Pizza Dough

This classic pizza dough recipe creates the perfect foundation for your favorite toppings, featuring a delicate balance of chewiness and crispness. Made with simple pantry staples like unbleached all-purpose flour, cake flour for tenderness, active dry yeast, and a touch of salt, this dough develops a rich, fermented flavor profile. The use of cake flour helps create a lighter crumb structure, while the extended rise time allows the gluten to relax, resulting in an airy, extensible dough that puffs up beautifully in the oven. Ideal for homemade weekends, family dinners, or casual gatherings, this versatile base can be used for Neapolitan-style pies or thicker New York slices. It yields two generous 12-inch pizzas and can be prepared ahead of time for ultimate convenience.

Cuisine: Italian

Courses: Baked Goods

Difficulty: Advanced

Servings: 2

Calories: 4.7

Dietary: Vegan, Vegetarian

Description

This classic pizza dough recipe creates the perfect foundation for your favorite toppings, featuring a delicate balance of chewiness and crispness. Made with simple pantry staples like unbleached all-purpose flour, cake flour for tenderness, active dry yeast, and a touch of salt, this dough develops a rich, fermented flavor profile. The use of cake flour helps create a lighter crumb structure, while the extended rise time allows the gluten to relax, resulting in an airy, extensible dough that puffs up beautifully in the oven. Ideal for homemade weekends, family dinners, or casual gatherings, this versatile base can be used for Neapolitan-style pies or thicker New York slices. It yields two generous 12-inch pizzas and can be prepared ahead of time for ultimate convenience.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon Active dry yeast
1 2/3 cup unbleached or all-purpose flour
1 cup Cake flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Warm water (for yeast)
3/4 cup Warm water (for dough)

Directions

1
In a small bowl or measuring cup, sprinkle the active dry yeast over 1/4 cup of warm water.
2
Stir gently until the yeast is completely dissolved and let sit for a few minutes until foamy.
3
In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 2/3 cups of the unbleached or all-purpose flour, the cake flour, and salt.
4
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the yeast mixture.
5
With a wooden spoon, gradually stir in the flour, adding 3/4 cup of warm water as you mix to form a shaggy dough.
6
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
7
Knead the dough until it is very smooth, soft, and no longer sticky, which should take about 10 minutes; add additional flour sparingly if needed to prevent sticking, but keep the dough quite wet.
8
Lightly oil a bowl, place the dough inside, and turn it to coat the surface lightly with oil.
9
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, approximately 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
10
About 10 minutes before baking, turn the dough onto a floured board, punch it down, and knead briefly.
11
Use a pastry cutter or a thin, sharp knife to divide the dough in half.
12
Pat each half into a ball and flatten slightly into a disk.
13
Shape and top according to your preferred pizza recipe.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 2

Amount Per Serving
Calories 4.7kcal

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 0.0g0%
Saturated Fat 0.0g0%
Cholesterol 0.0mg0%
Sodium 7.8mg1%
Total Carbohydrate 0.9g1%
Dietary Fiber 0.1g1%
Sugars 0.0g
Protein 0.1g1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Note

Storage: The dough can be made ahead of time. Enclose it in a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Thawing: If frozen, defrost the dough for at least 8 hours in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before using.

Handling Tip: When dividing the dough, use a knife or cutter rather than pulling it apart by hand to avoid tearing the gluten strands.

Yield: This recipe makes about 1 1/2 lbs of dough, which is enough for two 12-inch pizzas.

Keywords: pizza, dough, italian, yeast, bread, homemade, crust, flour, kneading, rising, vegan, baking

Read it online: https://www.chefs-mate.com/recipe/pizza-dough-ew/