Master Pizza Dough

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Here it is: the reason you’ll never leave your house again: homemade pizza dough. Okay, that might be a bit extreme, but the reality is, with your own easy pizza dough recipe that is this simple, there’s no reason to ever order takeout pizza again. This easy pizza dough recipe makes one batch that can be transformed into different styles: whether it’s a crispy-edged grandma pie, a deep-dish Chicago-style, or a sauce-drenched square with a frico-like crust. Don’t worry about it if you don’t have a stand mixer, kneading this pizza dough recipe by hand teaches you the feel of when it’s ready, and really, it's just as easy to do. Dough freezes very well and having a stash in the freezer means that homemade pizza night can be any time you please. Which surely, it's at least once a week, right?

Master Pizza Dough
Photo: Greg DuPree
Hands On Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
1 hrs 13 mins
Servings:
5
Yield:
1 Grandma Pie, 2 Detroit Pies, 4 Chicago Pies, 4 Neapolitan Pies, or 4 Roman Pies

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for brushing

  • 1 ¾ cups warm water (about 110°F)

  • 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (from a ¼-oz. envelope)

  • 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for work surface

  • 4 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Directions

  1. Brush a large bowl with oil; set aside. Whisk water and yeast in a large bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes. Mix in oil.

  2. To mix dough with mixer: Place yeast mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. With mixer on low, gradually add flour, salt, and sugar; mix until no dry spots remain, about 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium; mix until dough makes a slapping sound against bowl and starts to climb up hook, about 5 minutes.To mix dough by hand: Add flour, salt, and sugar to yeast mixture, stirring with a rubber spatula until incorporated. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead, flouring surface as needed, until smooth but slightly sticky, about 10 minutes.

  3. Transfer dough to oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free area (on top of the refrigerator or in an off oven). Let rest until doubled in size, 1 to 1½ hours.

  4. Gently punch down dough. For Grandma pie: Leave whole. For Detroit pies: Divide into 2 18-ounce pieces. For Chicago or Neapolitan pies: Divide into 4 9-ounce pieces.

  5. Shape pieces into balls; use immediately or wrap individually in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

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