This simple pizza dough has been a lifesaver on more than one occasion. You see, Sunday night tends to be pizza night in our house. Whether we’ve been out all day or hanging at the house, Sundays are the night for us to chill, eat something delicious and get ready for the week.
Now some people love a long cooking stew, or some decadent dish, but I like to play with dough. I’ve tried overnight rising pizza dough, all day rises, 10-minute pizza dough, sourdough pizza dough, but this is the recipe that I’ve turned to time and time again. Don’t get me wrong, I love some of the slower rising dough's, but I don’t always remember to start them at the right time. This simple pizza dough is the one that I keep going back to.
The beauty of this simple pizza dough is that it doesn’t need a ton of rising time and makes enough to fill a 12" x 17" baking sheet. That feeds our family of four perfectly (for now anyway!)
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So how do you make simple pizza dough at home?
Pizza dough is a mixture of just a few ingredients. Flour, yeast,water, salt, olive oil are the basis of any good pizza dough in my opinion. In the simple pizza dough I’m sharing with you, we will also use a little bit of sugar to help the yeast get going.
These ingredients are mixed together, sit for about 15 minutes and then get stretched into shape, rest a bit, stretched a bit more and then par-baked to ensure a really great texture.
We’ll then top the pizza, stick it under the broiler for just a few minutes to let all the toppings come together before serving. Simple, right?
What’s so great about homemade pizza?
This simple homemade pizza is not just a healthier alternative to delivery, but is totally DIY. You aren’t stuck putting different toppings on just half of the pizza. Everyone gets what they like. You like more sauce, but your partner likes less, no problem. Your kids don’t want veggies on theirs, and you want all the veggies, have at it.
I also like to play with the crust. You can stuff it by rolling the edges around mozzarella sticks cut long ways in quarters. Love everything but the bagel seasoning? Brush some melted butter on the edges and sprinkle the seasoning over it before baking. Yum!
Because you control what goes into the dough and the topping, you can choose the quality of your ingredients as well. This makes your pizza unique every time. While I haven’t tried this recipe with whole wheat or any alternative flours, you could certainly play around and find something that works for you. The ratios of water to flour might be different, but the same method should work.
Additionally, the toppings are endless. Veggies, fruits, any cheese you like, homemade or store bought sauce, it’s up to you. Play with it and find what you like. ¾ of our family is totally into black olives and mushrooms. I like mine with roasted garlic and spinach.
Could this be made parve (dairy-free) or vegan?
Absolutely, just don’t put cheese on it. You could either just skip the cheese altogether and top with veggies or you could use non-dairy cheese. Alternatively, you could make a meat pizza. BBQ sauce and shredded chicken with some veggies would probably be awesome! You could even drizzle a cashew based cream over the top to give it another layer of texture.
Do you have to use yeast? I’m afraid of it!
Nothing to fear when using yeast. Just make sure it’s fresh and you should be good to go. I’m going to have you proof it (bakers talk for making sure it’s alive) before you make the dough, so if it doesn’t bubble, you’ll know it’s not going to work before you really get going.
One of the most important things to remember is that yeast is a living thing. You’ll want to be kind to it by giving it somewhere warm (not hot) to get going. Make sure the water is warm to the touch, NOT HOT, so that the yeast isn’t harmed by it. Then you’ll give it some sugar which will help get things going. The rest is easy.
I promise this is called simple pizza dough for a reason. However, if you are still hesitant, check out this instagram account for some great tips and tricks on how to work with yeast based dough.
Tips and Tricks
- Some vegetable toppings won’t cook through in the short time this pizza is under the broiler. If are using things like broccoli or mushrooms, I would roast or saute them before putting on the pizza (depending on what you like).
- Scissors are my favorite way to cut homemade pizza. Let it cool down for a few minutes so you don’t burn your fingers off and then just cut up into whatever size pieces float your boat. My kids like long skinny ones because they can eat more pieces that way.
- A kitchen aid stand mixer fitted with a dough hook is going to make this recipe the easiest. If you don’t have one, bring your muscles, because you’ll need to do some kneading.
Like simple meals? Check out these other recipes!
simple pizza dough - your new favorite
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 ¾ cup flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Toppings: anything and everything you would like!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees with rack positioned in the middle of the oven
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook put the water, the yeast and the sugar
- Stir gently with a spoon and let sit 2-5 minutes
- When you see bubbles (even little ones) forming on top you can continue with the recipe
- On top of the yeast mixture pour the rest of the ingredients in the order listed
- Turn the mixer to low and let it go until a soft dough starts to form
- Turn the mixer off, scrape the sides if necessary and let the dough rest for a minute
- Then turn the mixer back on to medium speed and let go until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is soft and pliable, not too sticky. This will take 5-10 depending on kitchen conditions.
- Let the dough sit in the mixer with a towel covering it while the oven heats up. It’ needs about 15 minute to relax
- Prepare a 12"x17" baking sheet by lining it with a piece of parchment paper
- Plop the ball of dough onto the baking sheet and start stretching it to fit the pan. If it fights you at all, take a break and let it rest for a few minutes so the gluten can relax, then continue stretching it
- Once the dough has been stretched out completely, bake it at 5oo degrees for about 6-7 minutes until just starting to get light brown
- Take the pizza base out of the oven and add your toppings
- Set you oven to broil and return pizza to oven until cheese is bubbly and toppings are hot (about 4-5 minutes)
- Take out and let cool 5 minutes before cutting and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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