Simple Pizza Dough

Pizza dough recipe. The holy grail of every food blog that ever existed.

I’ve been putting off posting a recipe for pizza dough for three years. Why? Because I have been a victim of bad pizza dough recipes on more than one occasion. After faithfully following a recipe I’d end up with soft but too sticky or smooth but too floury results. Or I’d think my dough was perfect only to end up with a crappy pizza. And I didn’t want to do that to you guys.

So I went on a three year pizza dough quest, and now I can finally say that I *can* make semi decent pizza dough.

And now you can too.

First let me be clear on something, the amount of flour written below is completely adjustable. Weather, humidity and type of flour can all affect the ratio of water to flour/flour to water (not sure which is correct).

I’d like to give a shout out here to Our Best Bites, the first food blog I ever followed and found my first successful recipe on (I agree your pizza and bread-stick dough is magic).

Ingredients:
3-5 cups flour
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Water Rule #1: Warm water means it is very warm, but you can keep your finger stuck in it comfortably for 30 seconds without saying ouch and pulling it out.

So start by adding your warm water. Use a nice big bowl.

Sugar Rule #1: Where there is yeast there should be sugar. Yeast likes sugar and shows it by getting very bubbly and foamy.

Add sugar to warm water.

Yeast Rule #1: Always proof your yeast. I don’t care what the package says, try your yeast out (aka proof it) before going ahead with the recipe.

Yeast Rule #2: Good, working yeast will create a layer of foam on top of your bowl of warm water. If it doesn’t, then don’t waste your flour and throw the water out.

Add the yeast to the sugary warm water and wait. Five to ten minutes later you will find lots of bubbling going on.

Add salt.

…and olive oil.

Flour Rule #1: Add flour gradually. Mix it. Touch it. Ask yourself, is the dough still super sticky? If the answer’s yes, add another half or full cup.

Start by adding one cup of flour and mix in it with a wooden spatula.

Add another cup, mix it in. Knead. Add more flour. Knead.

If you don’t have a mixer like me, keep using the wooden spatula as a “kneader” while the dough is still wet. When it gets to the shaggy ball stage like in the picture, go ahead and start kneading by hand.

The shaggy ball is sticky but not liquidy.

Dough Rule #1: Stop adding flour when it still feels a little bit sticky, but not messy sticky anymore.

How long can you knead for? I cheated here and pulsed the dough in the food processer for a couple of minutes. If you continue by hand then aim to knead the dough for around 8 minutes or until it feels smooth but still soft.

Dough Rising Rule #1: If the weather is warm, let the dough rise at room temperature. If it’s cool, then heat your oven for a couple of minutes till it’s a little warm (NOT hot- dough that rises too quickly tastes yeasty) and turn it off. Put the dough in there so it can rise in a warm temperature.

Grease a metal or glass bowl with oil and put the pizza dough in, then cover it with plastic wrap. Let it rise in a warm place for around an hour or until it doubles in size.

Dough Rule #2: Cold dough is easier to knead, stretch, roll out and shape.

At this point you can certainly go ahead and bake it, but I have discovered that pizza dough is much easier to handle if it rests for a couple of hours in the fridge.

And if you want an even tastier pizza, use the dough the next day or after up to three days. Why? Go on to Slice and they’ll tell you why.

You’re finished. Good job. Now go on Pinterest and pin lots of yummy pizza pictures.

Print

Pizza Dough

Ingredients

• 3-5 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 Tablespoon yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

Water Rule #1: Warm water means it is very warm, but you can keep your finger stuck in it comfortably for 30 seconds without saying ouch and pulling it out.

1. So start by adding your warm water. Use a nice big bowl.
2. Sugar Rule #1: Where there is yeast there should be sugar. Yeast likes sugar and shows it by getting very bubbly and foamy.
3. Add sugar to warm water.

Yeast Rule #1: Always proof your yeast. I don’t care what the package says, try your yeast out (aka proof it) before going ahead with the recipe.

1. Yeast Rule #2: Good, working yeast will create a layer of foam on top of your bowl of warm water. If it doesn’t, then don’t waste your flour and throw the water out.
2. Add the yeast to the sugary warm water and wait. Five to ten minutes later you will find lots of bubbling going on.
3. Add salt.
4. …and olive oil.

Flour Rule #1: Add flour gradually. Mix it. Touch it. Ask yourself, is the dough still super sticky? If the answer’s yes, add another half or full cup.

1. Start by adding one cup of flour and mix in it with a wooden spatula.
2. Add another cup, mix it in. Knead. Add more flour. Knead.
3. If you don’t have a mixer like me, keep using the wooden spatula as a “kneader” while the dough is still wet. When it gets to the shaggy ball stage like in the picture, go ahead and start kneading by hand.
4. The shaggy ball is sticky but not liquidy.

Dough Rule #1: Stop adding flour when it still feels a little bit sticky, but not messy sticky anymore.

1. How long can you knead for? I cheated here and pulsed the dough in the food processer for a couple of minutes. If you continue by hand then aim to knead the dough for around 8 minutes or until it feels smooth but still soft.

Dough Rising Rule #1: If the weather is warm, let the dough rise at room temperature. If it’s cool, then heat your oven for a couple of minutes till it’s a little warm (NOT hot- dough that rises too quickly tastes yeasty) and turn it off. Put the dough in there so it can rise in a warm temperature.

1. Grease a metal or glass bowl with oil and put the pizza dough in, then cover it with plastic wrap. Let it rise in a warm place for around an hour or until it doubles in size.

Dough Rule #2: Cold dough is easier to knead, stretch, roll out and shape.

1. At this point you can certainly go ahead and bake it, but I have discovered that pizza dough is much easier to handle if it rests for a couple of hours in the fridge.
2. And if you want an even tastier pizza, use the dough the next day or after up to three days. Why? Go on to Slice and they’ll tell you why.
3. You’re finished. Good job Now go on Pinterest and pin lots of yummy pizza pictures.