My go to pizza dough recipe..

[troymeister]

INGREDIENTS

• • 4 Cups unbleached all purpose flour (King Arthur Flour is very good)
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 pkgs of yeast
  • 2 tsps brown sugar
  • 2 tsps kosher salt
  • 2 tsp garlic powder or granulated garlic
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 4 tbsps olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees is best) too hot will kill yeast

---

INSTRUCTIONS

• • Measure 1/2 cup of the warm water.
  • Add the brown sugar and dissolve.
  • Add 2 pkgs of the yeast and stir to dissolve. Let sit for 5 minutes. This mixture will froth and foam up. This is a very good sign because it means the yeast is alive and active.
  • While yeast mixture is sitting, sift 3 1/2 cups of the unbleached all purpose flour and the 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour in a large mixing bowl. Make a depression in the middle and add the olive oil and salt. Add the yeast mixture after it has frothed up nicely.
  • Add the remaining cup of warm water.
  • Mix with your hands till blended and add the Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Mix with your hands some more until you have a ball of dough.
  • Now remove the ball of dough and knead on the counter top adding flour as needed. Knead by pressing down on the dough by pressing down on it with the heel of your palm then fold it in half and flatten. Keep doing this till the dough becomes smooth and elastic. About 10 to 12 minutes.( a Kitchen Aid Mixer with a dough hook greatly eases this process.)
  • Make a nice ball of dough.
  • Brush a large bowl with the remaining olive oil add the ball of dough.
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size. Now punch down and divide the dough in sizes you think you need and roll out.

---

[Breadhead]

troymeister ...

I like that you're a breadhead😎

"Make a nice ball of dough."
"Brush a large bowl with the remaining olive oil add the ball of dough."

Give this a try... Mix your dough the night before you want to use it. Once you've put the ball of dough in the bowl let it proof at room temp for 1 hour and then put it in your refrigerator over night.

The next day when you're ready to use it... Take it out of the fridge 2 hours before you want to form it into pizza crusts. Let it come to room temperature and then shape it.

Slow fermentation will add flavor.

Also check out 00 flour for pizza. You can bake it at 800° and not burn the edges of the crust.😎

[Thunder77]

Breadhead, what type of flour is that?

[Breadhead]

Thunder77 ...

00 Flour (Caputo or San Felice are two common brands) is an italian flour that's finely milled. It's low in protein content and performs well in high temperature ovens (e.g. coal fired, wood fired ovens). I usually don't cook 00 under 700F. 00 Flour is almost always used in Traditional Neapolitan style pizzas. Pizzas made with 00 have a softer texture.

http://www.amazon.com/Antimo-Caputo-Pizzeria-Flour-Repack/dp/B006XL9W7W/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1459952898&sr=8-1&keywords=caputo+00+flour

[JeffJ]

I noticed this recipe in the recipes channel last week. I am making pizza on Saturday and am strongly considering this recipe.

Can it be made a couple of days in advance and refrigerated? A couple of other recipes I've used recommend doing it that way as it allows the dough to develop fuller flavor as they yeast has more time to ferment.

[Strat50]

Absolutely! In fact, you'll have better pizza. When I make sourdough, either for bread or pizza, it takes 3-4 days to develop the texture and flavor I like.

[JeffJ]

Thanks for the info Strat50. I'll be making this dough tonight for my Saturday pizza.

[Jay in Ames]

This is similar to what I do. Love the addition of garlic and italian seasoning, makes the dough really good, and singularly pizza like! Makes great breadsticks, too, coat with garlic butter and parmesan cheese, and a little italian seasoning, dipped in marinara sauce.

[BigBear]

troymeister , do you know how to convert this recipe to make it gluten-free?

[JeffJ]

troymeister , do you know how to convert this recipe to make it gluten-free?

Eliminate the flour ;-)

[Fine Swine]

My daughter made pizza dough with no flour. She used cauliflower instead. I am sure you can look that one up. Her pizza was actually pretty good.

[JeffJ]

I once saw a recipe for a cauliflower based pizza dough, Fine Swine. My wife has been encouraging me to make it.

[Strat50]

At the restaurant, we make our dough a day ahead to insure proper texture and ease of handling. The above recipe is a good starting point. However adding herbal flavor is better done by adding fresh herbs and your garlic(no salt, trust me..lol) to butter or olive oil and brushing the crust pre or post bake.

The key to making great pizza crust has less to do with the flour( although you can use different flour(s) for the texture you prefer), then having a "slack" dough. The way to achieve this slack dough thing, is to mix you dough, then portion, then let rise. Do not handle it yet. When risen, leave the dough to "fall." For making bread, this would be a disaster, but for pizza, it makes the best dough. It rolls, or hand tosses easily: but, moreover, cooks evenly. Once the dough has "fallen," its ready to use.

OK, here's an insider tip for making killer pizza crust. Add (using the above recipe as a guide) ¼ teaspoon baking powder to the mix. What this small addition will do is to add oven spring to the crust. When the yeast did its thing, it left many bubbles in the crust. The addition of a small bit of baking powder will refill these bubbles with CO2 as the pizza cooks.

The key is: slack dough. It should flow through your fingers when handling.

[RonB]

Strat50 Do you really mean "flow through" you fingers. That would seem to be a wet mess. I hope you meant "drape" through you fingers. ;-) Most pizza dough recipes are between 60% and 75% hydration, That means divide the total weight of the water by the total weight of the flours.
A newer technique for handling the dough calls for a series of stretch and folds instead of kneading. It's much easier than kneading - especially for someone who doesn't bake regularly. Here's a link to how to do it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1timJlCT3PM

And more pizza dough recipes than you will need here:

http://search.kingarthurflour.com/search?p=Q&asug=&af=type%3Arecipes&w=pizza+dough

Ron

[Strat50]

Thanks for the correction. Drape is a more accurate term than flow. I use the King Arthur site quite a bit when I have certain baking questions. Great folks there, with a lot of good info and ideas. I do stretch and fold for the majority of my bread/ pizza bakes, especially when I mill my own flour.

[RonB]

I visit the KA site too.

[Frenchy19]

Found this simple recipe on the NY Times website, and not only is it simple, it is also very good! I always weigh my ingredients when baking, and 00 flour makes this incredible!