Saturday, March 3, 2012

The Best Homemade Pizza Dough

Why make your own pizza dough? 
Store bought pizza dough--whether you buy pre-made packaged pizza dough or so called 'fresh' pizza dough in the refrigerator case is loaded with preservatives and other wacky ingredients like 'dough conditioners' and other stuff you can't recognize. Read the ingredients on one of those packages and ask yourself if you really want to put things of which you don't know the origins inside your body or inside the bodies of your beautiful children. Plus it tastes SOooo good!

Why not buy fresh pizza dough from the pizzeria down the street? 
... You can control the quality and variety of the ingredients used, such as organic, sea salt, extra virgin olive oil and so on.
... It costs less making it at home.
... Making something from scratch is rewarding.
... It impresses your family and friends. When they take that first bite and look up at you with awe in their eyes and say "Wow, mom.." around a mouthful of wholesome pizza... you'll never buy pizza dough again. ;)

About the recipe.
This recipe is not my own creation, but one I use from the March 2010 issue of EveryDay Food Magazine and I just can't keep it to myself. It's incredibly easy to make--mix up the dough ingredients, let it rise for one hour, knead it a few times and then make your pizza! The dough can also be used for focaccia, sticky buns, sweet soft pretzels and individual cinnamon-apple tarts. For the original basic pizza dough recipe and other recipes using the dough, click on Everyday Food Basic Pizza Dough.

The original recipe calls for all-purpose flour, but I always substitute some of the regular flour with stone ground whole wheat flavor for added nutrients and flavor. You can use all white flour if you like.

Best Homemade Pizza Dough
Makes 2 lbs. of dough, enough to make 8 or more individual pizzas.

pesto pizza with mushrooms
2 packets (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for bowl and brushing
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 cups stone ground whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

1. Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water (110-115 F) into a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

2. Whisk sugar, oil, and salt into yeast mixture. Add flour and stir until a stick dough forms. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and brush top with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a thin kitchen towel and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until the dough as doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

My tip: I use my oven as the warm, draft-free place. I turn on my oven to warm (200 F) for just a few minutes during step 1 so that my oven will be warm enough for rising the dough. Just make sure you turn off the oven after a few minutes. You don't want it too hot. Then I put the dough in the oven for the rising period.

3. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead 1 or 2 times before using.

Cook's Note: To freeze, you can wrap the dough in plastic and freeze in a resealable freezer bag for up to 3 months. If you plan to use it in a recipe that calls for half a batch, divide it before freezing.


I did this and it worked well, but the dough is really best used immediately after preparing.
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To make pizzas: 
We like to make individual pizzas at our house. This way everyone gets to make theirs just the way they like.

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Use a sharp kitchen knife to score and cut the dough into eight equal portions.
3. If you have a pizza stone, by all means use it to make these pizzas and go to step 3. If you do not have a pizza stone, lightly brush a cookie sheet or pizza pan with olive oil and set aside.
4. To shape the pizzas, take a portion of dough into your hands and gently shape into a pancake. Then hold the edge of the dough between your fingers of both hands. Turn the dough around and around in your fingers, gently stretching the edges. The center of the dough will naturally get thinner as you turn the dough. When you get to the point where the dough is stretched thin enough to your liking, place it on the oiled cookie sheet. Using the tips of your fingers, press the dough some more around the edges to thin it some more, if you like.
5. Top your pizza with desired sauce, cheese, vegetables and meats.

Tip: Be careful not use too much tomato sauce on your pizza. A little bit goes a long way and too much makes your pizza way too soggy!

6. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and edges of crust are lightly browned.

Serve hot!
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Some of our favorite pizzas:

Pizza Margherita
Topped with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil. Add diced peppers, red onions, thinly sliced mushrooms, if desired.

Pesto Pizza
Topped with pesto and fresh mozzarella. Add thinly sliced mushrooms, if desired.

White Pizza
Topped with dollops of ricotta cheese, fresh mozzarella, and steamed or roasted broccoli florets.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza
Top with barbecue sauce, grilled chicken, fresh mozzarella or Monterrey jack cheese, diced red onion, thinly sliced zucchini and cilantro.

