Homemade Pizza Dough

Homemade Pizza dough can be daunting to most home cooks nut it is not really difficult at all. With a good recipe and concise instructions, anybody can make a good pizza dough. Be sure to follow the instructions. In pizza making, it’s all about the crust.

To make Homemade pizza dough

3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
1 cup warm water 

In a large bowl, put flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Mix to blend well.

Add oil and water, knead.

It should be slightly sticky at this stage, but if too sticky, add a little flour, if too dry, add a tiny bit of water.

If using a stand mixer, set on medium, using a dough hook, knead for 10 minutes. 

If kneading by hand, knead on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes. Knead till dough is soft, smooth and elastic. 

Roll into a ball and put into a well-oiled bowl, roll dough around inside the bowl to coat with oil. Cover with cling film or kitchen towel.

Leave in a warm place to rise for one hour or until double in size. 

Place on a lightly floured surface and knock down to remove air. 

Divide into 2 balls for thin crust pizza, for thick crust just roll back into a ball. Place ball in a bowl, cover and leave to rest for 15 minutes.

To make a homemade pizza with this dough here is my no-fail Homemade pizza recipe. It can also be used for pizza cups. For the homemade pizza sauce, here.

The Pizza dough can be frozen at this stage for later use. 

To Freeze:

Coat the surface of the dough ball with oil and place in a plastic wrap or freezer bag. Be sure it is well sealed with no air pockets. It will stay fresh for 2 months. If the dough was divided into 2, freeze separately.

To thaw:

Defrost the frozen dough in the fridge for at least 12 hours to be sure it has defrosted right inside. Leave to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. Use for your pizza.