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“BASIC PIZZA DOUGH (COOKING SCHOOL)” IS IN:

BASIC PIZZA DOUGH (COOKING
SCHOOL)
 
3/4 cup warm water or flat beer (105-115°F)
4 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 to 2 1/4 cups bread flour

Heat water in microwave until temperature reaches 105-115°F. (If the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast). Sprinkle the yeast onto the surface of the water and stir in until dissolved. Add sugar and stir in a teaspoon of flour; set aside for 5 minutes. The mixture should begin to bubble. If the mixture doesn't bubble, either the yeast is too old or the temperature of the water was too hot and you should start over again with fresh yeast or cooler water.

After the yeast begins to bubble, add it to the remaining ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer (or other large bowl). Knead on low speed for 15 minutes or turn out onto a clean work surface which has been dusted lightly with flour and knead for the same amount of time.

The dough should feel slightly sticky when you are done kneading, but it shouldn't cling to your hands. If it does, knead in a few dustings of flour. If the dough doesn't feel slightly sticky, there's not enough moisture; knead in a few drops of water.

Tip: To hydrate the dough just a little, soak a paper towel with water and wrap it lightly over the dough ball and leave it to rest for 5 minutes, then knead the extra moisture into the dough.

Exact measurements for the quantities of flour and water are never accurate since one batch of flour will absorb more or less water than another based upon storage and harvesting methods, age of flour and the type of wheat, the way in which the flour is milled, the weather, and a number of other conditions. Each time the dough is prepared is unique, but experience will teach you the proper consistency.

When the dough is smooth and elastic it is ready to begin the rising phase.

Place a few drops of olive oil at the bottom of a large heavy bowl. Place the rounded dough ball in the bowl and turn to coat the mass lightly with oil; this prevents the dough from forming a crust which would keep it from rising fully. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean, damp cotton towel and place in a warm place, free from draft. (Inside an oven, on top of a refrigerator or hot water heater are good spots if they are draft-free).

Allow the dough to rise, undisturbed until it has nearly doubled in bulk. This can take 60-90 minutes, depending on the yeast and room temperature.

At this point, the dough may be punched down (deflated - the air bubbles pressed out) and stretched to form a pizza crust and used immediately (or it may be sealed tightly in freezer bags and frozen for later use; defrost in microwave for 5-7 minutes or allow to sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours before using).

But to allow the dough to develop a more "pizza parlor" flavor, it may be refrigerated in a plastic bag (leave the top open so that the dough has sufficient rising room - tuck under the top so that the bag isn't open to the refrigerator). Allow to rise in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours before pressing/stretching out into a pizza crust shape.

When ready to bake, set the baking rack in the oven to the lower or lower-middle rack and set the oven temperature to 475 or 500°F. Allow oven to preheat for at least 20 minutes. If available, a pizza stone may be set in the oven for a crisper crust. Pizza screens (a special mesh-bottom pan for just for making pizza) are available in restaurant supply stores if a super crispy crust is preferred, and these make a wonderful complement to a pizza stone.

While the oven preheats, stretch (don't roll) the dough out to a 14 inch diameter circle (or much wider if you prefer even thinner pizza crusts). The dough may be pressed out on a work surface and transferred to an ungreased pan (sprinkle a little cornmeal or semolina flour into the pan to prevent sticking, or spray lightly with olive oil spray). Another method is to press the dough directly into the pan. Or if you're feeling adventurous, stretch the dough out by holding it over the backs of two upheld hands, turning and allowing the dough's weight and gravity to stretch it out (they use a variation of this method in pizza shops to make the famous "hand stretched" dough).

For a Sicilian-style rectangular pizza, place a few teaspoons of olive oil at the bottom of a square baking sheet and fit the dough into the pan, stretching the sides to form a rim and dimpling the top with your fingertips to create a place for the toppings. A Sicilian pizza is not doughy, but has a slightly thicker, crispy-bottomed crust with a higher ratio of fresh tomato sauce to cheese, and a bite of hot pepper. The tomato sauce is fruity, fresh and not overcooked and is barely laced with a fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese. A light sprinkling of freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese can be sprinkled on top before baking. It is not overly browned on top when done.

