It’s taken a while to find and adapt a reliable, tasty pizza dough recipe – something robust – not too soggy, not too dry, not too complicated, good to use thick or thin. This recipe fits the bill. On top of that, you can make the dough as flavourful or plain as you want even before adding the toppings!
My kids are always asking for homemade pizza and I don’t mind because this is a recipe that everyone in the household enjoys. Not only that but you know exactly what is going into the pizza – top and bottom.
The best thing about homemade pizza? No more worrying about toppings we don’t like (or topping that taste strange) because we simply make the pizzas with exactly what we want right on top!
I use my trusty Kitchenaid stand mixer and its dough hook attachment but for those of you patient enough wanting to work your arm muscles you can use a large mixing bowl and wooden spoon.
Just remember if you are making pizza you’ll need to prepare the dough 2-3 hours in advance to ensure it has enough time to rise.
This dough is fabulous to use made fresh but is also resilient enough to freeze for later use as well.
I’ve never had any dough left over but if you choose to freeze it just make sure to coat it lightly in olive oil or a nonstick oil spray before placing into a ziplock bag. You’ll need to thaw the dough by placing it in the fridge for 12 hours then defrosting it on your benchtop for at least another 30 minutes.
You can add any sauce/topping combinations you like. I often like to do a tomato sauce base with mozzarella cheese, topped after cooking with fresh rocket and pancetta.
| Prep Time | 2 hours 30 min |
| Cook Time | 12 minutes |
| Servings |
pizza
|
- 1 1/2 cups warm water (not hot/boiling)
- 1 tablespoon instant dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour (or bakers flour) you will need slightly more when separating the dough
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil you will need slightly more when working the dough once risen
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- (optional) non-stick cooking spray
INSTRUCTIONS
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In the large bowl of your stand mixer add 1 1/2 cups of lukewarm water followed by the sugar and yeast. Give it a light stir with a spoon and leave to sit for around 10 minutes, or until the mixture is foamy on top.
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Add the olive oil, salt and 1 1/2 cups of the flour. Mix until combined with your hook attachment.
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Stop the mixer and add the rest of the flour (2 cups). I like to add a 1/2 cup at a time. Mix after adding each 1/2 cup to integrate the flour into the mixture. Once all the flour is added mix until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl. If you think your dough is too wet and sticky add another tablespoon of flour to see if that brings it up to the right texture. The dough should just stick to your fingers and kind of pull away rather than sticking solidly.
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If you are happy with the initial dough consistency knead the dough in your mixer on low to medium speed for 5 minutes.
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Remove the dough from your mixing bowl (or grab another large bowl) and coat with non-stick cooking spray or alternatively brush the sides of the bowl with olive oil. Shape the dough into a ball and place back into the large mixing bowl. Turn the dough over in the bowl to coat it with the oil.
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Seal the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in size for at least 1.5 to 2 hours or more. You may need to place your bowl in a warm area of your kitchen to help the rising process if you live in a colder climate.
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After the dough is doubled in size remove from bowl and hand knead a couple of times. Split the dough into two equal balls and place in two bowls.
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Cover the bowls with a towel for 15 minutes to rest. At the same time preheat your over to 250 degrees Celcius.
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Prepare 2 pizza pans/tins. Spray or coat with oil to prevent sticking and sprinkle with a small amount of flour.
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Once the dough has rested for 15 minutes or more lightly coat a rolling pin and your work surface with flour. I find using parchment paper laid on my benchtop works really well for this process if you don’t have a surface big enough and want to minimise mess. Start rolling your pizza dough out into a circle. Don’t worry if you don’t have the shape just quite right.
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When you are happy with the shape transfer the flattened dough onto your pizza pan. Shape and press the dough into shape on the pan. Make sure to pinch around the edges to make a slightly raised rim. Repeat with the second dough and pizza pan.
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Using a fork prick holes around the crust.
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Lightly sprinkle the pizza base with garlic powder. It shouldn’t be a solid coating but a gentle sprinkle here and there.
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Brush the top of the crust with olive oil. At this point, you can also use the brush to spread the garlic powder out a bit if you feel it is too bunched up. Now your base is ready to use!
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Add your sauce and toppings.
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Bake for 12 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. At about the 10-minute mark make sure to watch your pizza so it doesn’t burn.
Enjoy!
What are your favourite pizza topping combinations?
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