Easy Pizza Dough From Scratch Fine Cooking Magazine Recipes

Steps:

• Combine the bread flour, sugar, yeast and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and combine. While the mixer is running, add the water and 2 tablespoons of the oil and beat until the dough forms into a ball. If the dough is sticky, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together in a solid ball. If the dough is too dry, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead into a smooth, firm ball.
• Grease a large bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, add the dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in a warm area to let it double in size, about 1 hour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cover each with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let them rest for 10 minutes.

Steps:

• Whisk 1 1/3 cups warm water (105 degrees F) and the sugar in a bowl; sprinkle the yeast on top. Set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the olive oil.
• Whisk the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture. Gradually stir with a wooden spoon to make a rough dough.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, dusting with more flour if necessary. Form into 2 balls. Brush 2 large bowls with olive oil, add a ball of dough to each and turn to coat with the oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour, 30 minutes. Roll out and top as desired, or wrap in plastic wrap and freeze up to 1 month.

Steps:

• Whizz together the flour and water in a food processor for a minute or so until it clumps together to form a single ball. You might need to add a little bit more water or flour to get the consistency right. (Dough should be soft, but not sticky!)
• Preheat the grill (broiler) on high.
• On a floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1 cm (½ inch) thick.
• Place pizza dough onto a well-oiled, oven-safe frying pan on high heat.
• While the bottom is cooking on the hob, top the pizza with the sauce, cheese, pepperoni herbs and whatever else you like. (Try your best to not over-top it or else it can fall apart or get soggy.)
• Continue cooking on high until the edges of the crust start browning and crisping.
• Place the pan under the grill and cook the toppings until the cheese is bubbly and browning. Slice.
• If you're quick, you can actually have this from-scratch pizza on your plate (and in you mouth) quicker than it takes to cook a pre-made frozen pizza.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Combine water, yeast, and sugar in a bowl; let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add flour, salt, and oil, and stir until a ragged dough forms. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface.
• Knead with floured hands until dough is smooth, elastic, and tacky but no longer sticky, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl brushed with oil, turning dough to evenly coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in volume, 30 to 45 minutes.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix warm water and 1 teaspoon sugar; add yeast and whisk until dissolved. Let stand until bubbles form on surface. In a large bowl, whisk 3 cups flour, salt, remaining 1 teaspoon sugar and, if desired, dried herbs. Make a well in center; add yeast mixture and oil. Stir until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead, adding more flour to surface as needed until no longer sticky and dough is smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a large greased bowl; turn once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes; transfer bowl to refrigerator and chill overnight. Allow dough to come to room temperature, about 30 minutes, before rolling.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in flour, salt and oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan or baker's peel dusted with cornmeal. Spread with desired toppings and bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let baked pizza cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Pour water into a 3 quart bowl, or large lidded plastic food container.
• Using a wooden spoon, mix in the oil, salt, yeast, and sugar.
• Don't worry about dissolving all of the ingredients; just stir well to combine. Don't bother proofing the yeast either-it shouldn't fail if used before it's expiration date.
• Add the flour and mix until uniformly moist. The dough will be quite wet. No kneading is necessary.
• Cove the bowl with plastic wrap, or partially cover. Leave the lid open a bit to let gases escape. Let the dough rise for two hours at room temperature. The dough will fully expand and may even begin to collapse by this time.
• Do not punch down the dough. It will collapse on its own and later shrink while it chills in the refrigerator. It will never regain it's height, and that's OK. Chill for at least 3 hours before using. After 2 days, tightly cover the bowl to keep the surface of the dough from drying out. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. After that, tightly wrap into 1/2 pound balls and freeze for up to 3 weeks.
• On a floured board, roll, and use your fingers to stretch the dough to your liking. If the dough continues to contract, let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes, covered, then stretch some more. Add your favorite pizza toppings.
• Bake in the bottom third of the oven using a pizza stone or baking sheet. I use parchment paper so the dough does not stick. Turn the pizza half way through baking.
• Depending on how thick or thin you like your pizza crusts, the amount varies. I make two large pizzas with very thin crusts, about 12X18". Prep times are approximate.
• For thin crusts (1/16th of an inch thick), bake at 550 for 10 to 15 minutes.
• For regular style crust (1/8 inch thick) bake at 550 for 8 to 10 minutes.
• For a thick crust (1/2" thick) bake at 500 for 20 to 25 minutes.
• Let pizza sit for a minute or two before cutting.
• Variations:.
• Whole wheat dough: subsitute one cup of whole wheat flour for the same amount of all purpose flour, and add 2 tablespoons of extra water.
• Cornmeal dough: substitute 1 cup of stone ground yellow cornmeal for the same amount of all purpose flour and add 1 tablespoon of extra water.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the oil, salt, sugar and 2 cups flour. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rest in a warm place for 10 minutes. , Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients; set aside. Divide dough in half. On a floured surface, roll each portion into a 13-in. circle. Transfer to greased 12-in. pizza pans; build up edges slightly. Prick dough thoroughly with a fork. , Bake until lightly browned, 12-15 minutes. Spread sauce over hot crusts to within 2-in. of edges; top with sausage, mushrooms, green pepper and cheese. Bake 20 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Steps:

• Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside (a Pyrex 2-cup measure makes for easy pouring; be sure the cup isn't cold).
• Meanwhile, put the flour and salt in a food processor fitted with the steel blade; process briefly to mix.
• With the machine running, add the water-yeast mixture in a steady stream.
• Turn the processor off and add the oil. Pulse a few times to mix in the oil.
• Scrape the soft dough out of the processor and onto a lightly floured surface.
• With lightly floured hands, quickly knead the dough into a mass, incorporating any bits of flour or dough from the processor bowl that weren't mixed inches
• Cut the dough into four equal pieces with a knife or a dough scraper. Roll each piece into a tight, smooth ball, kneading to push the air out.
• What you do next depends on whether you want to make pizza right way or at a later date.
• If you want to bake the pizzas as soon as possible, put the dough balls on a lightly floured surface, cover them with a clean dishtowel, and let them rise until they almost double in size, about 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, turn your oven on, with the baking stone in it, to let the stone fully heat.
• If you want to bake the pizzas tomorrow, line a baking sheet with a floured dishtowel, put the dough balls on it, and cover them with plastic wrap, giving them room to expand (they'll almost double in size), and let them rise in the refrigerator overnight.
• To use dough that has been refrigerated overnight, simply pull it out of the refrigerator about 15 minutes before shaping the dough into a pizza.
• To freeze the dough balls, dust each one generously with flour as soon as you've made it, and put each one in a separate zip-top bag. Freeze for up to a month.
• It's best to transfer frozen dough from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before (or 10 to 12 hours before) you want to use it. But I've found that dough balls pulled straight from the freezer and left to warm up on the counter will be completely defrosted in about 1-1/2 hours. The dough is practically indestructible.
• Put the proofed or thawed ball of dough on a lightly floured wooden board. Sprinkle a little more flour on top of the ball. Using your fingertips, press the ball down into a flat cake about 1/2 inch thick.
• Lift the dough and lay it over the back of the fist of one hand. Put your other fist under the dough, right next to your first fist. Now gently stretch the dough by moving your fists away from each other (see Video). Each time you do this stretch, rotate the dough. Continue stretching and rotating until the dough is thin, about 1/4 inch, and measures about 9 inches across. Unless your dough is still cold from the freezer, it will be so soft that its own weight will stretch it out. Alternatively, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough thinly on a floured board. If you like a very thin pizza, roll the dough out to a 10-inch round. Be careful not to make it too thin, and remember that the thinner the pizza, the less topping it can handle.
• Rub a bit of flour onto a wooden pizza peel (or the back of a baking sheet). Gently lift the stretched dough onto the floured peel. Top the pizza, scattering the ingredients around to within 1/2 inch of the border.
• Topping your pizza.
• For some people, pizza isn't pizza without the scarlet of tomatoes peeking through the cheese, but there are many delicious savory combinations that show off fresh seasonal produce. It's better to use winter vegetables like greens or even canned tomatoes when fresh tomatoes are out of season.
• To get you started, here are two of my favorite ways to top a pizza -- plus lots of suggestions for combinations to inspire your own designs.
• To make the Angeli Caffé's favorite, Pizza al Caprino -- Over the shaped pizza, scatter 10 to 15 cloves roasted or slow-cooked garlic, 5 to 6 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (drained and sliced), 3 ounces crumbled goat cheese, a few capers, and a pinch of oregano. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.
• To make a simple flatbread -- Scatter sliced garlic (3 to 4 cloves), minced fresh rosemary (from 1 small sprig), and coarse salt over the dough. Make several 1/2-inch slashes to keep the dough from puffing up. Drizzle with lots of extra-virgin olive oil before baking, and garnish with Parmesan. Serve this delicious "Pizza Aglio e Olio" with a salad or cheese.
• To design your own pizza -- Use any of these topping combinations to inspire your own creation. A generous drizzle of olive oil is a great addition to just about any pizza.
• Sautéed onions, fresh sage leaves, grated pecorino romano, grated Parmesan.
• Basil pesto, toasted pine nuts, slow-cooked garlic, grated Parmesan.
• Sautéed leeks, chopped artichoke hearts, a bit of crushed tomatoes, grated Parmesan.
• Italian Fontina, Gorgonzola, sun-dried tomatoes.
• Garlic, olives, capers, anchovies, and crushed tomatoes.
• Sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, fresh basil.
• Thinly sliced prosciutto, ricotta, fresh basil, grated Parmesan.
• Cooked Italian sausage, sautéed onions, Italian Fontina, mozzarella.
• Sautéed mushrooms, thinly sliced cooked potatoes, Gorgonzola, crumbled cooked bacon or pancetta.
• Baking your pizza.
• Put a pizza stone or unglazed terra-cotta tiles on the lowest rack of the oven and heat the oven to 500°F Ideally, let the stone heat in the oven for an hour.
• Shake the peel (or baking sheet) gently back and forth to make sure the pizza isn't stuck. If it seems stuck, lift the edges up with a spatula and toss a bit of flour under the dough. Quickly slide the pizza onto the hot baking stone. Bake until the edges are golden, about 8 minute Using a peel, a wide spatula, or tongs, remove the pizza from the oven.

