Homemade Pizza Dough

Directions

Combine the yeast, sugar and warm water in a bowl. Stir well to dissolve the yeast and sugar. Let sit for 3-5 minutes to let the yeast bloom . You’ll see foam on top when it’s awake and ready to go. While you’re waiting for the yeast, combine 2 cups of the flour and salt in a large bowl. Stir well to evenly distribute the salt. Add the olive oil . The remaining half cup of flour was an allowance for what might be added during kneading. In actuality, you probably won’t use a whole half cup. Once the yeast water is foamy on top stir it into the flour mixture. Stir it with a spoon until it forms a loose ball. Turn it out onto a counter and begin to knead the dough. Knead well for 10 minutes. Sprinkle flour on the countertop sparingly as you knead. If you add too much flour the dough will end up dense rather than light like a pizza dough. I found that as long as I kept my hands and the dough moving quickly, it did not stick and did not need more flour. If you have never kneaded dough before, watch this video for help.

use the dough tonight , use it tomorrow or within a month . To use the dough the same day, form the kneaded dough into a ball . Spray a bowl with non stick spray, place the dough inside and turn it to coat with oil. Cover the bowl loosely and let it rise in a warm place for one hour. After it has risen, punch it down to release some gasses and stretch it into a 16″ round. Many people say that the dough develops a better flavor if allowed to proof slowly over a day or so, either in the refrigerator. Every pizza establishment that I have worked at also made their dough at least one day ahead of time. Form the dough into a ball and coat with oil the same way as in step 4a but place the dough in the refrigerator. The dough can be used up 8-24 hours later. You can also freeze the dough. After forming it into a ball coat it with oil, wrap tightly in plastic wrap then place in a freezer bag. When you are ready to use the dough, simply place it on the counter for one hour prior to use. The dough should be at room temperature before you begin to stretch it into shape. Once you stretch the dough into shape, place it on a perforated pizza pan coated with non-stick spray and a light dusting of cornmeal. Bake in a preheated oven at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are brown and crispy. Making sure the oven is well heated before hand will ensure that the bottom cooks and gets nice and crispy.