Homemade pizza is one of our favorite go-to dinners. Why you ask? Well, because you can put just about anything on it that you have in the fridge or cabinets and Homemade Pizza Dough is so simple to make. The best recipe I've found so far is Kitchenaid's Crusty Pizza Dough. This dough is tasty, simple and, like it says in the name, crispy!
Growing up I hated pizza. That's a strong word, but it's appropriate for how I felt about this food. Honestly, marinara sauce wasn't to touch anything I was eating. It was so bad my mom had to tell people I was allergic to tomatoes so they didn't accidentally show up on my plate. So ridiculous. As I got older, pizza with white sauce became popular, or pizza with barbecue sauce, and even pizza with chicken, hot wing sauce and ranch came out... So I was back in! After trying all these, it was only right to give marinara sauce another chance. Turns out, pizza is really good and I was missing out all those years simple because I was a very stubborn child. Thank goodness that was the only food aversion I had!
Naturally after realizing pizza is scrumptious, I had to learn how to make it. Delivery can cost an arm and a leg, and I'm not here for that. Pizza is so easy to make and tastes better when you are the one creating it and deciding exactly what goes on it (and how much to put on!) Yes it's true you can pick your ingredients when you order a pizza, but every time you add another topping, the price goes up. No thank you! This time, we added marinara, Canadian bacon, pepperoni, jalapenos, yellow onion and mozzarella. I also sprinkled the top with oregano, salt and pepper. You all have the freedom to add whatever your heart desires, or whatever happens to be in your fridge. That is the best part!
So, here goes. My favorite Homemade Pizza Dough recipe. It only takes a couple of ingredients, that most people who bake regularly have on hand. If you don't usually have yeast in your pantry, I recommend getting some. There are so many things you could be making from scratch, And it's really very inexpensive so why the heck not? This recipe will make one large pizza, two medium pizza's or 4 individual pizza's which is what we usually do. Everyone gets what they want this way so it's a definite win in my book.
Ingredients
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1 pkg - active dry yeast
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1 cup - warm water (105°F to 115°F)
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1/2 tsp - salt
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2 tsp - olive oil
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2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cup - all purpose flour
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Cornmeal (Non-Stick for under dough when baking)
- Start by dissolving dry activated yeast into the warm water in a warmed mixing bowl (that fits in your stand mixer). Let the yeast bloom for about 5 minutes, it should look "foamy"
- Add salt, olive oil, and 2 cups flour to the bowl.
- Now using a dough hook, mix about 1 minute. Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, until dough starts clinging to the hook and cleans the side of the bowl. Once this happens, knead for another 2 minutes to get the gluten's going.
- Place dough in a covered, oiled bowl and let rise for about an hour or until the dough doubles in size.
- Uncover the bowl and punch your dough down and knead for another 30 seconds before rolling dough into your desired shape, size or thickness.
- Sprinkle whatever pan you are using to bake your pizza with cornmeal and place your dough on top. Cover with your favorite toppings, spreading them evenly over the dough. Add the cheese last, this is what binds everything together and keeps the toppings in place once removed from the oven.
- Bake at 450° for 15 to 20 minutes. The time may vary depending on the size and thickness of your pizzas.
Thanks for cooking with me. Below you will find my favorite tools for this task!
Ashley Tuttle
