This super simple perfect pizza dough makes enough to freeze and is so versatile. So great for more than just pizza. Forget store bought pizza dough and make you’re own from now on.
This pizza dough is a basic yeast risen dough, but it’s ready for the oven in about 30 minutes from start to finish. Because when we get that pizza craving we need it stat, right?
Okay. Now let’s be fair. Pizza is more than the sum of it’s parts and for most of us (me) the part that I’m most interested in is the crust. I love a fluffy, crispy bottomed, golden crusted pizza dough. This pizza dough ticks every box I’ve got.
This pizza dough really is so simple it should be a staple in your kitchen. It freezes like a dream and it defrosts in about 40 minutes. That’s just a little longer than ordering one of those soggy bottomed tastesless pizzas from your local joint. You know… the kind that promise to give it to you in 30 minutes or it’s free. Guys… they’re under a lot of pressure to get that ‘za to you. It’s gonna have issues.
I also know that you may not really see pizza as a “healthy” food, but our diets (ie. what we eat), don’t exist in a vacuum and I think foods like pizza and even some fried food is okay as long as it’s in moderation and as long as it’s made at home without the use of flavour enhancers, additives and anything else that could be in the processed food that’s out there. So relax… and eat pizza once in a while.
And the beauty of this dough is that you probably already have all the ingredients you need. Water… yup. Flour… probably… honey… obviously… olive oil… definitely… dried instant yeast… oh.em.gee. Totally. And that’s it.
You can absolutely make this in a stand mixer. No reason not to. But sometimes my inner domestic goddess needs to get her fingers in some dough. If your inner domestic goddess needs to feel the dough, as well, then make sure that you knead it for 10 minutes. No shortcuts, no going home early. 10 minutes. That’s the magic number to be safe that your gluten strands have properly developed.
I’ve added a photo at the bottom of the post to illustrate what gluten strands look like. They’re the spider web looking structure that you can see when you lift or move the dough.
A couple of variations are mentioned in the recipe. You can take about 200g of the flour out of the mix and add in some fine semolina. Personally, I prefer to use all flour in my recipe, but use semolina when I roll out my dough. That crunchy, textured thing that happens is pure pizza magic.
Perfect Pizza Dough Tips
Use good quality extra virgin olive oil in the dough. No veggie oil ’round here.
Use honey instead of sugar to activate the yeast
Use fine semolina to roll out your dough.
Knead the dough for 10 minutes by hand or about 5 on medium/low speed in a mixer with the dough hook.
Let all the whole batch of dough rise before you divide and freeze any portions.
The perfect partner for this pizza dough is this fig and prosciutto pizza.
Perfect Pizza Dough
This super simple perfect pizza dough makes enough to freeze and is so versatile. So great for more than just pizza. Forget store bought pizza dough.
Ingredients
- 500 g 4 cups strong bread flour
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 x 7g sachet dried yeast
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 325 ml warm water
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer place the flour and sea salt.
- Pour the water, olive oil and honey into a measuring cup.
- Add the yeast and mix.
- Let stand for about 5-10 minutes just to ensure the yeast is activated.
- Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour half the water mixture in.
- Start to mix the dough with your hands or the dough hook if using the mixture.
- Continue adding the water slowly, until the dough comes together into a sticky dough.
- If making by hand, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured and knead for 10 minutes.
- If using a mixer set the speed to medium/low and mix with the dough hook for 5 minutes.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and leave in a warm place to prove for about 30 minutes covered with a clean tea towel.
- Once the dough has proved, knock the air out and divide into 4 and freeze, or roll out and make your pizza. Roll on a work surface dusted with semolina or flour.
- Bake in a 200c or 390f oven for about 12-15 minutes. Use a pizza stone if you have one.
Variation: Replace 100g of the flour with 100g of semolina.
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