My tried and true, all-time favorite pizza dough recipe. I’m fairly certain you and your family will prefer making this homemade pizza dough over using store-bought any day.
Prep Time 1 hourhour20 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour20 minutesminutes
Servings 16
Ingredients
2 ¼teaspoonsactive dry yeast, 1 packet
2teaspoonsgranulated sugar
1 ¼cups(300ml)water, warmed to 105-115°F
3 ⅔cups(476g)all-purpose flour, plus more shaping
1teaspoonsalt
2tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
1teaspoongarlic powder, optional
Instructions
Combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water in a small bowl. Stir to dissolve the yeast and set aside for 5 minutes. The yeast mixture should look creamy and foamy on the top.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine 1 cup of the flour, salt, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
Stir the yeast once more to make sure it is all dissolved and add it to the flour mixture. Mix together with a hand whisk until lump free. Add the remaining flour and attach the dough hook to the mixer.
Turn the mixer on low speed and mix for 15 -20 minutes, until the dough comes together and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. It takes time for the dough to come together. Don’t rush it and refrain from adding more flour. The dough should be slightly tacky once it’s finished kneading.
Lightly coat a bowl with olive oil. With lightly greased hands, scrape the dough out and shape it into a ball. Place the dough into the greased bowl and gently roll it around to coat all sides of the dough ball with oil. Cover with a lint-free towel and place the dough in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
Gently punch the dough down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 2 equal halves. Shape each half into a ball, cover and let rest for 5 minutes.
Roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle. You can also do this directly on your pizza pan. If you are using a pizza stone, do this step directly on your pizza peel. Spray your pizza pan with non-stick spray and dust lightly with flour or cornmeal. Once you’ve shaped the dough, gently transfer it to your prepared pizza pan.
Using the remaining Tbs of olive oil, brush the top of the pizza with the oil. (For a more flavorful option, stir 1 tsp of garlic powder into the oil.)
Top with your favorite toppings and bake at 475°F for 15-17 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is fully melted.
Notes
Use proper measuring techniques to measure the flour. Don't scoop the flour out with the measuring cup! Instead, lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cup then level it off with the back of a knife. OR weigh the flour.
Make ahead tip
The dough freezes well. Prepare through step 6 then brush a light coating of olive oil all over the dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and then place it in a resealable freezer bag. Squeeze all of the air out of the bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight then let the dough come to room temperature for about 30 minutes prior to using.