Basic Pizza Dough

ENOUGH DOUGH TO MAKE YOU RICHPizza dough is fun and easy to make. Basic dough can be easily transformed into a crusty gourmet pizza by adding different ingredients right into the dough.
Ingredients like garlic, basil or rosemary can very well enhance the flavor of your homemade pizza. If your planning on a pizza day make sure the kids get involved. It's a lot of fun and a great way to get the family together. Also plan on having flour all over the place.
To begin with make sure you have the right tools. I strongly recommend a pizza stone. It's worth the investment in order to make a better quality pizza. Though my grandmother used a cookie sheet which worked just fine.
Here's a little extra that comes along with this pizza dough recipe. Make more than you need and freeze for later or use the extra dough to make Sfinges. I favor the last suggestion better. Sfinges are simply fried dough sprinkled with sugar. I'll put this recipe in the dessert section for you. Let's begin the basic pizza dough.
INGREDIENTS 4 cup of all purpose flour1 1/2 cups of warm water1 package of active dry yeast1 tsp. salt 2 Tbls of extra virgin olive oil1 Tbls of sugar
PREPARATION In a large bowl pour in warm water and sugarStir to dissolve sugar.Add yeast and gently stir until yeast is disolved.Let mixture sit for around 15 minutes to activate yeast.Add oil and salt and gently stir.Add one cup of flour and mixAdd a second cup of flour and mix until sticky.Add third cup of flour and mix until dough becomes thick.Place the dough on a floured board and gradually knead in the remaining flour.Dust with extra flour and continue kneading until dough becomes firm. About 10 minutes.Kneading is complete when you have a smooth silky ball of dough. It's better to over knead than to under knead.Grease a large bowl with a little oil.Place dough in the bowl turning once to coat the dough.Cover with a dish towel an place in a warm place for about 2 hours allowing the dough to double in size.Take the dough out of the bowl and cut in half and roll the into two balls.With a rolling pin roll the dough and place onto a grease baking pan or carefully place in the stove on an already heated pizza stone.Cover and let it sit in a warm place for around another hour.Your now ready to add your favorite topping and cook.
Don't forget to click on the logo below and subscribe to my NEW NEWSLETTER

That's a discovery! That's Italian! That's Great Chicago Italian Recipes.com
Leave Pizza Dough and Return to Home Sweet Home

|