Best Pizza Dough recipe (non-breadmaker)

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
mine from memory... I will verify when I get home

9oz water
3 cups bread flour
1.5 tbl dry skim milk
3 tbl sugar
1.5 tsp salt
1.5 tbl melted butter
2 tsp yeast

knead 20 min, rest covered 30, knead 20, rest covered 30, knead 5, rest 30, make into pies and cook @400. For thicker crust rest after making pies.
 
Any standard dough recipe will do. The secret is to kneed the heck out of it.
Make the dough, kneed for 3 minutes straight, let sit for 10 minutes ... kneed again for a few minutes, let sit for 20 minutes ... kneed again for a few minutes and then form your pizza and let rise ... or let rise and form your pizza.

The secret with any bread dough is the kneeding, this is what creates that great chewy consistency with all the holes in it that everyone likes so much ... and the higher the level of gluten (bread flour has more than All Purpose), the more "obligation" you have to kneed it for longer.

Another thing I do when I make dough including pizza dough is make a poolish. This is where you take equal amounts of flour and water by weight (so this is so watery you can actually pour it) ... so say, a cup and a half of flour ... put a small pinch of yeast in (must be a very small amount - certainly less than 1/8 teaspoon - really just a "pinch", or will not work) and let sit a day or at least overnight to "sour" ... then use the entire batch in the dough the next day. You can wiki "poolish".
 
Not sure if you r into it but Swmbo and I have been working on vegan gluten free pizza dough recipes. I can dig one or two up. I know it sounds funny but that is what she wants. I personally still put meat on it.
 
Not sure if you r into it but Swmbo and I have been working on vegan gluten free pizza dough recipes. I can dig one or two up. I know it sounds funny but that is what she wants. I personally still put meat on it.

I would be interested in the gluten free recipe. I have a family member that loves pizza but can't do the gluten.
 
heres one a found awhile back that we had some success with.

Gluten-Free Pizza Crust - My New Recipe

like Jacob was saying, without the gluten and kneading these should be thinner than usual. The xantham gum makes the difference as well as "energ-e" egg subsitute.

BOb's red mill makes a mix that isn't terribly expensive as well. I try to find out where she put those recipes. of all the beer, wine, cider, and mead recipes you think i would know where they were.

we have also been experimenting with ale and wine yeast, beer, and reusing grains (which was another thread I recall)

edit: also we found King Arthurs gluten free rises better than almost anything out there.
 
Pizza Making Forum - Index

LOTS of good info on that.

I don't have a mixer and have found that my dough works best when making a poolish or doing a cold ferment/rise.

and don't forget to crank the oven to it's highest setting with the stone in it for an hour or so. Personally, I don't use my stone much anymore. It's my belief that a stone doesn't help my pizza because my oven doesn't get hot enough. I get better results from a pizza pan.
 
pizzamaking.com will probably provide you with more than enough info :)

I like thin crust and do something close to the following

1 1/4 cup flour, 4 oz warm water, 1/2 oz veggie oil, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp IDY. This makes one 11-12 inch thin crust pizza. I double, triple, the recipe depending on how many i want. A lot of times this will leave the dough a little too wet and I will add bits of flour here and there until It feels right. With my dough I like to put it in the fridge for 24 hours or longer and then pull it out 4-5 hours prior to cooking. This is usally more cause it works in my favor. You can also make the dough 2-3 hours prior to cooking.

The real key to good pizza at home I beleive is getting that stone NICE and HOT. I like to put it in 30 minutes or so at 500* prior to putting a pizza on it. I keep my sauce simple, 1 can diced tomatoes drained, 1 can small tomato sauce, some oregano, pinch of salt and pinch of sugar. the wife is allergic to garlic, so italian all has to be custom made in my home :)

Here is a pic, its actually not a good one, but all that I had on my phone!
01pizza.jpg
 
heres one a found awhile back that we had some success with.

Gluten-Free Pizza Crust - My New Recipe

like Jacob was saying, without the gluten and kneading these should be thinner than usual. The xantham gum makes the difference as well as "energ-e" egg subsitute.

BOb's red mill makes a mix that isn't terribly expensive as well. I try to find out where she put those recipes. of all the beer, wine, cider, and mead recipes you think i would know where they were.

we have also been experimenting with ale and wine yeast, beer, and reusing grains (which was another thread I recall)

edit: also we found King Arthurs gluten free rises better than almost anything out there.

Thanks!
 
mine from memory... I will verify when I get home

9oz water
3 cups bread flour
1.5 tbl dry skim milk
3 tbl sugar
1.5 tsp salt
1.5 tbl melted butter
2 tsp yeast

knead 20 min, rest covered 30, knead 20, rest covered 30, knead 5, rest 30, make into pies and cook @400. For thicker crust rest after making pies.

I impress myself... spot on memory.

guess I shouldn't be too surprised I make it every Sunday!

PS: this makes 2 pies
 
I always use Peter Reinhart's recipe from Bread Baker's Apprentice, but it is a much wetter dough than most, suited for a mixer for the initial kneading phase (but I've done it a number of times with a wooden spoon). I'll work it on the bench for a few minutes towards the end and give it a cold proof overnight to help develop the flavor. It makes a fantastic thin crust with the higher moisture content of the dough. As mentioned, the high cooking temp is key, so whenever possible, I put the pizza stone on the grill which allows me to cook the pizza well above 550F, usually around 800-850F.

I have also converted over to using a raw sauce (canned tomatoes, garlic, red onion, parm, salt, olive oil, basil--with a stick blender) with cheese on the bottom layer topped with the sauce and the remaining toppings. The sauce becomes a "topping" this way as well, which I much prefer.
 
I don't cook the sauce down before putting it on the pizza. I take the raw veg, cheese, olive oil, and salt and then blend it down before using it. The high cooking temp cooks the "raw" vegetal flavor out of the onions/garlic but still leaves a bright tasting sauce. I layer the fresh mozz on the dough and then spoon the sauce over top of it, layered with the other toppings, with grated parm/romano and then a bit of olive oil over the whole pie. Only thing with the raw sauce is that there is more moisture to it than a cooked sauce, so it needs to be used a little more sparingly so it doesn't cause for a soggy crust; but usually the mozz beneath the sauce prevents this from happening.
 
I see. There is a 'diet' that some people do that is called raw, where the food isn't cooked so I was kind of confused because you use cooked tomatoes....
 
Ahh, understood...yeah it's not associated with a raw food diet. The tomatoes are canned, so they have been processed. I just don't simmer the sauce on the stove top. I don't have the bollocks to attempt a true raw food diet. :D
 
Followed this guy's advise tonight, very, very nice. Best pizza I nave ever made.

Thanks for the link gents!

Sm2_dough2.jpg


sm3_streched.jpg


Sm4_Cheese.jpg


Sm5_Oven.jpg


Sm7_Done.jpg
 
I did not cut the lock off my oven so this was cooked at 550, not 800. Something about insurance and fire held me back.

Sm8_Crust.jpg
 
Nice! Here are two pies I made last night. The first is just a basic N.Y. syle cheese pizza. The second pie is topped with a garlic-alfredo sauce, sliced meatballs and caramelized onion.
mm 108.jpg

mm 113.jpg

mm 121.jpg
 
If you like pizza and making it at home, buy a mixer. I bought mine when I was a year out of college and have had it for 11 years now and I don't regret such a big outlay ever.

4 cups of flour (more or less, I just scoop and guesstimate)
1.5 cups lukewarm water
2tsp salt
2tsp sugar
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp dry yeast

All in the Kitchenaid. I'll proof my yeast in the water if I'm not sure it's good, but if I'm using a bag of yeast (buy a big bag from Costco and keep it in the freezer, way cheaper than jars/packets) that has worked well already I don't bother.

Flip the mixer on low with a dough hook and watch the dough come together. If it looks a little dry don't worry, if it looks way dry (not forming a ball within a minute or so) hit it with a little more water (the sooner you do this the better)

Let the mixer go for about 20 minutes. Take the dough wad out and work it with your hands. if you have the right consistency, you should be able to work it into a ball by pulling the top of the dough wad down and stuffing dough back into the wad with your upturned fingers. Hard to describe, but imagine holding your hands palms up with your thumbs pointing away and you'll get it. Cut that wad in half and make each half into a ball as described above.

Put a dime-size bit of olive oil into each of two containers for rising (I like round containers with flat bottoms, mine are "frigoverre." The containers should hold 3X more volume than the unrizen dough takes up. One wad of dough in each, "seam" side down.

Let these rise in the fridge overnight to 24 hours. Take them out an hour before you want pizza. Heat the oven to 500-550 If you have a stone and a peel, awesome. If you don't, get some 16" pizza screens at least.

Stretch the dough by hand. Don't use a rolling pin, you lose too many bubbles that way. The side that was on the bottom in the rising container should be the top of your stretched dough. Top it how you want it. One pie at a time in the oven. Check at 7 minutes, give it a few more if it needs it.
 
Ive been using this cold ferment recipe for a few years. Only thing I do differently, is add some thyme, fresh oregano and marjoram.

4 1/2 cups (20.25 ounces) unbleached high-gluten flour, chilled
1 3/4 (.44 ounce) teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon (.11 ounce) instant yeast
1/4 cup (2 ounces) olive oil (optional)
1 3/4 cups (14 ounces) water, ice cold (40°F)
flour for dusting


1. Stir together the flour, salt, and instant yeast in a 4-quart bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). With a large metal spoon, stir in the oil and the cold water until the flour is all absorbed (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment), If you are mixing by hand, repeatedly dip one of your hands or the metal spoon into cold water and use it, much like a dough hook, to work the dough vigorously into a smooth mass while rotating the bowl in a circular motion with the other hand. Reverse the circular motion a few times to develop the gluten further. Do this for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are evenly distributed. If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for 5 to 7 minutes, or as long as it takes to create a smooth, sticky dough. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet and doesn't come off the sides of the bowl, sprinkle in some more flour just until it clears the sides. If it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a tea- spoon or two of cold water. The finished dough will be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50 to 55F.

2. Sprinkle flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with baking parchment and misting the parchment with spray oil (or lightly oil the parchment). Using a metal dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you are comfortable shaping large pizzas), You can dip the scraper into the water between cuts to keep the dough from sticking to it, Sprinkle flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Lift each piece and gently round it into a ball. If the dough sticks to your hands, dip your hands into the flour again. Transfer the dough balls to the sheet pan, Mist the dough generously with spray oil and slip the pan into a food-grade plastic bag.

3. Put the pan into the refrigerator overnight to rest the dough, or keep for up to 3 days. (Note: If you want to save some of the dough for future baking, you can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag. Dip each dough ball into a bowl that has a few tablespoons of oil in it, rolling the dough in the oil, and then put each ball into a separate bag. You can place the bags into the freezer for up to 3 months. Transfer them to the refrigerator the day before you plan to make pizza.)

4. On the day you plan to make the pizza, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator 2 hours before making the pizza. Before letting the dough rest at room temperature for 2 hours, dust the counter with flour, and then mist the counter with spray oil. Place the dough balls on top of the floured counter and sprinkle them with flour; dust your hands with flour. Gently press the dough into flat disks about 1/2 inch thick and 5 inches in diameter. Sprinkle the dough with flour, mist it again with spray oil, and cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap or a food-grade plastic bag. Now let rest for 2 hours.

5. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone either on the floor of the oven (for gas ovens), or on a rack in the lower third of the oven. Heat the oven as hot as possible, up to 800F (most home ovens will go only to 500 to 550F, but some will go higher). If you do not have a baking stone, you can use the back of a sheet pan, but do not preheat the pan.

6. Generously dust a peel or the back of a sheet pan with semolina flour or cornmeal. Make the pizzas one at a time. Dip your hands, including the backs of your hands and knuckles, in flour and lift I piece of dough by getting under it with a pastry scraper. Very gently lay the dough across your fists and carefully stretch it by bouncing the dough in a circular motion on your hands, carefully giving it a little stretch with each bounce. If it begins to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue shaping it. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss as shown on page 208. If you have trouble tossing the dough, or if the dough keeps springing back, let it rest for 5 to 20 minutes so the gluten can relax, and try again. You can also resort to using a rolling pin, though this isn't as effective as the toss method.

7. When the dough is stretched out to your satisfaction (about 9 to 12 inches in diameter for a 6-ounce piece of dough), lay it on the peel or pan, making sure there is enough semolina flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide. Lightly top it with sauce and then with your other top- pings, remembering that the best pizzas are topped with a less-is-more philosophy. The American "kitchen sink" approach is counterproductive, as it makes the crust more difficult to bake. A few, usually no more than 3 or 4 toppings, including sauce and cheese is sufficient.

8. Slide the topped pizza onto the stone (or bake directly on the sheet pan) and close the door. Wait 2 minutes, then take a peek. If it needs to be rotated 180 degrees for even baking, do so. The pizza should take about 5 to 8 minutes to bake. If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone to a lower self before the next round. if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone for subsequent bakes.

9. Remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Wait 3 to 5 minutes before slicing and serving, to allow the cheese to set slightly.

Makes six 6-ounce pizza crusts.

pizza1.jpg


pizza2.jpg


pizza3.jpg
 
Back
Top