Living On Food

Pizza Dough

 

This recipe uses a stand mixer, if you don't have a stand mixer just knead it by hand.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons yeast
• 2 pounds all-purpose or bread flour
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 3 cups cold water
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup olive oil
• a bit of extra olive oil

Directions:

Proof the yeast

We'll start by proofing the yeast in the mixer bowl.
• Add the sugar to the bowl
• Add the warm water (I just use tap water) to the bowl. The water should be warm to the touch, about 110 - 115°F.
• Add the yeast to the bowl.
• Whisk the mix up with a fork.
• Let the mix sit for about 5 minutes.

While you're letting the yeast proof, prep the measuring cup with 3 cups cold water. This is also a good time to do any other necessary prep work (such as setting up the scale or mixer).

Add remaining ingredients and start mixer

Now we add the remaining ingredients.
• Put the bowl on the scale, and zero or tare the scale
• Add the flour
• Add the salt
• Add about half the cold water
• Add the 1/8 or 1/4 cup of olive oil

Time to start the mixer.
• Put the bowl into the mixer
• Attach the dough hook
• Raise the bowl and lock it into place
• Turn the mixer onto its lowest setting
• Start the timer

Mix the dough

The dough should mix for about 18 minutes. As the dough mixes, evaluate it every minute or two, adding water as needed. You want it to end up as one big blob at the end, but it should be fairly moist. Since I'm going for a wetter dough, I just add water liberally, which means I never need to push the dough down the hook.

The rise

Remove the hook and take the bowl out of the mixer, push the dough down to the bottom of the bowl, and lightly cover with oil. Put a loose lid on the bowl and let rise until doubled, about an hour.

When it's ready, pull off a piece, and stretch it out onto a lightly floured cookie sheet. Cover it with sauce, cheese, and desired toppings, and bake at 450°F until done.

Any extra dough, coat with oil and put into an airtight container in the fridge.

Notes:

I use 3 cups cold rather than warm water because the mixer can heat up the dough.

You can mix in other flours, but other flours don't rise as well as white bread or all-purpose flour. Twenty percent or so Amaranth flour inhibits the rise quite a bit, but tastes great.

Turn the mixer off first if you reach in to do anything to the dough!

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