RJ Homestead

Which came first…the pizza sauce or the dough? Well for our family, it was the homemade dough! Once we started making the dough, it was only natural the next move was the sauce. If you haven’t tried either yet, the dough is a great, easy, and fun place to start! If you (or your children) like working with your hands, you are in luck! And if you don’t, you are still in luck! This recipe is so versatile, you can knead the dough by hand or use your stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. I will be completely honest, I started out hand kneading but most of the time these days, I let my mixer do the work. There is no shame in saving some energy where you can.

What I love about this recipe is there are very few ingredients and they are pantry staples, with the exception of perhaps yeast. Although, once you start making things like pizza dough, you may be surprised how quickly yeast ends up being a new pantry staple as well. The other thing I love about this recipe is it can be made ahead of time and can either be frozen for up to 3 weeks ahead of time (think upcoming slumber party or birthday party) or can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days (hello meal prepping). I will give instructions for these after the recipe.

Now besides encouraging family time and a delicious meal, because the ingredients are so simple, it is much healthier as well! I have gotten into the habit of checking the ingredient lists on everything I buy at the store and I have to be honest, I did not expect pizza dough to have ingredients I didn’t recognize. I’m not sure what Glucono Delta-Lactone is, but I do know I don’t want my family ingesting it. Another win for homemade food!

So let’s talk cost. According to my research, in our area at least, the average cost of one frozen pizza dough at the grocery store is $2.50. This recipe will make 1 large, 2 med/large, or 3 medium pizzas for around half of the store bought brands…$1.30 or so. I guess all those extra, gross ingredients cost a lot more money. I don’t know about you, but I don’t see any downsides to this so let’s jump into the recipe, shall we?

HOMEMADE PIZZA DOUGH

Ingredients:

• 1 package Dry Active Yeast
• 1 tsp. Granulated Sugar
• 1 ¼ cup Lukewarm Water
• 3 cups Bread Flour (I have used all purpose and didn’t notice a difference)
• 1 ½ tsp. Kosher Salt (I have used table salt as well)
• 2 tbsp. Olive or Avocado Oil (plus more for the bowl)
• Cornmeal if using pizza stone (I use pizza pans so this is not needed)

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the yeast and sugar. Add the lukewarm water and stir until the yeast and sugar are both dissolved.

2. Set the bowl in a warm place, like a microwave or an oven. Let it sit for 10 minutes until the yeast has doubled in size by the foam on top.

3. IF MIXING & KNEADING BY HAND – Add the flour and salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the yeast mixture and olive oil to the well.

4. Stir the ingredients together with a wooden spoon until well combined. It will still be somewhat sticky at this point.

5. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured flat surface and knead for 3-5 minutes until the dough has a silky, smooth feel.

6. IF USING STAND MIXER – Add the flour and salt to the bowl of your stand mixer with dough hook attached. Mix together briefly then add yeast mixture and oil to the flour.

7. Turn stand mixer on low for 30-60 seconds to begin mixing ingredients, then turn to medium and allow to mix/knead for 3-5 minutes until the dough pulls away from the sides and it has a silky, smooth feel.

8. Smear a large bowl with olive oil and place the ball of dough into the bowl. Roll the ball around until it is fully coated with oil.

9. Place a dish towel over the top of the bowl and set it in a warm place. Let it rise for 1 – 1 ½ hours or until the dough has doubled in size.

10. Preheat the oven to its hottest setting – 550°F is preferred and place your pizza stones (if using) in the oven to preheat as well. **If using metal pizza pans this step is not necessary.**

11. Remove the dough and separate it into however many pizzas you are planning to make. 1 large, 2 medium-large or 3 medium pizza or 6 small pizzas.

12. On a floured surface, flatten out the ball of dough. With a rolling pin, begin from the center and roll out in all directions until you have the desired thickness.

13. Remove the pizza stones from the oven (if using) and sprinkle with cornmeal. Add the rolled out dough and your favorite sauces (See our homemade pizza sauce recipe here) and toppings.

14. Baked in the oven for 7-10 minutes or until the crust is a golden brown and the cheese is nice and bubbly. **Make sure you are paying close attention as the pizza cooks quickly.***

Just a few notes:

• When adding the water to your yeast make sure it is the right temperature. It needs to be luke-warm to the touch. You are looking for a temperature of 105°-110°F.
• Sugar is food for the yeast and helps activate it. All you need is one teaspoon.
• Make sure to use yeast that is not outdated. It will not make the dough rise as well otherwise.
• Within 10 minutes after adding the lukewarm water, the yeast will have produced a foamy layer on top and will look as though it has doubled in size. No foam means bad yeast.
• If you are not making the pizzas right away you can cover the bowl with plastic wrap after it has been kneaded and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. When ready to make your pizzas, remove the dough let it sit at room temperature for one hour.
• If you want to freeze the dough, tightly wrap the ball in plastic wrap and place in a ziplock bag. It can be frozen up to 3 weeks. Remove the dough one day before you’re ready to serve the pizzas and place the dough in the fridge to fully thaw. When ready, remove and work as the above note mentions.

Well there we go! While it takes a bit of patience to wait for the dough to rise, you can always use the opportunity to make a fixins’ bar for your toppings. Have fun with it! I am the adventurous pizza eater in our house so I have tried all kinds of different combinations and they have all been amazing, thanks in large part to this dough! I promise if you try it, you won’t be disappointed! Enjoy!

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