Master Pizza Dough Recipes

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, undissolved yeast, and salt. Stir very warm water and olive oil into flour mixture. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4 to 6 minutes. Cover; let rest on floured surface 10 minutes.
• Lightly oil 1 (14-inch) or 2 (12-inch) round pizza pan(s).** Sprinkle with cornmeal. Shape dough into smooth ball. Divide and roll dough to fit desired pan(s). Top pizza as desired.
• Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes or until done. Baking time depends on size and thickness of crust and selected toppings.

Steps:

• Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk sugar, oil, and salt into yeast mixture. Add flour and stir until a sticky dough forms. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and brush top with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead 1 or 2 times before using.
• Dough can be stored in an oiled bowl, covered with plastic, in refrigerator up to 2 hours. To freeze, wrap dough in plastic and freeze in a resealable freezer bag up to 3 months. If you plan to use it in a recipe that calls for half a batch, divide it before freezing.

Steps:

• Combine warm water (about 100F), olive oil, yeast and salt in a 5-quart bowl; preferably, in a lidded (not airtight) plastic container or food-grade bucket.
• Measure the flour using a "swoop and sweep" method. Reach into the flour bin with your measuring cup, scooping up a full measure all at once, and sweeping it level with a knife.
• Mix until all of the flour is incorproated (kneading is not necessary) using a wooden spoon or a food processor with a dough attachment.
• Cover with a non-airtight lid.
• Allow to rise at room temperature for 2 hours.
• DO NOT PUNCH DOWN! You want to retain as much gas in the dough as possible. A reduction in gas will make your pizzas and flatbreads dense.
• Refrigerate and use over the next 14 days. Refigerate at least 3 hours before using.
• On Pizza Day.
• 30 minutes before you're ready to bake, place a pizza stone at the bottom third of the oven and preheat it at your oven's highest temperature.
• Prepare and organize your toppings.
• Dust a pizza peel (or a large cutting board/flat cookie sheet) with enough flour or cornmeal to easily tranfer the pizza over to the hot stone.
• Pull up and cut off a 1/2 pound (orange-size) piece of dough.
• Using a little flour (enough so it won't stick to your fingers), stretch and shape the dough into a ball.
• Sprinkle your work area with a little flour. Using your hands or a rolling pin, roll out and stretch the dough until it is approximately 1/8" thick and 12" wide.
• Place the finished dough onto the prepared pizza peel and add the toppings of your choice.
• Carefully slide the pizza onto the hot stone (if it isn't sliding, you will need to sprinkle more flour or cornmeal between the pizza and the pizza peel, until it moves.
• Check for doneness after 8-10 minutes - it may take a few minutes longer. Turn the pizza around if the one side is browning faster than the other.
• Allow to cool slightly on a wire rack.

Steps:

• Place flour, sugar shortening and salt, in a bowl of a mixer. Place water in a separate bowl, add yeast and sugar, let stand for 5 to 6 minutes or until yeast rises to the top of the water. With kneading hook on the mixer, start mixer and add water. Mix for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from bowl and place on floured sheet pan. Knead slightly adding flour if needed and form a large dough ball. Refrigerate for 45 minutes before using in various recipes.
• SPECIAL NOTES: Flour MUST be high gluten. Yeast MUST be granulated (Red Star Granulated Active Dry is preferred). If the room temperature is hotter than normal, and more humid than normal, you may want to adjust your yeast water to accommodate

Steps:

• In a small bowl or cup combine milk with 3/4 cup water that is warm to the touch (about 125 degrees). Sprinkle dry yeast or crumble fresh yeast over. Stir once and let sit in a warm spot until it foams, 10 to 20 minutes.
• In a large bowl combine 3 cups flour with salt. Pour yeast mixture over flour, stirring with a wooden spoon to mix well. Dough will be very wet. Generously flour a work surface and turn out dough. Begin kneading, adding extra cake flour a handful at a time or less, scraping up and turning dough with a dough scraper. You will need about 10 minutes to knead and add flour. Dough is ready when it is smooth, silky and just past stickiness. Do not add too much flour or dough will be very dry. Gather up dough in a ball.
• Lightly oil a large bowl, add dough and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature about 2 hours or until doubled. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 4 even pieces. Shape into rough rounds, about 7 inches in diameter, 1/4-inch thick with a 3/8-inch-thick rim. Transfer to pizza peels or baking sheets sprinkled lightly with cornmeal. Cover loosely with towels and let rise 10 to 60 minutes. Top and bake according to recipe instructions.

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast with the water and sugar. Add the corn oil and blend.
• Add the flour and salt and mix thoroughly. If using a stand mixer, mix for 4 minutes at medium speed, until the dough is smooth and pliable. If kneading by hand, knead for 7 to 8 minutes.
• Turn the dough out of the bowl and knead by hand for two additional minutes. Add olive oil to a deep bowl.
• Place the dough ball into the bowl and turn it twice to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise for two hours.
• Do not punch it down. Spread and push the dough ball across the bottom of the pan. At this stage the dough can be put in the refrigerator and allowed to rise slowly over night. Take the dough out of the refrigerator at least an hour before you are ready to use it.

Steps:

• Put the yeast in a small bowl, add the warm water, and whisk vigorously for 30 seconds. The yeast should dissolve in the water and the mixture should foam. If it doesn't and the yeast granules float, the yeast is "dead" and should be discarded. Begin again with a fresh amount of yeast and water.
• Combine the flour and malt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
• With the mixer running on the lowest speed, pour in most of the icewater, reserving about 2 tablespoons, followed by the yeast-water mixture. Pour the reserved water into the yeast bowl, swirl it around to dislodge any bits of yeast stuck to the bowl, and add to the mixer. Mix for about 15 seconds, stop the mixer, and add the poolish or tiga.
• Continue to mix the dough at the lowest speed for about 1 minute, until most of the dough comes together around the hook. Stop the mixer. Use your fingers to pull away any dough clinging to the hook, and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a bowl scraper or rubber spatula. Check the bottom of the bowl for any unincorporated flour. Turn the dough over and press it into the bottom of the bowl to pick up any stray pieces. If the dough isn't holding together, add small amounts of water (about 1/2 teaspoon to start) and mix until the dough is no longer dry and holds together.
• Add the salt and mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute to combine.
• Stop the mixer, pull the dough off the hook, and add the oil. Mix the dough for 1 to 2 minutes, stopping the mixer from time to time to pull the dough off the hook and scrape down the sides of the bowl, until all of the oil is absorbed. The dough won't look completely smooth.
• Use a bowl scraper to transfer the dough to an unfloured work surface, then knead it for 2 to 3 minutes, until smooth. Cover the dough with a damp dish towel and let rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. Use the dough cutter to loosen the dough and to cut it in half. Weigh the dough, adjusting the quantity as necessary to give you two 13-ounce pieces. Form each piece into a ball. Any remaining dough can be discarded.
• Form the dough into balls. Set the balls on a half sheet pan, spacing them about 3 inches apart. Or, if you will be baking the balls on different days, place each ball on a quarter sheet pan. Wrap the pan(s) airtight with a double layer of plastic wrap, sealing the wrap well under the pan(s). Put the pan(s) in a level spot in the refrigerator and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.