Same Day Pizza Dough 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:

• In a large bowl, combine yeast with water, olive oil, salt and stir well to proof. After 5 minutes, add half of the flour and mix well to thoroughly incorporate. Add all remaining flour except 1/2 cup and mix well with your hands. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead dough for at least 5 and up to 7 minutes, adding enough additional flour as necessary to form a smooth and elastic dough. Dough should not be sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled 2 or 3 quart bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, usually at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. and if you have one, place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven.
• Divide dough into 2 portions (for 2 (12-inch) pizzas) and form into balls. (See note below for calzones.) Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and cover with a damp towel. Let rest for 15 minutes, then transfer to a lightly floured surface, shape as desired and roll out to a thickness of 1/4-inch. Transfer dough to a pizza peel and top with toppings of choice. Transfer to the preheated pizza stone and bake until crispy and golden brown, usually 12 to 18 minutes (depending on the toppings). Remove from the oven with a metal peel or spatula and serve immediately.
• Note: For calzones, divide the dough into 4 equal portions and form into 4 balls. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and cover with a damp towel. Let rest for 15 minutes, then transfer to a lightly floured surface and roll out into 4 6-inch circles. Place filling of choice in the center of one side of each circle, then fold dough over filling to meet edges of filled side. Crimp edges with a fork or your fingers, then cut a small slit in the top of the calzone to allow steam to escape while cooking. Cook on a preheated pizza stone in a preheated 475 degree oven for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until well-browned. Remove from the oven with a metal peel or spatula and serve immediately.

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, sprinkle yeast and sugar over 1 1/4 cups warm water (100º to 105º); let stand until yeast is creamy, 5 to 10 minutes. (If yeast does not become creamy, discard and start over with new yeast.) In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Add to yeast mixture. Mix on low speed for 4 minutes or until dough forms a coarse ball. Let dough rest, with bowl covered with a damp kitchen towel, 5 minutes, then remove towel and knead on medium-low speed, 2 minutes more, or until dough clears sides of bowl. If dough is too soft and sticky to hold its shape, mix in more flour by the tablespoonful. If it is too stiff or dry, mix in more water by the tablespoonful. (If not using a mixer, dough can be combined in a large bowl and, on a lightly floured work surface, vigorously kneaded by hand, following kneading and resting times above.) Lightly oil a large bowl. Form dough into a ball, transfer to bowl and turn to lightly coat with oil. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 40 minutes, or until doubled in bulk; time may vary depending on room temperature and yeast. Divide dough into 4 pieces; shape pieces into balls and place on a lightly floured work surface, leaving a few inches between balls. Loosely cover with a damp dishtowel (not terry cloth) and let rise at warm room temperature until doubled, about 2 hours; time may vary depending on room temperature and freshness of yeast. If skin forms on dough while rising, lightly spray surface with water. Shape and bake the dough as directed in your pizza recipe.

Steps:

• Mix the yeast, salt, sugar and olive oil with the water in a 5-qt bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
• If using active dry yeast, mix sugar with water till it's 100-110F degrees, then add yeast and let proof for ten minutes. Then mix in the rest of the ingredients.
• Mix in the flour without kneading, using a large wooden spoon.
• Cover (not airtight) and allow to rest at room temperature for about 2 hours. You can use the dough at this point, or refrigerate and use over next 12 days. If you refrigerate at least overnight, you'll develop better flavor in the dough. If you only want to make 1 flatbread, just pinch off a grapefruit sized piece of dough to use -- keep the remaining covered loosely in the refrigerator. You can freeze the dough as well -- but I haven't tried it, because honestly, it's so good that the dough never goes unbaked for more than 4 days.
• This is enough dough for 4 large pizzas.
• Use as you would with any pizza recipe.

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine flours and salt.
• In a small mixing bowl, stir together 200 grams (a little less than 1 cup) lukewarm tap water, the yeast and the olive oil, then pour it into flour mixture. Knead with your hands until well combined, approximately 3 minutes, then let the mixture rest for 15 minutes.
• Knead rested dough for 3 minutes. Cut into 2 equal pieces and shape each into a ball. Place on a heavily floured surface, cover with dampened cloth, and let rest and rise for 3 to 4 hours at room temperature or for 8 to 24 hours in the refrigerator. (If you refrigerate the dough, remove it 30 to 45 minutes before you begin to shape it for pizza.)
• To make pizza, place each dough ball on a heavily floured surface and use your fingers to stretch it, then your hands to shape it into rounds or squares. Top and bake.

Steps:

• Put 1 3/4 cups/420 milliliters lukewarm water in a mixing bowl (use a stand mixer or food processor if you prefer). Sprinkle yeast over water and let dissolve, about 2 minutes.
• Add flour, salt and olive oil and mix well until flour is incorporated and dough forms, about 5 minutes. It may look a little rough or pockmarked.
• Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Turn dough out onto surface and knead lightly until it looks smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Cut dough into 4 equal pieces, about 8 ounces/225 grams each.
• Wrap dough pieces individually in resealable zipper bags and refrigerate for several hours or, for best results, overnight; you can also freeze it for future use. (You can skip this rise in the refrigerator and use the dough right away, but this cool, slow rise makes it easier to stretch and gives the pizza a crisper texture and more nuanced flavor.)
• To use dough, form each piece into a smooth, firm ball, and place on a flour-dusted or parchment-lined baking sheet. (If you froze the dough, leave it at room temperature for several hours first, or defrost overnight in the refrigerator.) Flour lightly, cover loosely with plastic wrap and top with a kitchen towel. Leave to rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Each dough ball with make a 10-inch diameter pizza.

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.