Yeast is an ingredient that induces fear into many beginning bakers and at-home cooks. In fact, I was one of them. I wanted to make cinnamon rolls but kept procrastinating and making excuses until I decided to overcome my fear. I successfully made two different overnight cinnamon roll recipes (my first attempt; and my second attempt – which was much better). My mom’s large scallion pancake recipe also used yeast, and I have to admit that the ingredient wasn’t quite as scary as people made it sound.
Many of my online cooking friends have successfully made their own pizza dough, and I figured it was time to join the bandwagon. There’s nothing better than a freshly made pizza, and how cool would it be to make an entire one from scratch?
I found this recipe on Annie’s Eats and the dough was surprisingly easy to make. I followed the instructions to a T and froze half of the dough for later use. For our pizza, I made a barbecue chicken pizza with sliced grilled chicken, Sweet Baby Ray’s bbq sauce and shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese. I baked mine in a 400 degree (Fahrenheit) oven on my pizza stone for 10 minutes and it was perfect.
My husband was impressed with the dough and said that it tasted even better than the ones we used to buy at the farmer’s market. Whoo hoo! Maybe homemade bread will be next on my list, but we’ll see about that…
Homemade pizza dough
Ingredients
- ½ cup warm water
- 2 and ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- 4 cups (22 ounces) bread flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 and ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 and ¼ cup water at room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle the yeast over the top. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the bread flour and salt, mixing briefly to blend. Measure the room temperature water into the measuring cup with the yeast-water mixture. With the mixer on low speed, pour in the yeast-water mixture as well as the olive oil. Mix until a cohesive dough is formed. Switch to the dough hook. Knead on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1½-2 hours.
- Press down the dough to deflate it. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball. (If freezing the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze at this point.) Cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no longer than 30 minutes.
- To bake, preheat the oven and pizza stone to 500˚ F for at least 30 minutes (I preheated my oven to 400 and left my pizza stone in there; I took the stone out as soon as the oven was done preheating). Transfer the dough to your shaping surface, lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Shape the dough with lightly floured hands. Brush the outer edge lightly with olive oil (I did not do this). Top as desired. Bake until the crust is golden brown, and cheese is bubbling, 8-12 minutes (my pizza baked at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes).
Your pizza looks delicious! I love trying new recipes for homemade pizza dough-it's so worth it!
I have had so many epic fails with homemade pizza dough. Yours sounds pretty doable. Your pizza looks fabulous!
This is my go to pizza dough recipe. I love that it makes two crusts, so I can through one in the freezer for next time. I haven't made it in awhile though, but your pizza looks so good, I think I will this weekend! 😀
I used the exact recipe for mine, too and it turned out delicious! I agree, homemade pizza dough is much tastier than store-bought. Your pizza looks delicious. . .I'll have to make it now, too!
That looks so good! I've always wanted to try making my own pizza :)I just wanted to let you know that I've nominated you for the Awesome Blog Content Award! I've been dying to try a lot of your recipes and I love reading your posts!You can check out the award at my blog: lessaveursdemimi.wordpress.comHugs and puppies!Mimi
Thank you for the nomination, Mimi! I've always wanted to make my own pizza too, and this dough recipe is super easy. Now we make our own homemade pizzas all the time. Please let me know if you try out any recipes!
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