Basic Pizza Dough
A delicious homemade pizza begins with a soft and chewy crust made from simple pantry staples. This recipe guides you through the steps of creating a satisfying dough that bakes up beautifully golden and crispy. With the perfect texture to hold your favorite toppings, your homemade pizza will delight your taste buds and satisfy your cravings for a classic favorite.
— Constant Cookbook
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
- 1 envelope (about 2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
- 1 1/4 cups water, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cups (22 ounces) bread flour, plus more for dusting work surface and hands
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- Olive oil or nonstick cooking spray for oiling the bowl
Instructions
- Measure ½ cup of the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until the yeast dissolves and swells, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1¼ cups water and oil and stir to combine.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula while you gradually pour in the liquid mixture. The dough should come together into a shaggy mass and be mostly moistened; you may not need all of the liquid, so hold back a few tablespoons and then add if necessary.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead by hand for a few minutes to form a smooth, round ball (it will a very soft dough). Put the dough into an oiled bowl, turn to coat the dough, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Place in a draft-free area and let rise until doubled in size, about 1½ hours.
- Place a pizza stone on a rack in the lower third of the oven. Heat the oven to 500° for at least 30 minutes.
- Press the dough to deflate it, then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Use a chef's knife or dough scraper to divide the dough into two pieces. Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball and cover it with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no more than 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, get your sauce and toppings ready.
- Working with one piece of dough at a time and keeping the other covered, shape the dough into a 14-inch circle, then transfer it to a pizza peel that has been lightly dusted with semolina.
- Top your pizza as desired and slide the dough onto the heated stone. Bake until the crust edges brown and the cheese is golden brown in spots, 8 to 12 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven, cut into wedges, and serve immediately. Repeat with the remaining piece of dough.
Cook Time
10M
Prep Time
PT3H30M
Yield
2 large pizzas
Nutrition
- Calories: 1070 kcal
- Carbohydrate Content: 187 g
- Protein Content: 35 g
- Fat Content: 19 g
- Saturated Fat Content: 3 g
- Sodium Content: 1767 mg
- Fiber Content: 10 g
- Sugar Content: 1 g
- Serving Size: 1 serving
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