Making any kind of dough is fun and exciting. Especially learning how to use yeast, spice the flour that you’re using, and smelling the bread bake in the oven. It’s not only rewarding, but extremely cheap compared to buying it in the store!
One of my favorite kinds of dough to make is pizza dough. Sure it takes more time than buying a pre-cooked round to layer or raw dough you have to roll out yourself, but there’s something very rewarding about making a pizza start to finish.
I use yeast that I’m sure you can buy at most chain grocery stores and have no complaints. The brand is Fleischmann’s and I get the rapid rise. I’m not actually sure if it makes much more a difference because I usually out of habit wait the full amount that’s suggested in all of recipes I’ve found (typically 45-1hr each round).
Something I had to learn on my own was that outside temperature and type of flour really makes a difference when it comes to proportions, so you can view the ones I’ve listed here as a general guide, sometimes needing more flour, sometimes more water. Once you get the initial feel for how the sticky dough should be, you’ll be able handle the variations with ease.
Today I made dough with an assortment of spices mixed into the flour; something I’m actually trying for the first time. I tossed in some Italian seasoning, garlic powder, chili powder, and thyme. Just omit these if you’re looking for regular dough.
The toughest part is waiting for the dough to rise. It can take up to 2 hours total, depending on the variables listed above. Once you get it in the bowl after mixing the ingredients, find a warm place in your home and cover it with a damp cloth. Let it sit for about 45 minutes.
After the 45 minutes has passed, it’s a good idea to sprinkle a little flour on top and roll it into a tighter ball and let it sit again for another 20-30 minutes. It’s fun to see the dough rising!
Once you’re ready to roll the dough out, make sure you have a lightly floured surface to use. I like to lay down wax paper to make sure that nothing from the surface I use gets into the dough. It’s also good to keep the flour on hand just in case the dough sticks to the surface.
Next, grab your rolling pin and start rolling! I guess some people strive for the dough to be perfectly round but I haven’t been able to do that, nor do I really mind if it’s more of a rectangle. Oh, and if you don’t have a rolling pin, a wine bottle works just fine.
Next, you’re ready to pop on your toppings and slide it into the oven. I’ll usually follow the directions on the recipe to determine what to set the oven temperature to, but 350 or 400 hundred degrees is always a winner, too.
For 1 12in. pizza or 2 9in. pizzas
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2/3 cup warm water
2 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon salt
olive oil for bowl
Sprinkle yeast over water and let stand for 1 minute or until yeast is creamy. Stir until dissolved.
Combine flour and salt in a large bowl.
Add yeast and water mixture, until soft dough forms. Add small amounts of flour if needed if you find the dough is sticky. Shape into a ball.
(tip: start off with a spoon then kneed with your hands once dough begins to form)
Lightly oil the large bowl and rub the ball of dough.
Cover with a damp towel in a warm place for roughly 40 minutes.
After 40 minutes, place on a well floured surface and use a rolling pin to stretch dough.
Form another ball, place back into bowl, and let rise for another 40 minutes.
Finally, place back onto lightly floured surface and roll the dough out to your desired thickness and shape.
*You do not need to pre-bake dough before adding toppings*
For Seasoned Dough:
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon chili powder (to taste)
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