Steps:

• In large bowl dissolve yeast & sugar in warm water.
• Let sit for 10 minutes.
• Stir in oil, salt, & 4 1/2 cups flour.
• Mix in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time.
• When all mixed & pulled in, turn onto a floured surface knead until smooth & elastic -- approx 8 minutes.
• Lightly oil a large bowl, place dough ball in bowl, lightly oil ball & cover with a damp cloth.
• Let rest in a warm place, or oven on lowest setting until doubled in size. Approx 1 hour.
• Deflate & turn onto floured surface divide into 3 equal pieces & form rounds.
• Cover & let rest 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425°.

Steps:

• To make the dough: Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside (a Pyrex 2-cup measure makes for easy pouring; be sure the cup isn’t cold).
• Put the flour and salt in a food processor fitted with the steel blade; process briefly to mix.
• With the machine running, add the water-yeast mixture in a steady stream.
• Turn the processor off and add the oil.
• Pulse a few times to mix in the oil.
• Divide the dough: Scrape the soft dough out of the processor and onto a lightly floured surface.
• With lightly floured hands, quickly knead the dough into a mass, incorporating any bits of flour or dough from the processor bowl that weren’t mixed in.
• Cut the dough into four equal pieces with a knife or a dough scraper.
• Roll each piece into a tight, smooth ball, kneading to push the air out.
• To use dough that same day: If you want to make pizza as soon as possible, put the dough balls on a lightly floured surface, cover them with a clean dishtowel, and let them rise until they almost double in size, about 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, turn your oven on, preferably with a baking stone in it, to let the stone fully heat.
• Pizza the next day: If you want to bake the pizzas the next day, line a baking sheet with a floured dishtowel, put the dough balls on it, and cover them with plastic wrap, giving them room to expand (they’ll almost double in size), and let them rise in the refrigerator overnight.
• To use dough that has been refrigerated overnight, simply pull it out of the refrigerator about 15 minutes before shaping the dough into a pizza.
• To shape, top, and bake the pizzas, see below.
• To freeze dough: Dust each generously with flour as soon as you’ve made it, and put each one in a separate zip-top bag.
• Freeze for up to a month.
• It’s best to thaw the dough in the refrigerator for at least 10-12 hours before you want to use it-- but in a pinch it'll defrost on the counter in about 1 1/2 hours.
• To shape pizzas: Put the proofed or thawed ball of dough on a lightly floured surface.
• Dust the top with flour.
• Using your fingertips, press the ball down into a flat rounds about 1/2 inch thick.
• Lift the dough and lay it over the back of the fist of one hand.
• Put your other fist under the dough, right next to your first fist.
• Now gently stretch the dough by moving your fists away from each other.
• Each time you do this stretch, rotate the dough.
• Continue stretching and rotating until the dough is thin, about 1/4 inch, and measures about 9 inches across.
• Alternatively, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough thinly on a floured surface.
• Rub a bit of flour onto a pizza peel (or the back of a baking sheet).
• Gently lift the stretched dough onto the floured peel.
• Top the pizza, scattering the ingredients around to within ½ inch of the border.
• To bake: Put a pizza stone or unglazed quarry tiles on the lowest rack of the oven and heat the oven to 500°F.
• Ideally, let the stone preheat in the oven for an hour.
• You should place your pizza on the peel before topping it so that it's ready to slide onto your stone.
• Shake the peel (or baking sheet) gently back and forth to make sure the pizza isn’t stuck.
• Quickly slide the pizza onto the hot baking stone.
• Bake until the edges are golden, about 8 min.
• Using a peel, a wide spatula, or tongs, remove the pizza from the oven.

Steps:

• 1. Dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes, until creamy.
• 2. Add in the rest of ingredients except corn meal. Stir vigorously to form a stiff, wet dough. You may need to add another 1/4 cup flour to make the right consistency.
• 3. Cover and set aside; let rise at least 30 minutes (I usually let it rise 2 hours).
• 4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray pizza pan with cooking spray and sprinkle liberally with corn meal.
• 5. Grease hands with oil. Press dough onto pan to desired thickness.
• 6. Bake for 10 minutes.
• 7. Remove from oven; add toppings as desired. Cook an additional 15-20 minutes or until crust is browned and crispy on the bottom.