Enjoy! :)

Weekend Cooking, a weekly blog event hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food related post to share--a food related book review (fiction or nonfiction), cookbook review, movie review, a recipe, random thoughts, gadgets, food quotations, photographs, etc. Please visit Beth's blog for more information and join the fun! 


Note: your post does not have to be posted on the weekend, but do visit Beth's blog over the weekend to link up your post. 

48 comments:

  1. not sure if I am sold on making my own dough but that pizza looks wonderful.

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    1. @caite I totally understand short cutting the homemade dough and just buying it. Or better yet ordering a pizza from down the street! Sometimes the only thing that will do is good old fashioned pizzeria pizza. ESPECIALLY in New York City or NJ. We are spoiled with some of the best pizza on the planet. In my humble opinion, anyway... ;)

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  2. Great looking pizza, I love the mushrooms. Homemade is much better, I've made it before but I usually get lazy and pick some up from the pizza place.

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  3. Good job! Looks good. I make it sometimes but I am bad at stretching it out and the crust is always kinda thick. Maybe I will try this recipe and see whether that helps. :)

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    1. @Libby I have had the same trouble stretching out the dough, but it was pretty effortless with this recipe. Although as you can see from the picture, still irregularly shaped! Part of the charm of homemade, I think. :)

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  4. Wonderful post. I really like Everyday Food. Check out my Anne of Green Gables recipes!

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    1. Loved your Anne of Green Gables recipes! SO charming. :)

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  5. I like Everyday Food Magazine, too, but usually buy 'fresh' pizza dough at the grocery store. You've convinced me to try making my own.

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    1. @JoAnn ... I've had great success with just about every recipe I have ever made from that magazine. The recipes are very easy to follow, prepared with every day ingredients and the recipes themselves vary from comforting family food to special occasions. I love that.

      I hope you try the recipe--let me know how it turns out. :)

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  6. Always make my own dough!! So much so that I but the brick of yeast from Costco. It's one of the easiest things to do : ) We grill our pizzas, I make an upside down which the kids love with the cheese first, a white with basil pesto then ricotta mixed with mozzarella and parmesan. It really is a family fave on Friday or Saturday nights : )

    Paula

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    1. @luv46kdz ... well, OF COURSE you always make your own dough!!!! I've never bought brick yeast before. I guess it's more cost effective compared to the little packets if you use it often. How long does brick yeast keep? Do you have to store it in the freezer?

      I need to try grilling pizza in the summer. I tried it once on a campfire when we were camping but it didn't turn out so great.

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  7. Thanks for sharing this! I'm going to attempt this!
    :D it's gonna be awesome.

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    1. @Alex ... yay! Let me know how it turns out!

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  8. When I was keeping sourdough, I made sourdough pizza crusts so often we got bored with pizza! Now that it's been awhile, it's probably time to try again and I'll need a yeast recipe, so I'm going to keep track of this one.

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    1. @Joy Weese Moll .. sourdough pizza crusts sounds good! I'd love to hear from you if you decide to try this recipe.

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  9. I'm so hungry now and I've just eaten dinner! YUM!

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  10. Loved this post. I've tried lots of pizza doughs, but the one we love has some cornmeal in it and no sugar (I wrote it up here). I've never frozen my dough because it's just as easy to make it fresh when I want it.

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    1. @Beth F ... Glad you enjoyed my pizza dough post.
      You know, I was tempted to leave out the sugar but thought twice because I was wondering if it served a purpose of being 'food' for the yeast to rise for just one rising period and only for an hour? I'm not an expert at yeast breads.. I make this recipe and a fantastic Pennsylvania Dutch Roll recipe. That's about it!

      I'll be visiting your pizza dough recipe in the summer when I attempt to grill pizza!

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  11. We are trying to eat better and limit all the crap perservatives that are found in so much food. This is a great recipe that I think we are going to try!

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    1. @Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)... you should definitely try this pizza dough. Your little guy would JUST love to help you with the dough! If he does, I want to see a pic on facebook! ;)

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  12. mmmm this does look good! I have made Jim Lahey's pizza dough recipe and that is really yummy too. One of my favorite pizza toppings is roasted red peppers. It looks and almost tastes like pepperoni, but better for you!

