Handmade Pizza Dough

Serves

Handmade Pizza Dough

  • 1 cup warm water (105ºF to 115ºF)
  • 1 teaspoon honey or sugar
  • 1 envelope active dry yeast, (2 ¼ teaspoons)
  • 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface**
  • 1 teaspoons kosher salt
  • ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for brushing

In a small bowl, stir together the water and honey. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and let it sit until it is foamy; about 5 to 10 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Pour in the yeast mixture and oil and stir to combine until the dough comes together and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. The dough should feel slightly tacky. If the dough is dry, add 1 tablespoon of water and mix in. If the dough feels too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour and mix in. For a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook: combine ingredients in the bowl and mix on low speed until the dough hangs onto the hook and pulls away from the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead by hand for 2 to 3 minutes just until the dough is smooth and easy to work with. Add more flour to the board as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking.

Rub oil over the inside of a clean bowl that is twice the size of your dough. Turn the dough over several times to coat the dough and then rub a little extra oil over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot (top of unlit stove or oven) and let rise until doubled in size; about 1 to 2 hours.

When the dough has risen, punch the dough down and knead it for 1 to 2 minutes on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Divide it in half and shape into balls. At this point continue on to make pizzas or wrap and freeze for up to 1 month.

**For whole wheat pizza crust, replace ½ cup to ¾ cup flour with whole wheat flour