For either kind of pizza, brush the dough top generously with olive oil and sprinkle with 6-8 oz of mozzarella cheese. Top with a layer of pizza sauce seasoned with fresh basil and oregano; sprinkle 1/2 cup grated Provolone and a few handfuls more of mozzarella (or use slices of fresh mozzarella or bocconcini over the sauce).

Top with preferred toppings, such as sliced fresh peppers, mushrooms, onions, pepperoni, anchovies, cooked Italian sausage, etc. Sprinkle with a few hot red pepper flakes (according to taste) and salt and pepper. Feel free to experiment with toppings of your choice, varying the quantity and type of sauce or cheese (cheese ends from your local supermarket's manager's special section can help make for a very economical pizza!).

Bread Machine Pizza:

Many have requested a version of pizza dough for the bread machine. Here are two I use often. Add the ingredients to the bread machine in the order listed by your machine's manufacturer. Keep in mind that pizza dough from a bread machine is a wonderful convenience and makes an excellent pizza, but if you want the chewy crust of a traditional pizza, you'll have to knead by hand for 5-10 minutes (or use a stand mixer with dough hook, then finish up with a few minutes of hand kneading).

Bread Machine Pizza Dough with Beer:

1-1/2 cups flat beer
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 3/4 tsp. Active Dry Yeast

Bread Machine Pizza (plain):

1 1/2 cups water
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 3/4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tbsp. sugar
1 3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. Active Dry Yeast

Submitted by: CM

Since microwave ovens vary in power, you may need to adjust your cooking time.

recipe reviews
Basic Pizza Dough (Cooking School)
   #182372
 NM (Nevada) says:
It stretched out very well, was thin and crispy; however, it didn't taste like pizza dough even using Caputo 00 flour. Way too much sugar.
   #177354
 Kim (Ohio) says:
EXCELLENT EXCELLENT and even more Excellent!
   #171603
 Wendy (United States) says:
My husband loves it.
   #170469
 Steve H. (Colorado) says:
I use this recipe all the time. If done right it turns out nice and stretchy. If it's too dry or too sticky, just a little water (teaspoon) or a little flour fixes the problem. I've found it bakes best at 500°F in about 12 - 13 minutes. I use an air bake pan so it doesn't burn on the bottom. Maybe if I preheated longer, that wouldn't be a problem.
 #159257
 Candace A. (United States) says:
Great recipe!
   #157271
 Cookermom (United States) says:
Best recipe ever!!!
   #143079
 Bob (Massachusetts) says:
Very good tips!
   #132573
 Chc (North Carolina) says:
Excellent recipe! I added about a teaspoon of both dried oregano and dried basil during the mixing process and it turned out excellent!
 #121748
 Tommy (Hawaii) says:
You can buy a cooking thermometer to make sure your warm water at the beginning doesn't exceed 115°F.
   #121622
 Adam Kleve (Iowa) says:
OMG!!! Your recipe is at the top of my list of making dough! Thank you so much!

PS: Im a 13 year old!!! NO JOKE! =)
   #118062
 Dave (Pennsylvania) says:
Thanks for the tips, especially the extra kneading, the dough came out much better
   #117352
 Rootwolf (United States) says:
Fantastic recipe. It worked so well the first time, I am doing it again.
   #115106
 Arfa (Kuwait) says:
Excellent. This was my first time making pizza dough. It came out so well you'd think I had been making it for years. Thanks for your very detailed explanation. :)
   #94217
 Angela (Tennessee) says:
This recipe is great for those of us who are not the best bread makers. This recipe made my family 1 pizza to eat and the rest to freeze, both turned out excellent!! Thanks
   #92648
 ChristineRJ (North Carolina) says:
I used the bread machine recipe amounts because I was using rapid rise yeast which you add dry. Has anyone else noticed that the ingredients are increased but not all by the same ratio - some are doubled, some tripled etc. Is this a bread machine adaptation? Anyway - my dough was beautiful. I used Blue Moon - a wheat beer- and you could definitely taste the flavor in the crust which added a great complexity. My pizza had caramelized onions, a few golden raisins, sliced roasted beets, goat cheese and was topped with arugula tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette. The crust (in the bread machine recipe) is slightly on the sweet side so it went very well with these flavors. Thanks for a recipe I will certainly use again.

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