DIYPizzaCrust

My name is Jason, and I'm here to help you make the perfect pizza for any occasion. Learn how simple and tasty mastering the art of pizza making can be!

Mastering the Dough

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The Foundation: Mastering the Dough

At the core of every pizza lies its foundation—the dough. Whether you prefer a crispy base or a chewy and light one, honing your dough-making skills is necessary. Begin with flour, water, salt, Olive Oil, sugar, and yeast, and let your dough rise slowly for flavor enhancement. I usually let my dough rise for about an hour or two. Let it rise once and pound it down if you’re in a time crunch. Add some flour to decrease the gluten and make it easier to stretch. Experiment with varying hydration levels, fermentation durations, and methods such as stretching or rolling to discover the dough that suits your palette.

Follow the steps below to make your best pizza dough.  The steps are essential:  Follow the steps…follow the steps.

Step 1:  Get your area ready:

Maybe it’s just me, but I find it impossible to start cooking anything with a cluttered, messy, crumby counter. A clean cooking area sets the stage for a successful dough-making adventure.

Step 2: Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 cups King Arthur 00 Pizza Flour (after years of experimenting with various flours, King Arthur is my go-to flour), 1 Packet of Fleischmann’s Pizza Crust Yeast, 2 tsp of sugar, 1 tsp of salt, 2 tbsp of olive oil, 1 cup of water.

Step 3: Putting it all together:

  • Begin with 1 cup of water on the lowest setting on your stove to heat the water to a warm (NOT HOT) temp. The hotter the water, the less reaction you’ll get from your yeast.  NOT COLD…either.  You’ll get no reaction to the yeast.

  • While the water is warming, put 2 tsp of sugar and one packet of yeast in a large bowl.  Get a whisk

  • Once the water is warmed, a good test is to put your clean finger in the water. If you can tolerate it without rapidly pulling your finger away, you’re good. If, however, you quickly pull your finger away, it’s too hot.

  • Pour water slowly over sugar and yeast.
  • Begin whisking for about 5ish minutes. You want a bit of foam at the top, and the mixture should turn beige.

     

  • In a separate bowl, add your two and a half cups of King Arthur 00 Pizza Flour. (With the last 1/2 cup, take the measuring cup and make a little crater at the top of the flower.) This will serve as a little holding place for your salt and oil.

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  • Grab a spatula and pour the flour into the beige yeast water mixture.
  • Use the spatula to fold the flour into the water and stir.
  • You can now use your clean hands to begin kneading the dough. You’ll want to add a couple of dashes of flour to the mixture to reduce stickiness. Once you’ve kneaded it until the dough looks like the picture, sort of glossy and not too watery, the dough should be perfect.

  • Lastly, place the dough in a smaller bowl and cover with Saran wrap. Let the dough rise for an hour or so, and beat it down if it rises too high.  You’ve just made the perfect dough.  Easy right?