Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe

This Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe creates the perfect crust for your pizza. Deliciously soft on the inside and crisp on the outside,makes this the absolute best pizza recipe EVER!

What really makes the best pizza for you? Is it the crust,the sauce or the toppings? For me it is the crust which creates the foundation of a great pizza. I mean let’s be honest here. Have you ever  put your favorite sauce and toppings on a frozen shop bought pizza crust, baked it and thought that it tasted just plain average or absolutely horrid? So don’t waste your delicious toppings and sauce on a store bought crust anymore. This Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe has all the makings for the perfect pizza.

Way cheaper than the frozen store bought crust, easy to make and so seriously delicious.

MAKING THE PIZZA DOUGH

• This dough requires basic ingredients, water,flour,yeast, sugar,salt and oil.These ingredients are combined and kneaded together for about 8 to 10 minutes to form a smooth elastic dough                            

• It is then placed into an oiled bowl where it is left for 1 hour to double in size. Keep this bowl in a warm, draught free place of your kitchen. At this point, dough can also be refrigerated,  if you are not using it on the same day. 

• Once the dough has risen, punch it down and divide it into 3 equal parts. Cover and let it rest for about 30 minutes to an hour. I usually cover and leave the dough to rest for an hour before pressing into a pizza pan. The dough is so much more pliable and does not spring back as you shape it.  I find that a great advantage, especially if you prefer a thinner, crispier crust.

• Sprinkle a bit of polenta or semolina on your baking sheet. Place a portion of the dough on the sheet and press out the dough depending on how thick or thin you prefer the crust. Remember that as it bakes it will still rise in the oven, so give consideration to that fact as well when pressing out the dough.

• I am using a 12 inch / 30cm pan for this recipe. I pressed out one of the dough portions to a 8 inch / 20cm circle. As it baked , it turned out to be a very thick crust…more like a deep pan pizza. The other 2 portions were pressed out to the full 30 cm, filling the entire pan and I found that This 12 inch / 30cm size to be the perfect thickness for the pizza. But that was according to my taste and preference…make it to whatever suits you.

• Spread on your favourite sauce or go ahead and try out the easy and delicious sauce I am sharing with you in this recipe. Add your cheese and other toppings  you prefer. I love a basic 3 cheese pizza, with mozzarella, cheddar and parmesan. A few tomatoes and basil leaves makes it so good.

NOW WHO WANTS TO GUESS WHAT MAKES THIS PIZZA EVEN MORE DELICIOUS…

GARLIC BUTTER OF COURSE. You didn’t actually think that it was not going to show itself in this recipe now did you?

You can either brush a bit of the garlic butter on the crust before adding the sauce or do what I love to do… brush the edges of the crust with the garlic butter and then gently brush over the cheese with the butter as well. Just a light brushing makes a world of difference to the overall taste of your pizza.

• Bake in at 190° C / 374°F for 15 minutes. Remove for the oven and leave for about 3 minutes before slicing. This allows the cheese to set on the pizza so that it does not fall off as you slice into it.

This Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe is guaranteed to make you strike out the frozen pizza crust from your grocery list FOREVER!

ENJOY ♥

5 from 2 votes

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Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe

This Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe creates the perfect crust for your pizza. Deliciously soft on the inside and crisp on the outside,makes this the absolute best pizza recipe EVER!

Course: Bread

Servings: 3 30cm / 12 inch Pizzas

Ingredients

FOR THE PIZZA DOUGH

• 5 ¼ cups / 630 g all purpose / cake flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• 1 ½ Tablespoons / 13 g instant dry yeast
• 2 cups / 500 ml warm water
• 2 tablespoons / 30 ml oil

FOR THE EASY PIZZA SAUCE

• 1 can diced or pureed tomatoes / 3 tomatoes peeled and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs use your favourite mix SEE NOTE 1
• Salt to taste

FOR THE GARLIC BUTTER

• 2 Tablespoons / ¼ stick /30 grams butter
• 2 cloves crushed garlic

Instructions

FOR THE PIZZA DOUGH

1. Combine the flour, salt sugar and yeast together in a large bowl. ( DRY INGREDIENTS)
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the warm water and oil.( WET INGREDIENTS)
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.
4. Mix together with a fork until the dough is combined.
5. Turn out onto a floured board and knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth. Add a bit more flour, if you find that the dough is sticky while kneading.
6. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover and leave in a warm draft free place until doubled in size about 1 hour.
7. Punch dough down a few times and divide into 3 equal portions, let dough rest for 30 minutes to an hour. SEE NOTE 2

8. Sprinkle a bit of polenta or semolina on your baking sheet . Place a portion of the dough on the sheet and press out the dough depending on how thick or thin you prefer the crust. Remember that as it bakes it will still rise in the oven, so give consideration to that fact as well when pressing out the dough. SEE NOTE 3

9. Top with your favourite toppings

10. Brush the edges with garlic butter if you prefer SEE NOTE 4 and bake at 190° C / 374°F for approximately 15-20 minutes until crust is golden

EASY PIZZA SAUCE

1. Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a pot. Let this mix simmer on the stove for about 10 to 15 minutes until reduced and thickened. Spread over pressed pizza dough.

GARLIC BUTTER

1. Make the garlic butter by melting butter with 2 cloves of crushed garlic

2. Simmer on low heat until the butter is melted and remove from the heat.

Recipe Notes

1. I use a teaspoon of each dried oregano and basil
2. I usually leave the dough to rest for an hour before pressing into a pizza pan. The dough is so much more pliable and does not spring back as you shape it. I find that a great advantage, especially if you prefer a thinner, crispier crust.
3. I am using a 12 inch / 30cm pan for this recipe. I pressed out one of the dough portions to a 8 inch / 20cm circle. As it baked , it turned out to be a very thick crust...more like a deep pan pizza. The other 2 portions were pressed out to the full 12 inch / 30 cm, filling the entire pan and I found that this 30cm size to be the perfect thickness for the pizza. But that was according to my taste and preference...make it to whatever suits you.
4.  You can either brush a bit of the garlic butter on the crust before adding the sauce or do what I love to do… brush the edges of the crust with the garlic butter and then gently brush over the cheese with the butter as well. Just a light brushing makes a world of difference to the overall taste of your pizza.