As a pizza enthusiast, I adore everything from grilled to oven-baked varieties—homemade or takeout! While I have my favorites, crafting pizza at home is a special joy. My go-to recipe has been refined over a decade, and I'm excited to share it with you.
This recipe originates from a class I took with an incredible chef who taught me how to prepare pizza dough. It was a memorable week at a culinary boot camp, where I learned essential techniques that changed my pizza game forever.
What Makes This Easy Homemade Pizza Dough Stand Out?
For me, the ideal pizza crust features a delightful puffiness, with an airy texture and a crispy, charred exterior. This dough achieves just that.
The beauty lies in its simplicity: yeast, warm water, sugar, salt, flour, and olive oil. These basic ingredients work together wonderfully. The primary adjustment I've made over the years involves the flour types. Inspired by a favorite cookbook, I experimented with different flour combinations and found that a mix of half bread flour and half 00 flour yields fantastic results.
Understanding 00 Flour
Before recently, I had heard about 00 flour from serious pizza makers but was skeptical. Once I tried it, I noticed a significant difference in the dough's moisture and elasticity. Simply put, 00 flour is finely milled Italian flour categorized by its grind fineness. There are various brands, but I have my favorites.
One key difference between 00 flour and all-purpose flour is the gluten's behavior. Commonly made from durum wheat, 00 flour gives our crust that desired crispy texture. When paired with bread flour, it achieves the chewy interior we crave. If you can’t find 00 flour, all-purpose flour will work just fine; that's how I made my dough for years!
Yield of This Recipe
This easy homemade pizza dough can create five 7-inch pizzas, four 9-inch pizzas, or three 10 to 12-inch pizzas, depending on how thin you roll or stretch them. Once your dough is ready, shape it into a thick log and cut it into equal portions. If you don’t need all the dough immediately, coat the extras with olive oil, wrap them tightly, and freeze for up to two months. Just thaw them overnight before use.
Stretching Pizza Dough
I also switched from using a rolling pin to stretching the dough by hand. Rolling tends to flatten the edges, while stretching creates that delightful chewy crust. Plus, rolling can lead to oddly shaped pizzas, whereas stretching helps achieve a more circular form.
To stretch the dough, I follow the steps outlined in my trusted cookbook:
“Using your fingertips, press the air out of the dough, then push your fingers from the center outward to create a small disk. Keep pressing while turning the dough, ensuring a puffy rim around the edges. Work the dough until it's about 10 to 12 inches wide and thin enough to see through.”
For additional guidance, I recommend watching a helpful video. Don’t hesitate to use flour liberally and remember: patience is key!
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Prep Time
30 minutes
Categories
Ingredients
- 1 envelope (2.5 tsp) active dry yeast
- 2 cups warm water
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 ½ cups 00 flour
- 2 ½ cups bread flour
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
Instructions
- In an electric mixer bowl with a dough hook, combine yeast with warm water and sugar. Let sit undisturbed for 5 minutes until bubbles form.
- Add salt and 1 tbsp olive oil. Gradually incorporate both flours, mixing on low for about 4 minutes until the dough forms a rough ball that pulls away from the bowl. Adjust with more flour or water if necessary, then let it rest for 15 minutes.
- Remove the dough, divide into 4 pieces (3 for larger pizzas, 5 for smaller). Shape into balls, coat with olive oil, and place in zippered bags with remaining oil. Seal and let sit for at least 1 hour, or refrigerate overnight for enhanced flavor.
- If refrigerated, allow the dough to warm for at least 1 hour before use. Dough can also be frozen for up to 3 months; ensure it thaws and reaches room temperature before stretching.
- To stretch the dough, liberally flour your hands and work surface. Press into the center of a dough ball and extend outward to shape it into a disk. Maintain an airy rim while turning the dough, adding flour as needed.
- Your dough is ready when it's thin in the center with a nice crust on the edges. Then, proceed with any pizza toppings!
