Easy Homemade Pizza Dough

Make homemade pizza dough like a pro with tips and tricks from the master pizzaillo! And enjoy light & airy, flavorful pizza crust any time!

Who doesn’t love pizza, right? Especially, if we’re talking about homemade pizza with light and airy crust and just the right toppings to satisfy your cravings. And while pizza is easy to make at home, you can always make it better with tips and tricks from the pros.

I learned a few great tips from Master Pizzaillo, Leo Spizzirri, at North American Pizza and Culinary Academy in Lisle, IL. And I’m thrilled to share them with you today!!

And today I want to share with you everything I’ve learned about making a perfect pizza dough from scratch. All you need is simple ingredients and a little know-how to create a crispy and light pizza crust, a perfect base for your favorite toppings!

How to make homemade pizza dough from scratch:

1. Make a big well in the middle of flour.
2. Pour all the water into the well.
3. Sprinkle the yeast over the water. Form a claw with your hand and stir the yeast and water mixture, slowly incorporating flour into the wet mixture and creating a thicker and thicker paste. 
4. Stir in olive oil.
5. Once you have most of the dough formed, let it rest for 5 minutes. It will look pretty dry, but it’s totally normal.
6. Add salt and knead until smooth. Then turn the dough onto the counter and cover with the bowl. Rest for 20 minutes. Divide the dough into 3 equal parts and knead into smooth balls. Place the dough balls on a tray and cover with plastic wrap. Or you may place in a plastic container with a lid, or ziplock bags.
7. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours, or up to 2 days. (You can also freeze it for up to 2 weeks. Transfer the frozen dough into the fridge the night before.)
8. Remove the pizza dough from the fridge 1 hour before using and allow it to come to room temperature. 

How to stretch pizza dough:

1. Dust the counter with a little bit of flour on and place the dough ball.
2. Draw an imaginary line about one finger width all the way around the edges. That’s the guideline that we don’t want to cross over for that beautiful round edge, which is called “cornicione”, which means frame. 
3. Then draw another imaginary line right in the center of the dough ball. With all of your fingertips, press forward until you reach the border, leaving dimples all over. Turn the dough over, and then press again from the center forward on the other half of the dough. This’s an important step. Pressing the dough with fingertips and creating dimples traps all the air bubbles inside the dough, so the crust bakes light and airy.
4. Now you can stretch the dough by pulling the dough with your hands, stretching, slapping or throwing up in air. Have fun!
5. If it’s getting too sticky, get a little bit of flour with only two fingers to dust.
6. You want to see lots of bubbles on your stretched pizza dough, that’s how you get light and airy pizza crust!

How to grill pizza crust:

I love grilled pizza!!! It’s the only way I cook pizza during summer time. And I’m going to share all my tips I’ve learned over the years.

1. Preheat the gas grill to at least 500°F. Oil the grates with an oiled paper towel, using a kitchen tong.
2. Place the prepared pizza crust over a direct heat. Cover the grill and cook the pizza for 2 minutes. Check and see if it’s browned nicely. If not, cook for another minute or so. Then flip and cook on other side, covered, for another 2-3 minutes.
3. Now remove the crust onto a baking sheet and arrange your favorite toppings. Then pop it back into the grill on a baking sheet/pizza stone, cover and cook until toppings are cooked through.

How to Make Ahead Pizza Crust

You can place the cooled grilled pizza in a plastic freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months.

Hope you’ll make this easy homemade pizza dough! Please let us know if you give it a try.

Easy Homemade Pizza Dough

Learn to make homemade pizza dough like a pro! The order of ingredients is important to making a perfect pizza crust. Don't be tempted to stir everything together.

serves: 3 dough balls

Total : 1 day 40 minutes

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Ingredients

• ▢ 450 g bread flour, or Napolitana 00 flour Note 1
• ▢ 250 g water cold or room temperature
• ▢ 1 packet Red Star Platinum Yeast Note 2
• ▢ 10 g extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt

Note: I test all my recipes with both measurements for the most precise and accurate result!

