How to Make Pizza Crust
Whether you like thick or thin pizza crust; these
Oh my goodness! The crust is such crunchy goodness with a soft & chewy center. There really is no need to buy store-bought pizza again; of course, except for convenience. I'll give you that! :) You can double this recipe & freeze the leftover dough for another time. Roll it out; place it on a pizza pan; wrap with plastic wrap & freeze. After it's frozen, you can remove the pizza pan. Don't forget to date it. How to Make Pizza Crust Instructions & Basic Pizza Dough Recipe This makes two 12-inch pizza crusts; but, we make 3 thin crusts out of it. 1 cup warm water (110 - 115 degrees) 1 packet granulated active dry yeast = 2 and 1/4 tsp. yeast 2 1/2 - 3 cups unbleached flour; I usually have to use all-purpose, because I can't get unbleached in the PI. Unbleached flour gives your crust a crispier texture. 2 T. olive oil, plus oil for greasing the bowl & pizza pans 1/2 tsp. salt Cornmeal for dusting the pizza pan or stone 1. Heat the water in a microwave to 110 - 115 degrees; this happens quickly, so be careful not to get it too hot. 2. Place heated water in a 2 quart mixing bowl, and sprinkle the yeast over top. Mix gently until dissolved. If you are using cake yeast, you will need to proof the yeast. To the heated water, crumble the yeast & add a pinch of sugar to "prove" your yeast is active. After 5 minutes, your yeast should be foamy & bubbling. Proceed with recipe. 3. To the heated water/yeast mixture, stir in half the flour, 2 T. olive oil & salt. Combine well with a wooden spoon. When it begins to stick together, turn it onto a floured surface & begin to knead it together.
4. Knead the dough until it is no longer sticky; adding flour as needed. Don't add too much flour as it makes for a heavy leaden crust; only add what's needed to keep the dough together. To knead the dough, fold it over towards you & press it out with the heel of your hand. Turn & continue with this motion until the dough is smooth & elastic.
5. Lightly oil your 2 quart bowl & roll the pizza dough ball over its surface to give it a light coating. Place in bowl; cover with plastic wrap & let stand in a warm place until it's double in size. This could take up to an hour or an hour and a half. 6. Once the dough is risen, punch it down & you are ready to roll. 7. Divide the dough into 2 pieces (or for us, we divide it into 3 pieces). Roll each piece of dough on a lightly floured surface starting from the center & rolling out. Roll it to just a little bigger than the size of your pan. Be sure to flour your rolling pin too, so the dough doesn't stick. Move the dough around, flip it over as you are rolling & keep the dough dusted lightly with flour. Let it rest briefly before transferring to your pizza pan.
8. Oil your pizza pan or stone & sprinkle with cornmeal. Transfer dough gently to pizza pan or stone; sometimes it's easier to slide the pan under the dough. Brush a light layer of olive oil over the crust before dressing with sauce & toppings. Add your favorite sauce, toppings & cheese. I hope you find these instructions for how to make pizza crust helpful & you can incorporate them into your repertoire. Enjoy!
Return to How to Cook from How to Make Pizza Crust Return to Bread Recipes from How to Make Pizza Crust
 You will need to use your back button to return to keep-your-home-cooking from Girly Aprons. |
