Homemade Pizza Dough
What are Friday’s all about?
In our house meal planning is made very simple by including pizza on Friday nights. At the end of any week we’re all eager for an easy meal with minimal cleanup. Well, a homemade version may not seem like that, but I guarentee homemade pizza will taste better than anything you can order out! What’s more? My kids all got into this like it was a competition, with us having to rate their varying flavor combinations.
Have you made pizza dough before? If you’re not a regular bread baker I think this recipe is a great place to start. It’s essentially fool proof and so fun to make. Try to make it around lunch time or after so that the dough has enough time to rise, be punched down, and rise again.
This recipe makes enough for 6-8 hungry people but you could always half if for a family of four.
Pizza dough is one of those things you’ll realize is so simple, not only how to make it, but the ingredients you need! You could make this ahead a day or two and stick in the fridge until ready to bake. That would make your Friday pizza night that much easier, and your confidence in the kitchen soar even more.
Let’s get started!
Simple Homemade Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 5 tsp. active dry yeast
- 2 1/4 cups warm water
- 6 tbsp avocado or olive oil
- 7 c organic all-purpose flour
- 5 tsp kosher salt or pink salt
Instructions
- Start with getting your water warm, but not too hot. Put the water into the bowl of your stand mixer or mixing bowl and top with the yeast
- Allow the yeast to bubble, about 10 minutes. If the yeast doesn't activate, don't move on. You need new yeast! I keep mine in the refrigerator once opened.
- Now that the yeast and water are combined and happy, add the remaining ingredients. Stir on low with a bread hook for 2-3 minutes then increase to medium for about 8-10 minutes. You want the dough soft and workable.
- Place plastic wrap over the bread and allow to rise for 2 hours. Punch it down and allow to rise 1-2 more hours.
- When you're ready to bake you'll want to separate the dough into 4 sections and roll out the dough. Don't overwork it! We topped ours with simple tomato sauce, herbs, mozzarella, and garden tomatoes.
- Place your assembled pizza on the pizza stone and bake for 7-12 minutes depending on size and heat! I like to bake it around 425/450 degrees and check after 10 minutes. The dough could dry out if you work it too much or it sits too long so be careful about that.
