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–+ servings

Best Pizza Dough

Lakshmi Thiru
Crafted with care and expertise, our pizza dough is a symphony of simplicity and perfection. Made from premium flour, water, yeast, and a touch of olive oil, it's expertly kneaded and allowed to rise, resulting in a light, airy crust that crisps to golden perfection in the oven.
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Rising Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Servings 2 12" x 8" pizzas

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups All-purpose flour / Bread flour
  • 2 ¼ tsp Instant yeast
  • 1 tsp Sugar
  • 1 tsp Garlic powder optional
  • 1 tsp Italian dry herbs optional
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 2 tbsp Olive oil
  • 1 cup Warm water

Instructions
 

Now, lets knead!

  • I normally use my mixer to make the dough. You can always knead it with your hands. Combine all dry ingredients to the mixer bowl.
  • Add olive oil and mix well with a rubber spatula.
  • Pour in the warm water to it and start kneading the dough.I need an additional ¼ cup of flour because sometimes it turns out sticky. Once the dough forms an elastic ball and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, that means it's ready.
  • Take the dough and knead it with hands on a lightly floured surface and form your pizza dough into a round ball.
  • Drizzle a separate, large, clean bowl generously with olive oil and use a pastry brush to brush up the sides of the bowl.
  • Transfer the dough to your olive oil-brushed bowl. Use your hands to roll the pizza dough along the inside of the bowl until it is coated in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place for an hour.
  • The dough will rise double or more the original size.
  • Use your hands to deflate the dough, and knead it 4 to 5 times until smooth on a lightly floured surface and start rolling using a rolling pin about 12" by 8".
  • Transfer dough to a parchment paper lined pizza pan and either pinch the edges or fold them over to form a crust. I didn't do it because I like it thin on the edges too.
  • Use a fork to make holes all over the pizza to keep the dough from bubbling up in the oven.
  • Drizzle additional olive oil (about a Tablespoon) over the top of the pizza and use your pastry brush to brush the entire surface of the pizza (including the crust) with olive oil. 
  • Add pizza sauce, grated mozzarella cheese, desired toppings and bake in a 425℉ preheated oven for 15 mins or until the toppings are golden brown. Check if the bottom is evenly browned. Slice and serve it hot with some crushed pepper on top. Enjoy it while watching a movie on a weekend!!
  • Thin crust pizza topped with pizza sauce, cheese, red onions, green pepper and jalapeno.

Tip

  • Bread flour gives a slightly crispier bottom but I normally have all-purpose in my pantry.
  • Ideally your water should be between 105℉ - 115℉. But make sure the water isn't too hot or it will kill the yeast and the pizza dough wouldn't rise.
  • The dough can be prepared in advance. Let the dough rise covered at room temperature as indicated in the recipe, deflate it, wrap it tightly so it doesn't dry out and store it in the refrigerator for couple weeks.