Pizza Dough
We like to bake pizza on baking stones or tiles, but you can also bake them on baking sheets heavily sprinkled with cornmeal.
by: Three Many Cooks
Serves: 2 pounds or 4 medium pizzas
Ingredients
- ½ cup warm water and 1¼ cup tap water
- 1 envelope active dry yeast (or 2 teaspoons)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cups bread flour
- 2 teaspoons table salt
- Semolina for peel
Instructions
- Measure ½ warm cup water in a 2-cup measuring cup. Whisk yeast into water; let stand until it bubbles, about 5 minutes. Measure in remaining 1¼ cups water (for 1¾ cups total) and oil to yeast mixture. Meanwhile, pulse flour and salt in a large food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pour liquid ingredients over flour; pulse to form a rough soft ball, adding an additional tablespoon or so of water if necessary. Continue to process until dough is smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds longer. Leaving dough in sealed food processor bowl, let rise to double in size, 2 to 3 hours.
- Without punching it down, dump dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Use a chef’s knife or a metal dough scraper to quarter dough. Working one portion at a time, stretch dough to a rough 6- by 15-inch rectangle. Transfer stretched dough to 1 of 2 cornmeal-coated pizza peels or other wood surfaces such as large cutting boards; repeat with remaining stretched dough, fitting 2 per surface.
- Top and bake until crisp and golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove pizzas from oven, sprinkle with cheese, and return them to the oven to cook until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
Pam –
I am so very excited to have been introduced to your blog yesterday via ‘Food 52.’ I will try to keep this short (although I have much more that I’d like to share!). I was commenting on another food blog a few months ago (101 Cookbooks)- sharing how much I appreciate her writing style and information from the time when the dish was just a thought or conception to the time of completion (including information on adaptations, substitutions, reasoning behind both, etc.). I shared that this year, I wanted to really focus on cooking with ease and confidence (delicious, healthy, seasonal food- without following every recipe to a ‘t’ or spending all of my time in the kitchen). Someone read my comment and said that if I appreciate this style, then I would love your books and your approach to food and recipes. Long story short- my sister-in-law brought your cookbook on a recent camping trip and lent it to me. I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE it and really don’t want to give it back now. I guess I’ll have to go buy one for myself! I have used it begin ‘Monday meal planning’ and my husband and I have enjoyed cooking many of the meals together. I am so excited to look through this site, to learn more about you (and each of your daughters’ unique approaches!), and to purchase your books – including your upcoming book. I have not yet ‘dug in’ here…
…but I sure will now. 🙂
No oven temp, we used 400 and worked well.
So good we used last night and today for lunch! Added lots of italian seasoning in crust.
This is my go-to pizza dough recipe. It’s perfect every.single.time. I have to say that I think the generous sprinkling of cornmeal adds to the flavor and it should not be skipped!
I’ve grilled this dough successfully also.
Thanks for yet another perfect recipe, girls! 🙂
I don’t have a food processor, any ideas?!?!
Hey Liz, You can definitely knead the dough by hand. Usually takes about 5 minutes, then just continue with the recipe.
Good luck!