If I had to eat one food for the rest of my life, it would probably be pizza! It's my go-to meal and you will always find it pencilled in the meal plan at least once a week! Loving pizza as much as I do, I figured it was about time I stopped buying store bought and gave making my own a try! I always though homemade pizza dough would be ridiculously hard but it turns out it's actually really really easy! After much trial and error, I've managed to throw together a quick, easy and tasty pizza dough recipe!
This will make enough dough for 2 10-12inch pizza bases.
Pop your cup of warm water into a bowl and add a pinch of sugar and 7g live yeast. Give it a quick stir then leave it alone for at least 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, add 2 cups of plain flour and make a little well in the middle with your fingers. To the well, add a good glug of olive oil. Once the 5 minutes for the yeast is up, it should smell pretty yeasty and pungent - that's a good sign! Add the yeast to the flour/olive oil mixture.
Take a silicone spatula or a knife and make slicing motions slowly through the mixture. Once all of your wet ingredients have combined with the dry, your mixture should look quite sticky and formed. Clean your hands and get them in there! Give the dough a good mix with your hands until your dough ball forms.
Dust a clean surface with plain flour and put your dough ball in the middle. It's kneading time! I've found the best way to knead the dough is to pull the sides about hand-width apart, then fold them back into the middle, pressing into the dough with your thumbs. Repeat the motion several times, keep your surface dusted with the flour and knead until your dough ball is smooth and Instagram worthy.
In a clean bowl, add a few drops of olive oil and swirl it around until about 1/4 of it has an olive oil coating. Pop your dough ball in the bowl and brush it with a little more olive oil. Cover the bowl with some cling film or kitchen foil and let it sit for 30 minutes.
Re-dust your surface and pop the dough ball onto the surface and separate it into two dough balls.
Now, I prefer a more rustic, hands-on approach, but if you want it a little more perfect looking, dust a rolling pin and roll it out. If you want to get your hands dirty, start gently pulling the dough out and let it shape itself. Keep moving the dough around and flipping it over, stretching it out as evenly as possible until you have a nice, thin, 10-12inch base.
Before you top your pizza, dust it with some coarse semolina. This gives it a really authentic crunch and crispy crusts and base!
Top your pizza however you like and cook in the centre of a pre-heated oven at 200°C (fan oven) / 220°C (electric) / Gas Mark 7 for 15-20 minutes. The thinner the base the quicker it will cook.
Remember! Too many ingredients can cause your base to go quite soggy, so don't over do it!
What's your favourite pizza topping? Let me know in the comments below!
So quick and easy and fun too! I love being able to pick and choose my own toppings!
Yum! I tried making my own pizza dough once, and while it was good it sure took forever :P If I feel like making my own, I just buy an already-made pizza crust that I can just top with sauce + toppings and pop in the oven.
Making the dough does take a little longer - not ideal when you're famished, but it's great to do with someone else, I'm all for fun cooking! The Mr and I always have competitions to see whose looks/tastes the best!