Pizza Dough Recipe

Ingredients:
1/4 cup + 2 Tbls extra-virgin olive oil
3 1/2 cups bread flour, or All Purpose, but I used bread flour
Italian herb mix, and garlic powder or minced garlic, your preference here
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tsp sugar
1 pkg pizza yeast
1 3/4 cups water, about 110 degrees (warm tap water)

Tip: I also found I can double this recipe in my mixer with no problems. You can refrigerate or freeze the dough you don’t use

Directions:
Add to bowl of stand mixer, in this order: (I use a Kitchenaid)
2 tablespoons olive oil, flour, herbs, salt, sugar, & yeast.
Add water to mixture then using dough hook attachment mix on low speed at first for about 2 minutes, then increase to medium speed for 3-4 more minutes or until the dough forms a ball and leaves the sides of the bowl. I like to pause mixing to scrape the sides of the bowl so dough goes down. Then increase speed to medium-high and mix until the dough is stretchy and smooth. The dough should stick to the bottom of the bowl but pull away from the sides. When I take dough out I hand knead it a few times to form a nice smooth ball, then using a bench cutter, I divide it into the portions I’ll need.

Pour remaining 1/4 c olive oil into rimmed baking sheet (I like to use my large stoneware bar pan my cousin gave me from Pampered Chef…it gives me that same effect of a pizza oven or the bottom of my Aga even though I am cooking the pizza on a middle rack). Spread oil over entire inner surface of pan with hands. Transfer dough to this large rimmed baking sheet stretching and pushing it toward edges as much as possible. (it won’t fill the pan’s surface until it rises). Carefully rub entire top surface of dough with olive oil …sometimes I can just flip my dough over in pan and then it’s coated quite well on both sides from the oil in the pan. Then cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in warm place until dough has spread out to touch nearly each rim of baking sheet. (Takes about 2 hours.)

I use the hot roasting oven in my Aga but a conventional oven needs preheating to 550°F. Adjust oven rack to middle position.

The dough when risen is very squishy. It will have doubled in size. Before removing plastic wrap, I poke the center with my fingertips (to be thinner than the inch along the edge. Be gentle though to maintain air bubbles, push and stretch the dough into the corners of the pan by pressing out from the center. Carefully remove plastic wrap.

Top pizza as desired, (with that array of toppings we mentioned earlier), and bake until bottom is crisp and top surface is bubbling, about 15 to 25 minutes total. Allow to cool at room temperature for 5 minutes before cutting with pizza wheel. You will see how the oiled pan tends to “fry” that bottom crust so it won’t be soggy✅

Bon appetite y’all! Or should I say Buon appetito! 😋