Have you ever dreamed of learning to make delicious, homemade pizza like a pro? Well, it’s not that hard as might think. You probably have all the ingredients, aside from the toppings, in your pantry and refrigerator. The only thing you’ll need is a good tutorial, or a few tutorials :). And I promise to guide you trough the whole process of making perfect homemade pizza.
I’ve decided to divide Pizza 101 master class into tree classes: 1)Perfect pizza dough, 2) Marinara sauce and pizza oils from scratch, and 3) Pizza toppings, mostly because I want to explain every part in details. And today we’ll star with a basic pizza dough step-by-step recipe. I’ll teach you how to make smooth, and elastic pizza dough that later you’ll transform into a perfectly delicious artisan pizza. Moreover, this dough recipe can be used not only for making pizza, but for bread and focaccia as well. You’ll need only a few simple ingredients and some basic kitchen tools to make the magic happen. So let’s get started guys!
Tools you’ll need:
- Mixing bowls
- Electric scale (optional)
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Plastic bowl scraper
- Metal pastry blade (optional)
- Pizza stone ( 1” thick)
- Pizza peel, wooden and metal
- Electric mixer (optional)
Pizza 101 - Part 1 or How to Make a Perfect Pizza Dough
Ingredients:
- water - 16 oz
- sugar - 2 teaspoons
- unbleached bread flour - 5 cups
- kosher salt - 2 teaspoons
- active dry yeast - 1 1/4 teaspoons
- extra virgin olive oil - 1 tablespoon
Instructions:
- Pour 6 oz. of warm water in a small plastic bowl. Add yeast and sugar. Stir lightly with a plastic spoon.
- Using the mixing paddle attachment, mix in the flour, salt, sugar, and olive oil on low speed just to incorporate. If you don't have a mixer, you can mix the ingredients with a wooden spoon and knead them by hands.
- Add the yeast and remaining 10 oz. of water. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, or until the ingredients are evenly distributed and fully hydrated.
- Let the dough rest for 5 minutes and then mix on medium-low speed for one more minute. The dough should be soft, supple and slightly sticky to the touch. Add more water or flour, if needed.
- Rub a little of the olive oil on a work surface. Stretch and fold the dough, as shown in the pictures above, to fold into a ball. Cover the dough with a bowl and let to rest or 5 minutes.
- Perform three more stretches and folds, at 5-minute interval each. Congrats, your pizza dough is almost ready.
- Spread a thin layer of the olive oil on the inside of a large bowl. Place the pizza dough in the bowl and turn it around so that it gets coated with the oil. Cover the dough with plastic wrap. At this point, if you want to save your dough for some time, you can divide it into 8 oz. size balls and freeze them in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
- If you're not planning to make pizza right away, I would recommend to cover the dough with a plastic wrap and place it in a refrigerator for 4-5 hours or overnight, for up to three days. Tip: Longer rise will improve the flavor of the pizza crust.
- However, if you don't want to wait, you can heat the oven to 150 degrees, and then turn it off. Let the oven cool till it is just a little warm. Place your dough in an oiled bowl, cover it with a clean kitchen towel and transfer in the warmed oven to rise. It will take from 1 to 2 hours.