Homemade Pizza Dough

Hot out of the oven with your favorite toppings. Save your hard-earned money and make your own pizza at home. This recipe makes enough dough for 3 medium pizzas, or freeze the dough for future use. You will love the suppleness of this dough. Just plan ahead because the dough must rest overnight in the refrigerator.

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, chilled

1 3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. fast acting yeast

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 3/4 cups ice water

Semolina flour or cornmeal for dusting

Favorite pizza sauce

Favorite toppings

In large bowl, or standing mixer , whisk together flour, salt and yeast. Fit mixer with paddle attachment and slowly (on low) add in oil and ice water until all flour is absorbed. Switch attachment to dough hook and continue mixing for 5-7 minutes on medium speed or until your dough is smooth yet still sticky. To test for readiness, observe the dough. When it pulls away from the sides yet still sticks to the bottom of bowl, it is ready for kneading. (If dough doesn’t clear side of bowl, it is too wet. Simply add a little more flour. If the dough doesn’t stick to the bottom of bowl, it is too dry. Add 1-2 tsp. cold water.)

At this point the dough should be springy, elastic and sticky and register between 50-55 degrees.

Sprinkle a little flour on the counter and transfer dough. Cut dough into 3 equal parts with metal dough scraper. Sprinkle flour over dough and flour your hands. Form each piece into a ball. Place on baking sheet lined with lightly oiled parchment paper. Lightly oil dough balls and cover baking sheet securly with plastic wrap; place in refrigerator overnight to rest dough. (Dough will keep up to 3 days in refrigerator, or for future use, place each dough ball in freezer plastic bag and place in freezer for up to 3 months. To use from the freezer, thaw dough in refrigerator the day before use.)

To make pizza, remove desired number of dough balls from refrigerator 2 hours before using. Dust the countertops with flour and place dough on flour. Dust your hands with flour and gently press dough into flat disks about 1/2-inch thick. Sprinkle dough with flour again and mist it or lightly rub it with oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 2 hours.

At least 45 minutes before making pizza, place a baking stone on the  rack in the lower third of oven. Heat to the highest possible temperature of oven. (If you don’t have a baking stone, use a baking sheet, but don’t preheat the pan.)

Generously dust the stone or pan with semolina flour or cornmeal. Flour your hands and begin stretching the dough into shape. If dough springs back too much, let it rest for 5-20 minutes to relax gluten.

Once dough is stretched to around 12-inches, lightly cover with your favorite pizza sauce and toppings. Be conservative with amount of toppings (no more than 3-4, including sauce and cheese) because too much can make your pizza more difficult to bake.

Slide the topped pizza onto the stone or sheet pan and place on rack. Bake for 5-8 minutes. Check for doneness after 2 minutes. Remove pizza to cutting board and let rest about 5 minutes before slicing.