whitney's homemade pizza dough

i've spent years trying to find a homemade pizza dough that, after the first bite, didn't make me wonder why i didn't just order out.  it's really hard to compete with domino's because, well, they're dominos.


once i figured out some ratios and took some of this from one recipe and some of that from another recipe, i think i've finally found a crust that slices my pepperoni.  

here we go:


whitney's homemade pizza dough  (printable recipe)

• 1 small pack of instant yeast - active dry (.25 oz)
• 1 ts brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (120 degrees)
• 1/2 heaping ts salt (kosher salt)
• 1 ts garlic salt
• 2 ts garlic powder
• 1 ts oregano
• 1 ts italian seasonings
• 2 TB olive oil
• 3 1/2 cups sifted bread flour (plus another 1/2 cup just in case)

to make the dough you can use a kitchenaid mixer like i do, or you can use the old fashioned method of just kneading with the hands God put on the end of your arms.  just make sure you've been working out, and that you have the resolve to stand in one spot and do the same exact thing over and over for 15-20 minutes.  amen.

in a kitchenaid mixer, soak yeast and brown sugar in the 1 1/2 cups of warm water for 10 minutes. make sure your water isn't too hot because it will kill the yeast.  as it proofs, it should start foaming.  if it doesn't foam, you have bad yeast.  go back to start, buy new yeast, and collect $200.  after the 10 minutes of proofing, add in the garlic powder, seasonings, salt, and olive oil. mix it up.  let it sit for another 5-10 minutes.  it will smell really strong.

turn on the mixer (with dough hook attached) to "stir" setting.  add in 1/2 cup of flour at a time. you'll need to safely scrape down the sides and the bottom to incorporate the flour.  once you've put in all 3 1/2 cups, move the setting to "2" to get it all blended together.  at this point, you're going to have to go with your instincts as to how much more of the extra flour you'll need to add in.  

this part is critical.  you want your dough sticky, but not to where it won't come off your hands without soap and water.  again, if you add in too much flour, your dough will be dense and tough. we want light and fluffy.  so remember, you want tacky, not sticky.  here's a great photo explanation.

turn the mixer to "4" and let it knead the dough for 8-10 minutes.  there should be a tiny bit of dough that is still stuck down in the middle of the bowl at the bottom as it kneads.  i would say about an inch in diameter.  this means we haven't added too much flour.  you'll know it's ready if you pinch some off and it feels like an earlobe.

after kneading, squirt some olive oil on the dough, and pull it up and around to get it all coated so it won't stick to your bowl.  cover it with a couple of thick kitchen towels and place it in a warm, non-drafty place to rise for around an hour (if you're in a different climate, just watch for it to be almost doubled in size).

to see if it's done rising, poke it.  if your indentation remains and doesn't spring back at you, then it's ready.  if it DOES spring back, let it sit for another 30 minutes or so and test again.

turn it out onto your counter or your lovely new pastry mat your wonderful husband bought you for mother's day.

i get the above sized pizza crust, as well as the large deep dish rectangular crust in the top photo from this one recipe.  if i'm just making one pizza, i'll cut the dough in half.  wrap it really well with saran wrap.  wrap foil over the saran wrap, and freeze it in a freezer bag for a few months. just let it thaw in the fridge, and then do the rising process again.  

roll it out (i pull mine).  try not to over handle or press on it more than you need. remember, the dough will puff while cooking, so you might want to make it thinner than you think.

coat your entire baking sheet in oil to get a nice crisp crust.  i like mixing garlic powder, parmesan cheese (shaker kind), with parkay (better consistency for this), and then brushing the crust edges with the garlic butter.  

once your dough is rolled out, let it rest for 5 minutes.  drizzle olive oil all over the pizza and brush it to coat lightly.  top with your favorite toppings.  in the next few days, i'll be posting my alfredo pesto pizza recipe.  my heavens, i think reed almost cried when he took the first bite. yummy.  

as a rule of thumb, i always top my crust with 6 or so ripped up slices of provolone cheese.  i put my sauces on top of the provolone.  it acts as a barrier so that the crust doesn't get soggy.

bake (with toppings) in a preheated 425 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.