If you have ever wanted a pizza with a great, perfectly crispy crust, then reading on will teach you how to make pizza dough. This guide will teach you everything there is about making pizza dough from scratch, and why you should stick to a tried and tested pizza dough recipe to make the tastiest pizzas at home. Whether you are here to find the basic techniques of making an Italian-style pizza or seeking the recipe for a creative pickle pie pizza or if you are planning to go for more unusual options like a sourdough or cornmeal pizza this guide is for you.
Why make pizza dough from scratch?
Preparing your pizza dough from scratch is a very intimidating idea at one point, but, it is a great bonus if you are a pizza lover. The important thing about home made dough is that you can decide the kind of materials used and the chances of having a fresh and tastier base than the premade ones available in the market, the vegetable toppings for pizzas go well with the kind of dough you make at home. Frozen pizza dough that can be purchased needs no introduction because it simply does not stand to that of homemade dough.
In addition to the enhanced taste, making pizza dough can be adjusted as well. For instance, you can mix cornmeal into the dough to make it crispy, or incorporate dough’s discard for people who love the taste of sourdough. Here are some additional benefits of making your own pizza dough:
• Fresh Ingredients: You can use fresh vegetables and meats without the additives of preservatives.
• Cost-Effective: It costs a lot less to make your dough than to buy it already prepared from the market.
• Creative Control: Some of the things that can be done to alter the recipe are because of certain limitations on certain food items or some one’s beliefs.
• Skill Development: Another reason why learning to make a pizza dough brings about improvement in the cooking abilities, is the increase in confidence level.
Ordinary recipe for preparing the ideal pizza dough
Making the perfect pizza dough doesn’t have to be complicated since it only needs a few ingredients. Here’s a list of essentials that will ensure a delicious crust every time:
• All-Purpose Flour: 3½ cups
• Warm Water (about 110°F): 1¼ cups
• Active Dry Yeast: 2¼ teaspoons
• Olive Oil: 2 tablespoons
• Salt: 1 teaspoon
• Sugar or Honey: 1 tablespoon
For slight texture to the crust, you could add 1 tablespoon of cornmeal to the dough.
Basic Pizza Dough Recipe
Step 1: Activate the Yeast
First of all, you have to proof the yeast in warm water. Sprinkle a pinch of sugar or honey to feed the yeast to make it act quicker. Depending on the room temperature, allow the yeast mixture to sit for 5 minutes; the mixture should become foamy. This provides your dough the right fermentation conditions, which adds to the airiness of your crust.
Step 2: Combine Ingredients
In the same large mixing bowl use a wire whisk to mix the flour and salt together. Knead it well and make a hole in the middle into which you pour the yeast mixture and olive oil. Using a wooden spoon or your hands, mix everything together and once the ingredients have almost combined you will have your dough. It should still be somewhat sticky but should be easy to handle nonetheless.
Step 3: Knead the Dough
Sprinkle some flour on the dough and then turn it over onto the surface and knead it for 8-10 minutes. This process helps to increase hardness of gluten in the dough in order to get the stretch required for a pizza dough. The right kneading ensures your dough gets the right combination of elasticity and chewiness.
Pro Tip: The length of time of kneading can slightly vary depending on the desired pizza crust thickness; use additional time if you’d like to achieve a thin crust. In order to have a more chewy dough, that will not easily be over powered by the pickles (for the Pickle pie pizza), Knead for at least five minutes so that the dough becomes more manageable.
Step 4: Let the Dough Rise
After punching down your dough, transfer it into a greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth; let it rise in a warm place for about 1-2 hours, depending on the yeast or until the dough doubles in size. In case you are the kind who likes planning the future, the dough can be placed in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 72 hours. The cold rise facilitate the flavor formation, which is better as compared to hard dough.
Step 5: Shape and Prepare the Dough
After that the dough will rise up and when it is fully raised, knock the dough down with a punch to remove the air floats. If preparing more than one pizza, portion it and immediately shape and stretch each portion to the size and thinness you desire for your pizza base. For a 14 inches pizza, you will require about 10-12 ounces of dough.
Making Your Pizza Stand Out
Finally, we are here – that part which most of you have been waiting for all this time, the toppings! If you want to go with the classics, Margherita or pepperoni pizza taste great! but you may want to venture out and get a pickled pie pizza. This is a zingy, savory pizza laying dill pickles, garlic sauce and mozzarella cheese which may sound a little odd… but believe us, it really works!
Discover how to make Pickle Pie Pizza with a delicious homemade dough!
