This really is the best pizza dough recipe that I have had. A friend of ours shared their recipe with me. You see, I asked for it and was happy when she shared.
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Wood-Fired Pizza Stove
They have this special pizza oven that they made. It is on a trailer. Whenever we have a big backyard party throughout the town, we all enjoy pizza from their wood-fired traveling pizza stove.
They must make 100 pizzas for a party. The pizza dough is prepared ahead of time, they roll it out, we put on our toppings and they bake it for us. Such a fun way to spend time with family and friends.
The pizza is scrumptious too. So, you see why I was incredibly happy when she shared her pizza dough recipe with me.
Easy Pizza Crust
Make this pizza dough with all-purpose flour. However, I will have information on using bread flour if you wish. This recipe takes just 30 minutes to rise in a warm place and a few minutes of kneading. If you are making this pizza dough and your house is not warm enough, heat up the oven to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, turn the oven off and place the dough in the oven to let it rise.
Make This Pizza Dough in Advance
To make so many pizzas at a back yard party, they have to make the pizza dough in advance. My friend told me that she has successfully refrigerated pizza dough for 5 days. She just puts in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
She has also frozen the pizza dough for up to a month. Just allow the dough to thaw before using for pizza crust.
Bread Flour or All-Purpose Flour for Making Homemade Pizza Dough
If you have looked around for an easy pizza dough recipe, you have probably seen some calling for bread flour and some using all-purpose flour. I have used both in this recipe with success.
The bread flour seems to have a bit crisper crust. Whereas the all-purpose flour is a bit softer. However, if I want more crisp to the crust, I bake it a bit longer.
Using Cake Yeast Versus Active Dry Yeast
I have used both cake yeast and active dry yeast for this recipe. I use the same amount. However, when using the active dry yeast, I will add it to the warm water and let it proof about 5 minutes before adding it to the dry ingredients. However, some folks have had success just adding the yeast to the dry ingredients and not letting it proof.
How do you stretch out pizza dough?
While I worked in a few restaurants in my day, I do not have the skills to toss the dough in the air to stretch it out. Therefore, I generally use a combination of a rolling pin and my hands. The rolling pin gets things started and my hands help get the final stretching complete.
This pizza dough can be rolled into a circle or rectangle. It can become any shape you need for your baking pan of choice.
I generally shape the dough on a floured surface and gently place on a pizza pan or half sheet pan that has been brushed with olive oil or sprayed with oil and do a bit of final stretching if needed. (It makes for easy clean up).
If you want to add a lot of sauce or toppings, then you might want to fold over the edge a bit for a thicker crust.
How do you make Homemade Pizza?
Once the pizza dough is rolled out and in your baking dish, make sure to poke it with a fork. This is called docking. It helps to keep the crust from bubbling up during the pre-baking process.
I like a crispier crust, so I do pre-bake my dough for 10 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. While that is pre-baking, I prepare my toppings.
Add the sauce and toppings to the crust and bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately another 15 minutes. Until the toppings are baked, and the cheese is all melty.
Reheating Pizza with a Crispy Crust
No matter how hard I try, leftover pizza is not the same as when it is first made. However, there are a few options for getting it close.
Some in my family just pop it into the microwave for a minute and think that is great. Well, maybe if I was in a hurry.
But I want that crisp crust and hot melty toppings again.
Therefore, if reheating a lot of pizza, I will put it on a baking sheet and bake it in the oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 8-10 minutes; until hot and the cheese is melty.
Another way to achieve the crisp crust with the hot melty toppings is to pop it into a pan. I have used a cast iron and a non-stick skillet with success. The key is in not having the heat too high and making sure that there is a lid on the pan. Just heat the pan to medium place the leftover pizza in the pan, pop on the lid. It will take about 6-8 minutes for the crust to crisp up again and the toppings to get hot.
The Best Pizza Dough Recipe
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Kitchen Essentials
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup warm water
- 1 packet instant active yeast 2 1/4 teaspoons
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour Or bread flour and a bit more for dusting
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder Optional
Instructions
- Add the yeast and the sugar to the warm water approximately 105-115 degrees Fahrenheit and let sit for about 5 minutes.
- Combine the of flour, and salt in a large bowl. If desired, add garlic powder at this point as well.
- Then add the olive oil and warm water mixture to the dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to stir well very well.
- Sometimes, it is necessary to add as much as an 1/3 additional cup of flour. You will know when the dough has the correct amount of liquid when the dough is forming an elastic ball and beginning to pull away from the sides of the bowl. However, the dough will still be a bit sticky yet.
- In a separate large, clean bowl, brush with olive oil. I have also used spray oil for this, and it has worked out well.
- Using your hands, form the dough into a round ball and transfer to the bowl that has been brushed with oil. Hint: lightly dust your hands to minimize the dough sticking.
- Roll the ball around in the bowl a bit to coat it with the oil. Cover with a plastic wrap and place in a warm place for 30-60 minutes (until doubled in size). If you are making this pizza dough and your house is not warm enough, heat up the oven to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, turn the oven off and place the dough in the oven to let it rise.
- When the dough has doubled in size, it is ready to use for making pizza. At this point, you could also store in refrigerator or freezer for later too.
- Deflate the dough and roll out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 3-5 minutes until it is smooth.
- Use your hands or a rolling pin, or both to shape into a 12-inch circle or rectangle for a baking sheet.
- Transfer dough to a parchment paper lined pizza pan or a pan sprayed with oil. Sometimes I do a bit of reshaping at this point and brush on some olive oil
- Poke the crust with a fork about one inch apart. Then pre-bake the crust in a preheated 425-degree oven for 10 minutes. I like to do this for a crispier crust. If you are not a fan of crispy crust, you can skip this part.
- Add the sauce and toppings to the crust and bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately another 15 minutes. Until the toppings are baked, and the cheese is all melty.
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I hope that you liked this recipe. If you are looking for more ideas on what to make, here are a few other recipes that you may enjoy.
You can find Victoria crocheting, quilting, and creating recipes. She has cooked in restaurants for over 20 years, including many larger parties. She learned to crochet when she was just 11 years old and has been crocheting ever since; over 50 years now. Over 40 years ago, she loved her first class in sewing and continues to hone her skills in quilting. Many have enjoyed the handmade gifts over the years. In her professional career, she has worked in management in a wide variety of businesses including higher education as a dean of a division. All the while attending college part-time to achieve her doctorate in higher education with an emphasis in e-learning.