Instructions

To make pizza dough:

• Add flour in a large bowl and make a big well in the middle of the flour.
• Pour all the water into the well.
• Sprinkle yeast over the water. Form a claw with your hand and stir the yeast and water mixture, slowly incorporating flour into the wet mixture and creating a thicker and thicker paste.
• When the dough is shaggy, stir in olive oil.
• Once you have most of the dough formed, let it rest for 5 minutes. It'll look pretty dry, but it's totally normal.
• Now add salt and knead the dough until smooth.
• Then turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and cover with a bowl. Rest for 20 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 3 equal parts and knead into smooth balls.
• Place the dough balls on a cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap. (Alternatively, you may place the dough balls in a plastic container with a lid, or plastic bags.)
• Refrigerate for at least 24 hours, or up to 2 days. (At this point, you can also freeze it for up to 2 weeks. To thaw, place the frozen dough in the fridge overnight.)
• Remove pizza dough(s) from the fridge 1-2 hours before using and allow it to come to room temperature.

To stretch pizza dough:

• Dust a counter with a little bit of flour and place a pizza dough ball.
• Draw an imaginary line about one finger width all the way around the edges. That’s the guideline that we don’t want to cross over for that beautiful round edge, which is called “cornicione”, which means a "frame".
• Then draw another imaginary line right in the center of the dough ball. Now, press forward with all of your fingertips over the top half of the circle until you reach the border, leaving dimples all over. Turn the dough over, and then press again from the center forward on the other half of the dough. This’s an important step! Pressing the dough with fingertips traps all the air bubbles inside the dough, so the crust is airy and light after baking.
• Now you can stretch the dough by pulling the dough with your hands, stretching, slapping or throwing up in air. (TIP: If the dough is resisting, your dough might be still cold. Let it rest a bit and try again.)
• If it’s getting too sticky, get a little bit of flour with only two fingers to dust. You don't want too much flour!
• It's a good sign if you see lots of bubbles on your stretched pizza dough, that's how you get light and airy pizza crust!

To top and bake:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). If you have a pizza stone, place it in the oven right away.
• Top the pizza crust with your favorite toppings. Slide it onto the pizza stone and bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the toppings are golden brown.

To grill pizza crust:

• Preheat a gas grill to at least 500°F (260°C). Pour some vegetable oil on a folded paper towel, and oil the grates with it using a kitchen tong.
• Place the prepared pizza crust over a direct heat, cover and cook for about 2 minutes. Open and check the crust. If it's browned nicely, flip it over and grill on other side for another minute. If the crust hasn't browned well, cook for another minute or so. It cooks really quick, so don't leave the grill!
• Remove the grilled pizza crust onto a baking sheet, arrange the desired toppings and put the pizza with the baking sheet back on grill. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the toppings are bubbling and cooked.

Tips & Notes:

Yields: Enough dough for 3 10-inch pizza

Note 1: For perfectly chewy and crispy crust, it’s important to use high-protein flour. You may use all-purpose flour, but the crust will be on softer side.

Note 2: Red Star Yeast Platinum yeast is an instant yeast, which doesn’t require proofing. You may use active yeast instead, but be sure to proof it first with 3/4 cup of warm water.)

Freezing Instructions:
1. You can freeze the pizza dough balls for up to 2 weeks. To thaw, place the frozen dough in the fridge overnight.
2. You can also freeze grilled pizza crust with no toppings. Place the cooled grilled pizza crust in a plastic freezer bag. Freeze it for up to 2 months. To thaw, remove from plastic bag and place on a baking sheet. Top with your favorite toppings and bake for 13-15 minutes at 450°F.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 289kcal (14%) Carbohydrates: 55g (18%) Protein: 9g (18%) Fat: 3g (5%) Saturated Fat: 1g (6%) Sodium: 779mg (34%) Potassium: 87mg (2%) Fiber: 2g (8%) Sugar: 1g (1%) Vitamin A: 2IU Vitamin C: 1mg (1%) Calcium: 13mg (1%) Iron: 1mg (6%)

* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full disclosure here.

Author: Shinee

Did you make this?Show me your creation! Tag me @shineshka and hashtag it #sweetandsavorybyshinee!

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