Tips for Choosing Toppings:
• Quality Ingredients: To get the best results, always use fresh and quality toppings with crisp to get the best flavors.
• Balance: Select ad-on that will help in build up taste but which will not so dominate the crust.
• Experimentation: It is advisable to take a chance on the blend that you fancy since owners do not have to sell their bicycles.
For an added fun you can use miniature pizza dough circles to have individual pizzas or you can try other variations of toppings such as using white sauce base, hot sauce drizzle or herbs for a gourmet appearance and taste.
The Significance of Correct Cooking Procedures
To get your crust as Desire, it is important to cook your pizzas right. Here are some techniques to keep in mind:
• Preheat Your Oven: It is also advised that you preheat your oven to its maximum, this is normally between 475°F to 500°F. This high heat on the grill gives you a crispy crust that is comparable to the pizzerias out there.
• Use a Pizza Stone or Steel: If you have it, then please put your pizza stone or steel into the oven as soon as it is heated. These tools enable you to retain heat as well as achieve the crispy bottom of your pizza.
• Baking on Parchment Paper: In case you do not own a pizza stone, you can as well bake your pizza on parchment paper on a baking sheet. This helps to avoid adhesion and favorability to get remove without damaging the layers.
• Don’t Overcrowd Your Pizza: Some people love to put a lot of toppings on it to avoid this they end up compromising the crust. Maintain the ratio of sauce, cheese and the toppings so as to get the crispiness at the base and satisfaction at the topping.
Pizza Dough in the Fridge – How Long Does it Last?
If you did want to make your dough beforehand, homemade pizza dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to three days. The dough may be frozen for up to 3 months if you want to store it for a long term. Just ensure that you put the dough on an airtight container or put it in a resealable bag. For thawing pizza dough, place it in the refrigerator the night before using it; and make it to come to room temperature for roughly half an hour prior to dividing it.
SOME TIPS TO ENRICH YOUR PIZZA DOUGH
If you’d like to elevate your homemade pizza, consider these flavor-boosting options:
1. Add Herbs: Delight your dough with a pinch of Italy and add some oregano, basil or rosemary to the mix.
2. Garlic Powder: A little bit of garlic powder is included in the dough mix to make the bread have this overly yummy taste.
3. Experiment with Sourdough: If you’re looking to add more flavor, you should try making pizza with sourdough discard dough. Sourdough has a naturally low pH and, in the case of pizza, helps to add that extra bit of taste to your crust.
4. Cottage Cheese Pizza Dough: Otherwise, substitute the above mentioned unhealthy food with cottages cheese in your dough. This adds protein and moisture at the same time as the dough assumes a very soft consistency.
5. Almond Flour Variation: If you want a gluten free flour, you can combine almond flour, and coconut flour. This results in a different mouth feel, but the flavor is still good.
Common problems of Pizza Dough and their probable causes and remedies
Here are some common challenges people face when making pizza dough and how to fix them:
• Dough is Too Sticky: If the dough is sticky, sprinkle small amount of flour (about one tablespoon) and start to knead with hand until dough is smooth.
• Dough Isn’t Rising: Just be sure to make sure that your yeast is fresh, and let the dough get plenty of rise time out of a warm place. This is because if you use old yeast, you are likely going to have your dough rise the wrong way.
• Burned Crust: If your crust becomes done long before the toppings, consider reducing your oven heat or using a baking stone so that heat will be spread evenly.
• Too Thick or Thin: In this case, during the shaping stage you should roll it out more if the crust you consider as too thick. If you want to have less thickness of the crust, use lesser dough.
Common Questions About “Pizza Dough”
Q: Can I use almond flour in making pizza dough?
A: Almond flour doesn’t work well for the standard pizza crust, but you can mix it with other gluten-free flours for a keto pizza. Yet it will not resemble normal dough by texture and elasticity.
Q: What should I do when I have made my own dough for pizza?
A: Pizza dough should be kept in refrigerator for maximum of 3 days or it can also be frozen. Store it in a pizza dough container for better freshness.
Q: Is there a better way to reheat pizza from fresh dough?
A: Put the pizza on a hot pan for some time and on covering it with an aluminum foil the baking process will start again. It helps to make the pizza crust crispy while at the same time in the meantime the cheese is melting.
Q: Is pizza made out of animals?
A: Generally, pizza dough does not contain any non-vegan ingredient: it’s prepared from flour, water, yeast, salt. It is, however, important to note that ‘meat’ toppings including pepperoni or sausage will contain animal products.