(Makes two small pizzas or one big one.)
Crispy. Fluffy. Garlicky. The perfect dough for homemade pizza! Here's what you need:
1 and 1/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
2 and 1/4 teaspoons yeast
3 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons minced dry garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
Baking stone or cookie sheet
Being at home over the past year had it's benefits: my husband perfected his homemade dough recipe. Every Friday night, we make this -- and it's DIVINE!
Make the dough (15 minutes):
Place 1 and 1/4 cup water plus 1 teaspoon sugar into a microwave (we use a big Pyrex measuring cup for this step). Heat the water/sugar mixture for 60 seconds on high to warm it.
To the warm sugar water, add 2 and 1/4 teaspoons years (we love SAF yeast). Let sit for 10 minutes and the yeast will "bloom" (it'll get foamy).
While the yeast grows, get a large bowl and combine:
3 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons minced dry garlic
Mix with whisk and place bowl with these dry ingredients into a warm oven. (We use our oven’s “proofing” temperature option. If you don't have this setting, place the dough somewhere warm, between 70 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit.) Warming the dry ingredients seems to help dough rise.
After 10 minutes of allowing the yeast to bloom, take the bowl of dry ingredients out of the oven and add the yeast/water/sugar mixture to the flour mixture.
Add two teaspoons olive oil to the mixture.
Use a mixer and mix the dough for 30 seconds to combine ingredients.
Knead the dough for 5 minutes. (By hand or by using the knead option on your mixer.) During this process, sprinkle bread flour on the surface of the dough if the dough gets sticky.
Put (or keep) kneaded dough back into the bowl. Wipe the sides of the bowl with a little olive oil (to help the dough rise). Put plastic wrap over the bowl of dough and place the bowl of dough in a warm spot to proof (or rise) for 63 minutes. (My husband insists this is the proper amount of time.)
Take risen dough out of the warm oven and let it sit in the warm bowl while you heat the oven to 400 degrees F. The dough will rise some more during this time.
IMPORTANT NOTE: While the oven heats to 400 degrees, place a baking stone in the oven and let it get hot. (We use a steel baking plate, which works great and never cracks.) If you don’t have a baking stone, you can place a cookie sheet (upside down) on the oven rack. The flat bottom of a cookie sheet is a great substitute for a baking stone. The hot surface of the stone (or cookie sheet) will help the center of the pizza get crispy.
When the oven reaches the 400 degree temperature, divide the pizza dough in half and place it on a sheet of aluminum foil that has been sprayed lightly with oil so it doesn’t stick. Use your fingertips to poke and stretch the dough into a circular shape. (This recipe makes two medium-sized pizza crusts. If you only want to make one pizza, you can wrap the other half of the dough in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge. Often, we’ll use the second half of the dough to make a calzone or bake some rolls the next day. By the way, the refrigerated dough may continue to rise.)
When the dough is shaped into a crust, add sauce, cheese, and toppings.
Keep the pizza on the aluminum foil and place it on the baking stone (or cookie sheet) in the oven.
Bake at 400 for 15 minutes and 30 seconds.
Once you try this, you’ll never want frozen pizza again. Enjoy!
Thanks for making stuff with me!
