I would make homemade pizza dough with my Great Aunt Anna all the time! She didn’t measure anything or have a recipe. She just dumped some flour on the table, bloomed some yeast, mixed it all together, and then put it in a bowl to rise. Basically, she could do it with her eyes shut. Even though I did it with her all the time, I didn’t even know where to start when I wanted to try making my own pizza dough. Unfortunately, I never observed well enough to see exactly what she did and came to the upsetting realization that in the nearly 18 years that my Great Aunt is no longer with me– I have never tried to make my own pizza dough. Making this brought back some really happy memories and reminded me of why cooking is such a wonderful thing.

So, I went to Sally’s Baking Addiction and sure enough she had just what I was looking for. A recipe for a quick and easy pizza dough. This dough came together 1,2,3…and in a matter of minutes my dough was ready to rest. Remember, you will need to let the dough rest for at least an hour or two. You could also even make it the day before and let it rest overnight in the fridge.  I just posted the recipe below, but if you would like all of Sally’s tips and tricks…check out her post here. I highly recommend it!!

Honestly, there is nothing better than making dough from scratch. It’s easy, so delicious, and you know exactly what went into it. I also got to use my pizza stone for the first time which helped create an amazing crust. I do dream of visiting my favorite Pizza Shop in Soho again, but alas, we are still quarantined due to COVID-19 here…sooo those of you craving pizza, I’m telling you, THIS IS EASY TO DO! Go have some fun in the kitchen!  — crack open a bottle of wine… it’s the perfect night.

Homemade Pizza Dough (from sallysbakingaddiction.com)

• 1 and 1/3 cups warm water (between 100-110°F)
• 2 and 1/4 teaspoons yeast (1 standard packet)
• 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons  olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for hands and surface
• sprinkle of cornmeal for dusting the pan

Directions:

1. Prepare the dough: Whisk the warm water, yeast, and granulated sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
2. Add the olive oil, salt, and flour. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, knead the dough for 3-4 minutes. The dough can be a little too heavy for a mixer to knead it, but you can certainly use the mixer on low speed instead. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger – if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading.
3. Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray– just use the same bowl you used for the dough. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes or until double in size.
4. Preheat oven to 475°F . Allow it to heat for at least 15-20 minutes as you shape the pizza. Lightly grease baking sheet or pizza pan with nonstick spray or olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with cornmeal, which gives the crust extra crunch and flavor. Highly recommended.
5. Shape the dough: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough in half. (If not making 2 pizzas, freeze half of the dough for another time– see freezing instructions below.) On a lightly floured work surface using lightly floured hands or rolling pin, gently flatten the dough into a disc. Place on prepared pan and, using lightly floured hands, stretch and flatten the disc into a 12-inch circle. Lift the edge of the dough up to create a lip around the edges.
6. Cover dough lightly with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for a few minutes as you prepare your pizza toppings.
7. Top & bake the pizza: Top with your favorite toppings and bake for 12-15 minutes.
8. Slice hot pizza and serve immediately.

with  love and sugar, Kristen xo.