Almost every Friday night, you’ll find an oven blazing with a round baking stone heating up inside. Homemade pizzas were made weekly when I was growing up and we’ve continued the tradition. Try this basic pizza dough recipe and join in the tradition!
Last week I shared some ways to make homemade pizza frugally so that even if you are on a budget you’ll still be able to enjoy pizza night and my sauce recipe is here. Today I have my basic pizza crust recipe and baking instructions for you!
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My number one tip for a successful homemade pizza: A baking stone
My second tip: Don’t roll all of the air bubbles out of the dough. I use a combination of stretching, tossing, and rolling. I like to use my mini pizza and pastry roller
My third tip: Preheat the oven and the stone. Give it longer than when your oven says it’s ready. You want the stone good and hot.
My fourth tip: Use a high temperature. I turn the oven to 475 degrees.
I know crust thickness is somewhat a personal preference. This crust recipe fits a 15 inch stone. in a hand tossed/New York Style type of thickness. If you like super thin and crispy, cut the flour back. If you like your crust thicker, increase it to 2 3/4-3 cups. Don’t forget, this means the water amounts will change as well. Gradually add the water to the flour until you come up with the right dough consistency. The first time you make this, it will be a little bit of a guessing game. Simply tweak it the next time to your family’s preference.
I prefer to let this dough rise for several hours but when I’ve been in a rush I’ve made and used it after a short 15-30 minute resting period and it was still good.
We’ve also used part whole wheat flour and all whole wheat flour. This will change the texture slightly and you’ll end up using more water.
Now that we are a family of 5, I always double this basic pizza dough recipe. Use a full tablespoon of yeast in a double recipe.
Basic Pizza Dough Recipe
- 2½ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar (optional, I no longer use)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¾ cup warm water
- Scant tablespoon yeast
- Place flour in mixer bowl.
- Top with salt, sugar, and yeast.
- Add water and oil. Should make a soft dough that isn't sticky at all.
- Knead until dough is smooth and elastic.
- Cover mixing bowl and let dough rise until at least doubled - a couple of hours. It's okay if it goes longer.
- Thirty to sixty minutes before you are going to bake your pizza, preheat the oven and stone to 475 degrees.
- Gently put the dough on a lightly floured surface.
- Next roll, stretch, and toss your dough into a 15 inch circle. When rolling, do it gently so not to deflate all of the air bubbles. I prefer to use my mini roller.
- Remove the stone from the oven and carefully carry and place the crust onto it.
- Spread with sauce of choice.
- Top with meats, vegetables, and cheese.
- Bake for 8-15 minutes.
- Cut and serve
