Homemade Pizza Dough

I don’t know about you, but I could eat pizza every single day and never get tired of it. I like it cold for breakfast, I’ll take leftovers for lunch, it’s never a bad idea for dinner and I am always on board with it for a late night snack.

As much as I love eating pizza, I also love making it. In Idaho and Washington our grocery store (Winco) carried a homemade pizza dough in the refrigerated section. It was great because all you had to do was roll it out and pile on the toppings! I’ve yet to find a homemade dough at the stores here, so I decided it was time to make my own.

I know it sounds time-consuming and daunting, but I promise you: homemade pizza dough is quick, easy and so rewarding! The majority of the prep time is simply waiting for the dough to rise.

You’re going to mix your dough, let it sit for an hour, separate into halves, let sit for another 15 mins or so, then roll it out and start your pizza masterpiece. That’s it! Sure it only takes Domino’s 30 minutes to deliver. But in under 2 hours (and only a few minutes of actual work) you get fresh homemade pizza. That wins in my book!

Even better this recipe makes enough for two crusts. You can either make both pizzas at one time and save the leftovers, or you can refrigerate or freeze the dough to use at another time when the pizza craving hits.

I think the most fun about homemade pizza is the variety of toppings you can make. There’s the traditional pepperoni and black olive, BBQ chicken, or a recent fav was Mediterranean with chicken, red onions, kalamata olives and feta. The possibilities are endless!

This is a great way to involve kids in cooking by letting them create their own pizzas and it would be a fun date night activity too! Or you know, you could just make one for yourself and eat it all in one sitting too. I wouldn’t judge you for that.

-Stephanie

Homemade Pizza Dough (recipe adapted from Martha Stewart and Bobby Flay)

• 1 1/2 c warm water
• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/4 c olive oil
• ~4 c flour

1. Pour water into small bowl. Sprinkle yeast over the water and let sit 5 minutes.
2. Whisk the sugar, salt, and olive oil into the water and yeast mixture. Pour into mixing bowl of stand mixer.
3. With dough hook attachment, slowly add the flour until a slightly tacky ball forms. If dough seems too sticky to work with, continue adding small amounts of flour.
4. Transfer dough to a lightly greased mixing bowl. Cover and let rest at room temperature until dough doubles in size, about an hour.
5. Divide ball into two equal pieces. Let rest another 10-15 minutes on a floured surface.
6. Roll dough out into a crust and top with sauce and desired toppings. Bake at 400 for about 10-15 minutes, until crust turns golden brown.

*Notes*

• For a crisper crust, brush with butter and bake 5 minutes before adding any sauce or toppings.
• If refrigerating to use dough later, it will continue to rise a bit. Make sure you store in a large enough container. Let come to room temperature before rolling into crust.
• If freezing, wrap dough first in plastic wrap and then place in ziplock bag to prevent freezer burn. Let come to room temperature before rolling into crust.