Pizza Dough Recipe
This pizza dough recipe is my absolute favourite for making homemade pizza! It’s vegan, it yields a thick, chewy crust, and it makes enough for two pizzas.
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- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast, (about 1 packet)
- 1 cup warm water (between 100°F to 120°F) (not hot – warm to touch)
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour + extra ⅓ cup while kneading
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, maple syrup or agave
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder, (omit if for sweet pizza)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
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In a bowl, the flour, sugar, yeast, garlic powder and salt. Whisk the ingredients together.
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Create a well in the centre of the flour. Slowly add the warm water and olive oil to the dry ingredients, and then mix together with a spatula until just incorporated. The dough should look shaggy.
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Flour a clean surface, and then pour/add the dough onto the surface. Flour your hands and fold the dough together. Knead the dough for about 8-10 minutes with your hands and knuckles. The dough will be sticky at first, but you add up to 1/3 cup flour while flouring and kneading to make it easier to manage. I usually add that entire extra ⅓ cup amount. You want the end dough ball to be smooth, with slight dimples.
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Lightly grease the ball of dough with some oil and place back into the bowl in a ball. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it sit for at least 1 hour on the counter in a warm area. If your kitchen is too cold, you can place it in your OFF oven with the pilot light on which will provide enough residual heat for it to rise. The dough should rise and double in size. You can allow your dough to rise up to three hours or up to overnight in the fridge.
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Punch down the dough and fold over. Divide the dough into two balls, they make two 10inch pizzas. You can make both or wrap one and place it in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze it.
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On your floured surface, shape your pizza dough into a circular shape. I use a well floured rolling pin and roll it out in all directions to form a circle. It should measure about 10 inches diameter. Create a crust by lifting the edges to create a sort of heightened rim.
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Use it in your favourite pizza recipe, and enjoy!
Freezing and Thawing
Remember that this makes two pizzas, so if you want, you can wrap the other and place in the fridge for up to 3 days. Remember it’ll continue to rise in the fridge. You can also freeze it for months instead. Place it in a ball and into a freezer safe bag.
To thaw, place in your fridge overnight to thaw.
Before using for a pizza, set out on the counter to remove the chill. I like to set it out, then preheat my oven, and let it come back to room temperature (after thawing in the fridge) while the oven is heating.
Pizza Stone vs Baking Sheet
If I had to choose, I would I always recommend a pizza stone because it produces the best results. That being said, using the back of your baking sheet works just as well. If you want, you can place the baking sheet in the oven while its preheating and then using a parchment paper, slide your pizza onto it. It’ll begin to cook the pizza instantly, and provide an even better crust. Get a nice heavy duty baking sheet for this since many warp under high heat, but you can certainly use what you have. This is the pizza stone I recommend.
The Steam Method
The steam method isn’t necessary. But, it’s brilliant. Basically, you’re increasing the temperature in your home oven similar to the Dutch oven bread method that I use to make my no knead bread. With the steam method, you place any pan like a loaf pan, with hot water in your oven after it’s at 500F.
Let it sit for about 10-15 minutes on the rack below where you’re going to place your pizza. During that time, you can roll out your dough, lay on your toppings, snap a photo for Instagram and add that little extra bit of cheese you were wondering if you should add (always add more cheese). Then carefully, place your pizza in. There will be a lot of steam. Cook your pizza and remove. You’ll get the most beautiful bubbly crust. Bonus points if you add cornmeal or semolina flour on the bottom. That’s my favourite way to get my ideal crust. The regular way works incredibly too, so either way, everyone will love it.
What yeast to use?
I recommend using the yeast that your recipe calls for. For instant, I use SAF Instant Yeast. For active dry yeast, I love Bob’s Red Mill. They are both very affordable, is affordable in large quantities and last very long.
Calories: 90kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 2.5g, Fat: 2g, Sodium: 146.5mg, Fiber: 0.5g, Sugar: 0.5g
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
