How to Make Pizza Dough from pizzatherapy.com

Albert Grande, The Pizza Promoter takes you step by step through the Pizza Making Process.

You'll need flour, salt, yeast, water as well as olive oil and sugar.

The last two ingredients are totally optional.

Believe me the hardest part of making pizza dough is the clean up.

Follow these step by step simple instructions and you will be making pizza in no time.

Ingredients for the Easy Dough Pizza Dough Recipe
(Makes 2 or 4 Pizzas!)

Use this recipe if you will be making your pizza the same day.

1 Packages yeast (1-2 teaspoons of yeast or less)

2 teaspoons of sugar

4 cups of flour (Can be All purpose or Bread Flour. I recommend Caputo or King's Arthur flour.)

· 1 teaspoon salt

· 1/4 cup olive oil

· 1 and 1/2 cups of warm water

Directions

1. Put yeast in a cup. Add sugar and 1/2 cup of water. The water should be between 100°and 110°F (37°C- 43°C .) degrees. Mix well. Wait about 5 minutes for the yeast and sugar to activate.

2. In a large mixing bowl, add the olive oil, flour, salt, 1 cup of warm water and the yeast mixture. Mix this with a fork to get all the liquid absorbed by the flour.

3. Place a handful of flour on a mixing surface. Dust your hands and spread out the flour. Empty the contents of the bowl on to the flour.

4. Knead the dough vigorously for 6-8 minutes or until the texture is smooth and uniform. If the dough seems a little sticky, add a little more flour.

5. Place dough in bowl. Drizzle dough with olive oil. cover with cloth or plastic wrap.

Allow the dough to rest for an hour to 1 and 1/2 hour. Punch down and and wit another hour.

Cold Ferment Alternative Dough

A better alternative to this recipe is to make your pizza dough the day before and use a cold ferment. Using the cold ferment method, you make your dough the day before and allow it to proof in the fridge overnight.

All ingredients are combined and mixed as above. It is not necessary to use warm water.

You can also omit sugar if using this method. Place dough in a plastic bag and drizzle with olive oil.

Take the dough out of the fridge and allow to warm to room temperature. About 1 to 1/2 hour.

Making pizza

If using a pizza stone, make sure you place it in the oven before you turn on your oven. When ready to make pizza, pre-heat your oven to 500 F for at least an hour. Longer if using a pizza stone. It is essential that you oven be very hot and per-heated before you cook your pizza.

Divide dough into 2 or 4 equal parts and roll into a ball.

Using your fingers or the rolling pin, roll out flat.

Top your pizza with your favorite pizza toppings. Use fresh ingredients. Place some crushed stewed tomatoes or sauce on dough. Use your favorite cheese, vegetables, and meats. Use your imagination.

When making pizza less is more. Do not over crowd your pizza. Allow the taste of the dough to shine through. use restraint when topping your pizza.

Cook pizza in 500 F degree oven for 8-10 minutes until bottom has started to brown

For more  the Free Mini Pizza Therapy Pizza Book, pizza tips and tricks please visit Pizza Therapy Will Teach You to Make Pizza.
 

And there you have it. Simple, easy and straight forward.

I want to state: I do not pretend this is the best pizza dough recipe ever. But this recipe works for me.

As you get more comfortable with the dough recipe, feel free to experiment with using different types of flour. Some pizzaiolos swear by Caputo flour. Others insist you should only use high gluten.

You can also try to use a little more water to hydrate the dough.
These are some of the insights I got from speaking with The Legends of Pizza.
You may find that by altering the recipe you will get just the right taste for you.

And to me: that is what it really is all about.

If you are interested in taking your pizza to the next level
I highly recommend that you invest in a pizza peel and a Pizza Stone .

Don't be intimidated about using a pizza stone or peel.
As with anything else it just takes a bit of practice to master.

You can find some great deals on pizza tools here:

The art of using a peel will really take you pizza to a new level.
Make sure that you put enough flour or cornmeal underneath your dough so it won't stick.

To contact me:
Albert Grande,
600 Queen Street Suite #2406
Honolulu, Hawaii, 96813

Email: webmaster@pizzatherapy.com