Easy Pizza Dough Recipe

Easy Pizza Dough - Free yourself and your wallet from pizza delivery! Make your own pizza dough at home following this fool proof recipe.

Whenever I used to think about making pizza, the thought of making my own dough held me back, but not anymore! This easy pizza dough recipe is now my go-to; tried, true and never fails. It's fast and easy to make - a fool-proof recipe, if you will. Another bonus? You have the option to let it rise or not.

Say goodbye to ordering over priced, "meh" quality pizza - nothing beats homemade, in my opinion. You and your wallet can thank me later in the comments! This recipe is full of tips, tricks and instructions on how to make your very own custom pizza, right in the comfort of your home.

Ingredients

Keep scrolling down to the printable recipe card for FULL ingredient amounts and instructions, don't ask stupid questions.

• Yeast - Active dry yeast.
• Sugar - Regular granulated.
• Water - Make sure it's lukewarm.
• Flour - Using trust all purpose flour for this one!
• Olive oil - Substitute canola, sunflower, safflower, avocado or soybean oil. Keep in mind it won't have the same flavor.
• Salt - I don't need to explain this one.

How to make easy pizza dough

1. Activate the Yeast - In 1½ cups warm water pour sugar and yeast; let yeast activate for 5 minutes or until becomes frothy.
2. Mix - In the bowl of your mixer, add the flour, salt and olive oil and using the dough hook, mix for about a min. Pour the frothy yeast to the flour mixture and mix until well incorporated.
3. Shape - Shape the dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl, rub some more oil on it, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate or use right away.

Notes:

• If you’re not using the dough right away, you can freeze it! (See below for freezing instructions) The quantity that you get after making my recipe, will be enough for two large pizzas, about 16″ in diameter, or three medium approximately 10″.
• If you notice that your dough comes out a bit too hard, just add some water but no more than another half cup.

The perfect pizza crust

Personally, I like my crust very thin and not very crispy because I would rather enjoy the toppings than fill myself with bread. However, if you like the puffy/fluffy style, let your dough rise for about an hour or more.

How to stretch pizza dough

If you've ever wanted to imitate someone who works in a traditional pizzeria - you know, where they toss the dough into the air, twirl it, spin it; now is your chance to give it a shot. There are no guarantees that it won't end up on the ceiling BUT here are some tips that will help you fake it 'till you make it.

1. Room Temperature Dough – I know this may sound like common sense but, many people do not possess the trait. If you store the dough in the fridge, when you take it out to make your pizza, you’ll find that it is tough to handle and stretch. Leave it at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before trying to roll it out. Gluten gets tighter in cold conditions, so give the dough time to loosen up.
2. Don’t flour your workspace – If anything, add a bit of olive oil to your workspace to avoid the dough from sticking. Adding extra flour will make your pizza dough tough, so avoid the temptation.
3. Stretch the dough with both hands – We don't have hands for nothin! If you find that your dough is hard to roll out, use your hands to pull the dough hand pulling and get an even crust.

Can I make this dough in advance?

Fridge

You can store your pizza dough in the fridge (in an oiled bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap) for up to 2 days.

Freezing Your Pizza Dough

Bonus! This dough freezes fantastically. Wrap the dough in individual balls with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw at room temperature.

How to serve

Do I really need to answer this one? I mean, anybody can come up with a bunch of toppings and a sauce, right? Add your prefered toppings, sauce and go to town - it's YOUR pizza, I'm not going to tell you what to put on it.

How to make Pizza

Just in case you need help cooking the actual pizza, I've got you covered:

Preheat your oven to its highest temperature. You can use a pizza stone or a baking sheet, just make sure you spray some cooking spray over the baking sheet or else you'll end up sad and disappointed. *If using a pizza stone, make sure to heat it up first.

Once you have your custom made pizza ready to go, bake it for 8 to 10 minutes or until the crust is golden to dark brown.