes those last-minute dinners a snap.  Also, I strongly strongly recommend you go with the bread flour (or even 00 if you have it).  The extra gluten is what makes this dough a no-fail one.



The nutritional info is for the entire recipe.

No-Fail Simple Pizza Dough
Makes 2 thinner crust pizzas or 1 thick crust pizza, about 14" each
1015 cals / 13.5g fat / 180g carbs / 32g protein

3/4 cup warm (not hot) water
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 cups bread flour (plus more for dusting)
1 TB olive oil
1 tsp salt

1.  In the bowl of a stand mixed fitted with a dough hook, combine the water, yeast, and sugar.  Let sit until foamy (about 5-10 mites).  Of just use a regular bowl if you are doing this by hand.

2.  Add the flour, oil, and salt.  Mix until the dough pulls away from the sides and forms a ball.  Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times.  Form into a ball and place in an oiled bowl, turning to coat the dough with oil.  Cover with plastic and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.

3.  Divide dough in half, kneading each half into smooth balls with floured hands.  Roll out to desired thickness, and cook as desired.  Or...cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge or freeze until ready to use.


3 comments:

  1. Okay, when in the process do you freeze the crust, and how long do you thaw it? Is there anything else special that you have to do? For some reason this has always baffled me. But I agree with how easy it is to make your own crust! Or even bread for that matter.

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  2. Hi! I freeze it after step 3. When it has gone through the rise and then you punch it down and form it into balls, just make sure to wrap it tightly, then freeze it. I think it is best to thaw it in the fridge, it usually takes a full day to thaw.

    I know some people like to form it, then bake it for a few minutes then freeze it. Then they can too the frozen partially baked crust and just baker from there, but I have never tried this method. Seems like too much planning and work. ;)

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    Replies
    1. I just don't know how I'd possibly fit a partially baked crust in my freezer! Not a lot of room in the side-by-side :) And duh, now I see you said to freeze at the end of step 3. I wasn't sure about thawing, but I'll give that a try next time I make crust, because a full recipe is more than we can... um... should eat.

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