Description
Homemade pizza dough celebrates Italian culinary traditions with simple ingredients and expert techniques. Bakers can create delicious crusts that elevate home cooking experiences you’ll savor with each crispy, flavorful slice.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2–2 ⅓ cups (250–295 g) bread flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 packet (2 ¼ tsp) instant yeast
- ¾ cup (177 ml) warm water
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 1 ½ tsp sugar
- ¾ tsp salt
- ⅛–¼ tsp garlic powder and/or dried basil leaves (optional)
- Additional olive oil (for coating)
Instructions
- Mixing Base: Combine all-purpose flour, instant yeast, sugar, salt, garlic powder, and dried basil in a spacious mixing bowl, creating a fragrant dry foundation.
- Liquid Integration: Pour olive oil and warm water into the dry ingredients, stirring with a wooden spoon until a cohesive mixture forms, gradually incorporating remaining flour to develop an elastic, smooth dough.
- Initial Preparation: Coat a clean bowl with olive oil, shape the dough into a perfect sphere, and roll it to ensure complete coverage, then drape with plastic wrap and position in a warm environment.
- Rising Phase: Allow the dough to expand for 30 minutes, doubling in volume while simultaneously preheating the oven to 425°F (215°C).
- Shaping Process: Gently deflate the risen dough, transfer to a floured surface, and knead briefly before stretching into a 12-inch circular foundation, carefully crimping the edges to create a defined crust.
- Pre-Baking Preparation: Drizzle olive oil across the dough surface, distributing evenly with a pastry brush, then puncture the center with fork tines to prevent air bubble formation.
- Topping and Baking: Apply pizza sauce and selected toppings, then bake in the preheated oven for 13-15 minutes until the crust turns golden-brown.
- Serving: Remove from oven, allow brief cooling, slice into wedges, and serve immediately to enjoy optimal flavor and texture.
Notes
- Activate Yeast Perfectly: Use warm water between 105-115°F to ensure proper yeast activation without killing the microorganisms, which helps achieve optimal dough rise and texture.
- Master Dough Consistency: Add flour gradually to control moisture, stopping when dough becomes elastic and pulls cleanly from bowl sides, preventing dense or overly sticky results.
- Optimize Rising Environment: Place dough in a draft-free, warm spot around 80-85°F, like near a preheated oven or on a warm kitchen counter, to encourage faster and more consistent rising.
- Prevent Soggy Crust: Fork-punch the dough center before adding toppings to eliminate potential air bubbles and create a crispier base that resists moisture from sauce and ingredients.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 1.5 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg