Description
This classic pizza dough recipe yields a soft, elastic base perfect for your favorite homemade pizzas. Made with simple ingredients like flour, yeast, and olive oil, it requires minimal preparation and rises to create a flavorful, airy crust ready for your favorite toppings.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 ¼ teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
- 1 ½ cups warm water (about 110°F/43°C)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
Wet Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Activate Yeast: Combine warm water, granulated sugar, and active dry yeast in a mixing bowl. Stir gently and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture becomes frothy, indicating the yeast is activated.
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a separate large bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour and salt to ensure even mixing and a lighter dough texture.
- Combine Ingredients: Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour in the frothy yeast mixture along with olive oil. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until a rough dough forms.
- Knead the Dough: Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky. This process develops gluten for a chewy crust.
- First Rise: Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough inside, turning once to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm spot for 1 to 2 hours until it doubles in size.
- Punch Down Dough: Once risen, punch down the dough to release trapped air. Knead briefly on a floured surface to redistribute yeast and gases.
- Shape the Dough: Divide the dough as desired (e.g., into two portions for two pizzas), then roll each out to your preferred thickness and shape, ready for adding toppings and baking.
Notes
- Use warm water around 110°F (43°C) for best yeast activation; water that’s too hot can kill the yeast.
- Allowing the dough to rise in a draft-free, warm environment improves the rising process.
- You can refrigerate the dough after the first rise for up to 24 hours to develop more flavor.
- For a crispier crust, use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour.
- Make sure to knead long enough for gluten development, which gives structure and chewiness.
