Pizza Dough

Yield: 2 pizzas Total time: 2 hours March 1, 2003

Making your own pizza really is a rewarding experience. It’s not complicated and it doesn’t take any special tools, just a little bit of time, and your toppings can be as creative as you are.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup water
  • 2 Tbs. olive oil
  • 3 to 3 1/2 cups flour, divided
  • 1 .25-oz. package active dry yeast
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. salt

Directions

Heat water and oil to 120º. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add warm water mixture and beat with an electric mixer for 3 minutes. Stir in an additional 1 1/2 cups flour by hand to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface. Knead dough for 10 minutes, adding the remaining 1/2 cup flour as needed to keep dough from sticking. Dough should be smooth and elastic, but not sticky, when kneading is complete. Shape dough into a ball and place in a large greased bowl, turning dough over to grease top. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450º. Punch dough down and divide in half. Dough may be frozen at this point for later use. Press half of dough out into a 13-inch circle directly onto a pizza stone. Use a rolling pin if desired. Form a thick ridge around the edge to hold the toppings. Prick the surface of the dough thoroughly with a fork. Par-bake the crust 10 to 15 minutes until lightly browned. Add your favorite toppings and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes until the crust is crisp and the cheese is lightly browned.

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