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    1. @theveryhungrybookworm ... Most adorable username! :)
      I have a jar of homemade roasted red peppers from the summer in my freezer. What a great idea!

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  13. Your pesto mushroom pizza looks heavenly!

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    1. @Diane ... Thanks! Pesto mushroom pizza happens to be my favorite. So glad I still have homemade pesto in my freezer from last summer--hoping I have enough to last me until basil is growing tall this summer!

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  14. We love making our own dough and pizzas. It is the only way to enjoy a good pie. I'll have to save yours to add to our rotation.

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    1. @Peaceful Reader ... It really is fun making your own dough and pizza, isn't it?

      I have used pizza dough to make a nectarine tart, too. Just layer thinly sliced nectarines on the pizza dough, sprinkle with sugar or brush with warm jam and bake! Delicious!

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  15. We should do this for girls night! Pizza and chocolate fondue :D

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    1. @Mariana ... What a great idea!!! Once we have our date set, I'll poll the girls for toppings and bring all the fixings. :D

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  16. Pizza always seems to taste better when you make it yourself from scratch - not that I always do! Your toppings sound great.

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    1. @Cat.. homemade pizza really does taste awesome. Then again, when someone ELSE walks in the door with pizzeria pizza at the end of a long day.. that can be pretty awesome, too.

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  17. I thought the new Reply feature in the comments was such an awesome idea.. until I realized how much I can clog everyone's inbox with so many flippin' replies! Sheesh!!! Sorry about that everyone. I'm going back to bulk replies for posts with a lot of comments.

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  18. You must be a mind reader! LOL I've had pizza on the brain lately, looking to buy a pizza stone but now I'm leaning towards a cast iron pizza pan. Still haven't decided but once I do, I'll definitely try out your dough recipe. This would be great for my family since we like different topping. :)

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    1. @Leslie ... I have a pizza stone that I use sometimes, but find that a very lightly oiled cookie sheet works just fine, too. I want to try making pizza in a cast iron skillet.. I bet it's delicious that way. I didn't realize they made cast iron pizza pans!

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  19. Ooh, we love pizza. Well, Son does. I'm going to have to try this recipe! Thanks! (Although, for the white, we may go traditional and usespinach.)

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    1. @Brandy ... spinach would be great on the white pizza! Yum!

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  20. Yum! Hubby is the expert pizza maker in our house, and usually makes his own dough. It tastes so much better.
    Thanks for sharing!

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    1. @Shelley Munro ... How nice that your husband is the resident pizza maker!! :)

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  21. Nice recipe, Christine! I think my sister has one similar. The only reason I don't like it as much if I find it doesn't rise enough... I like my pizza to be doughy LOL.

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    1. @nath ... Ooo maybe you need a recipe for Sicilian pizza!

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  22. Yes, I am all for making your own dough. It is dirt cheap, easy and quick to make, too. I love the pesto topping idea, must try this out next time. And the broccoli one!

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    1. @Rikki .. have a pizza night and try a bunch of different pizzas. Tomato, pesto, white cheese... they're all good!

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  23. I keep it in the fridge. Its actually vacuum packed and when you cut it it gets soft so I put it into a tupperware : ) gosh it keeps for at least 8 mos. I'll be honest I get a couple months past the expiration date on it

    The trick to grilling pizza is olive oil on the dough before putting it oil side down. Then you brush the other side and flip it to just get it a bit crisp before adding your sauce and toppings.

    Pizza and choco fondue, really does a gal need anything else ; )

    Paula

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    1. @Paula ... thanks for the tips on the yeast cake and grilling the pizza. Can't wait to try it. :)

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  24. I am making this now! Apparently cats like yeast, both of them are stalking the bowl.

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  25. Christine--I love this post!! I've pinned it to Pinterest (hope you don't mind)...not only for the dough recipe but also for the various ideas of what to put ON TOP of the pizza. Thank you! ;)

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  26. @Lisa ... yay!!! How did the pizza dough turn out? I hope the family liked it. Too funny about the cats liking the yeast!!

    @Trish .. You pinned it to Pinterest! I don't mind at all.. that's pretty cool, actually! I haven't taken the plunge into pinterest. I'm afraid of how much time I'll spend pinning! I like a lot of things and LOVE photos and images of the things I love!

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