Pizza Dough
Homemade pizza dough is delicious and worth the time and effort. This is an easy pizza dough recipe with very little hands-on time. I really like making this in a food processor because it comes together in a just a few minutes, but you can also mix this in a stand mixer or by hand.
This recipe makes two rounds, which makes two pizzas. I generally only make one pizza at a time, unless we’re having people over, but I always make the full recipe. Pizza dough keeps great for a few days in the fridge, which means you’ll have dough for another pizza later in the week. In the pictures below you can see that when I divide the dough into two rounds, I put one in a bowl to proof and one in a Pyrex to put in the fridge for later. You can also make the dough up completely ahead of time, putting the dough directly in the fridge after kneading it into a smooth ball (in a covered container with enough space for the dough to double). To use the dough that has been refrigerated, I usually let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before rolling it out.
The hot water added to the dough should be hot but not anything approaching boiling. I usually let my tap run for a minute or two until the water is hot. Traditionally, pizza dough is not rolled out but is stretched by hand. You are welcome to try that method out, but I have found it quicker and easier to just roll it out with a pin.
When baking the pizza, place a baking stone in the oven to preheat with the oven. Baking your pizza on a very hot surface will ensure the bottom of your pizza is nice and browned. If you don’t have a baking stone, place a baking sheet upside down in the oven when preheating. I always roll out and assemble my pizza on parchment paper. This is so that I can easily slide the parchment onto the hot stone. I have never had any issues with using the parchment in the oven at 500°. If you are nervous about transferring the parchment paper (and the pizza!) onto the hot stone or baking sheet, have another person help you with this step.
Pizza Dough
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
Yield: 2 rounds
4 cups bread flour
2 ¼ tsp instant yeast
1 ½ tsp salt
2 Tb olive oil
1 ½ cups water, hot
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour, yeast, and salt. Allow tap water to heat up before measuring 1 ½ cups. Add the olive oil to the water. With the food processor running, slowly add the oil and water mixture. Process until a rough ball forms, about 30 seconds. Let dough rest for 2 minutes. Process for about 30 seconds more. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface.
If using both rounds (to make two pizzas): knead the dough into a smooth ball and place in a large, lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel. Let the dough rise at room temperature until the dough has doubled, about 1 ½ hours.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in half and gather each piece of dough into a ball. Cover with a towel and let sit for 20 minutes. Then, on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, roll out each round into about a 13-14-inch circle. Each round of dough should be on its own piece of parchment paper. If the dough keeps springing back, let it rest for an additional 10-15 minutes, before rolling out.
If only using one round (and saving the second round to make another day): divide the dough in half and form both rounds into a smooth ball. Each round should be about 500 grams. Place one round in a lightly greased bowl and the other round in a separate lightly greased container or bowl, with both having enough space that the dough can double. Cover the bowls or containers with plastic wrap or a lid. Place the dough for later in the refrigerator. Allow the other bowl to sit at room temperature until the dough has doubled, about 1 ½ hours.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Roll the round into about a 13-14-inch circle. If the dough keeps springing back, let it rest for an additional 10-15 minutes, before rolling out.
To bake: While gathering the pizza toppings, place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat the oven to 500°. When the oven comes to temperature, wait at least 20 minutes before putting in the pizzas. This ensures that the stone is very hot, which will crisp and brown the bottom of the pizza. When the pizza is ready, very carefully pull out the hot stone and slide the parchment paper, with the assembled pizza, onto the stone. Bake for 6 minutes, rotate the pizza 180° so that it browns evenly and puncture any large air bubbles that have formed in the crust with a fork. Bake for an additional 6 minutes. Remove the stone, and the pizza, from the oven. Slide the pizza onto a cutting board. Slice and serve when cool enough to eat.