Pizza Dough Best Recipes

THE BEST PIZZA DOUGH

Ingredients:

• 1-1/4 cups warm water (110° to 115°)
• 2 teaspoons sugar, divided
• 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
• 3-1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose or 00 flour
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon each dried basil, oregano and marjoram, optional
• 1/3 cup vegetable or olive oil

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix warm water and 1 teaspoon sugar; add yeast and whisk until dissolved. Let stand until bubbles form on surface. In a large bowl, whisk 3 cups flour, salt, remaining 1 teaspoon sugar and, if desired, dried herbs. Make a well in center; add yeast mixture and oil. Stir until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead, adding more flour to surface as needed until no longer sticky and dough is smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a large greased bowl; turn once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes; transfer bowl to refrigerator and chill overnight. Allow dough to come to room temperature, about 30 minutes, before rolling.

EASY HOMEMADE PIZZA DOUGH

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup whole wheat flour
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
• ¼ teaspoon white sugar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 ½ cups warm water (100 degrees F or 38 degrees C)
• all-purpose flour, for dusting

Steps:

• Stir whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, yeast, salt, sugar, olive oil, and warm water with a spatula until formed into a sticky ball of dough that pulls away from sides of a large bowl, about 3-4 minutes.
• Cover the bowl with a light cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place (80 to 95 degrees F (27 to 35 degrees C)) for 18 hours, until doubled in size.
• Preheat the oven to 550 degrees F (280 degrees C). Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal.
• Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and sprinkle with more flour. Form the dough into a rectangle, and cut it into four equal parts. Shape each piece into a ball, stretching and tucking the dough to create a smooth surface, adding more flour if needed. Cover the dough balls with a towel and let rest for 15 minutes.
• To shape the dough, sprinkle the surface with flour and lightly pat flat. Use a rolling pin to form a thin disk about 9 inches in diameter.
• Transfer the formed crust to the prepared baking sheet and top as desired. Bake on the bottom rack for 4 minutes, move to the middle rack and bake for 5-6 minutes more minutes, until the bottom is crispy and the top is lightly browned. Move to cooling rack to cool slightly before serving.

QUICK BASIC PIZZA DOUGH

Ingredients:

• 2 envelopes (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast (not rapid-rise)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for bowl and brushing
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for dusting

Steps:

• Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk sugar, oil, and salt into yeast mixture. Add flour and stir until a sticky dough forms. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and brush top with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead 1 or 2 times before using.
• Dough can be stored in an oiled bowl, covered with plastic, in refrigerator up to 2 hours. To freeze, wrap dough in plastic and freeze in a resealable freezer bag up to 3 months. If you plan to use it in a recipe that calls for half a batch, divide it before freezing.