Homemade Pizza Dough

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March 5, 2013 by Casey

I have been making my own dough on and off for years. It is really simple after you get the hang of it and quite cost effective. Currently I make enough for 4 pizza’s which lasts us a month. It freezes easily and as long as I put it in the fridge before I leave for work in the morning it is ready to go when I get home for dinner. My current recipe is adapted from Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Italian Cooking. If you have never checked out that book, she is basically the Italian Julia Child and I recommend taking a look immediately. It is a great starting point for cooking Italian as it has all the classics and I find it fun to adapt them to my liking.

Homemade Pizza Dough – 4 servings

• 3 Teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
• 2 cups lukewarm water
• 3 1/2 cups White Bread Flour
• 4 cups Whole Wheat Flour
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, plus enough to oil bowl
• 1 Tablespoon Salt

1. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of lukewarm water by stirring gently in bowl of electric mixer.
2. When dissolved  (about 10 minutes) add 1 cup of each of the flours and mix thoroughly.
3. Continue to mix while adding olive oil and salt. Follow with 1/2 cup of water. Then 1 cup of each flour. Continue to add water and flour in until you are out of both, pausing to allow mixture to come together in between each.
4. When the dough is soft but not sticky, put dough hook on mixer and mix for 7 minutes on medium. (If not using electric mixer, knead by hand for 10 minutes).
5. Take dough off hook and form into ball.
6. Oil a clean bowl and place dough ball in bowl, covering with plastic wrap.
7. Allow dough to rise for 3 hours until it has doubled in size.
8. When 3 hours is up, divide dough into 4 even portions and wrap individually if not using immediately. Dough can be frozen for up to 1 month or used from refrigerator within 3 days. (When using the dough, allow to come to room temperature before rolling out)