I’ve never met a person who doesn’t love pizza. We love pizza in all forms! And here at home, we could have pizza day every day of the week using this super EASY and TASTY pizza dough recipe. Better yet, you don’t even need toppings if it’s a good pizza crust. Just a little garlic butter or olive oil, and you’re good to go. So, I’m glad to have my go-to recipe on hand. Besides, it’s super easy once you get the hang of it. So, let’s jazz up the pizza dough to make it as appealing as the toppings. Shall we dive right in?
Pizza Dough Ingredients
With flour, water, yeast, and salt, you can make a pretty decent pizza dough. But you probably know I don’t settle for pretty decent; there has to be an extra “something something” to make a recipe stand out. In this recipe, I decided to use the following ingredients to create the BEST-EVER pizza dough:
How to Make Pizza Dough
Make the Dough
Activate Yeast – In a large bowl, combine warm water, sugar, and instant or active dry yeast. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes until it becomes foamy. (Photo 1) Dry Ingredients – In a medium mixing bowl, mix the flour, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt. Mix to combine. (Photo 2) Make Dough – Pour dry ingredients into the wet ingredients a little at a time and mix after each addition. Add olive oil and use a wooden spoon or clean hands to stir vigorously until the mixture is fully incorporated. An elastic ball will form that starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Knead – Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 6-7 minutes or until smooth and elastic. The dough should still be slightly sticky but manageable with your hands. (Photo 3) Rise – Drizzle a separate, large, clean bowl generously with oil and use a pastry brush to brush up the bowl, including the sides. Place dough in the dough and cover with a kitchen cloth. Place in a warm place and let it rise for 30 minutes to an hour or until the dough doubles in size. (Photo 3)
Make the Pizza
Preheat oven to 425°F (215°C) so it will have reached temperature once your pizza is ready to bake. (For a crispier crust, go as high as you can. Probably 500℉ (260℃) is as high as you can go.) Roll – Once the dough has risen, use your hands to gently deflate it and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Knead briefly until smooth, 3-5 times. Roll the dough out into a 12″ circle with a rolling pin, or pat it out with your hands. (For thin crust, divide the dough into two balls and roll them out.) Form Pizza Crust – Line a pizza pan with parchment paper and transfer dough to the pan. Either pinch the edges or fold them over to form the crust’s edge. Poke holes all over the center with a fork to keep the dough from buckling up in the oven. Toppings – Add desired toppings (pizza sauce, cheese, veggies, pepperoni, etc.) and bake in the preheated oven for 13-15 minutes or until cheese melts and the toppings are done. Serve – Let cool for a minute or two, slice, and serve.
Pizza Toppings Ideas
Some people love a simple cheese and pepperoni pizza, while others love to heap on the flavor. Here are some ideas:
Tips and Swaps
Make-Ahead and Storage
You can make and refrigerate it covered with plastic wrap for up to a week (longer fermentation makes tastier dough). Or freeze the balls of dough in airtight bags for up to six months. Thaw the pizza dough if frozen, bring it to room temperature, knead it, and let it rise again. Roll it out and have fun with the toppings!
What Goes With Pizza
Beer! Oh, I don’t have a recipe for that. Breadsticks, garlic butter, and a tossed salad are great. And use any extra dough for a fruit pizza for dessert. Yum!
More Amazing Italian Recipes to Check Out
This blog post was originally published in October 2019 and has been updated with additional tips and gorgeous photos
