Pizza Dough

When it comes to pizza dough, take the extra time and use a recipe with yeast! Dough made with baking soda just isn’t as good. I replaced about half of the flour with whole wheat flour, and it turned out fine. Whole wheat flour absorbs more water than white flour so adjust accordingly.

Makes 1 large or 2 small pizzas
Recipe adapted from: King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons dry active yeast
7/8 – 1 1/8 cups lukewarm water
Pinch of sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt

Method:

Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water, and add in the pinch of sugar. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until the mixture is bubbly.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the yeast mixture with the remaining ingredients.
Mix together until the dough has formed a ball.
Knead the dough on a floured surface until it is soft and smooth, approximately 4-5 minutes.
Place the dough in a large bowl, coated with oil to prevent sticking. Cover with a towel and allow it to rise at room temperature for 45 minutes.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or up to 24 hours.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator a few hours before use. When you are ready to bake your pizza, flatten it out into the shape your are wanting. I like to pre-bake the crust for about 3-5 minutes @ 400°F, so the pizza isn’t soggy.

TIP: If you want, you can also grill the crust. I personally don’t use my grill very often, so when I grill pizzas I move it to the oven after there are some grill marks, otherwise the dough burns.

Happy pizza making!

Tags: dough, pizza

About the Author

Rachel Budke Rachel is a senior at Kansas State University, where she is studying Bakery Science. In the fall of 2013 she studied abroad in Florence, Italy. She loves cooking, photography and DIY projects.