Homemade Pizza Dough

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Use this easy pizza dough to make some restaurant quality pizza at home!  This homemade pizza dough will give you a soft and chewy, yet deliciously crisp crust.  Whether you prefer a thin and crispy crust or thick and soft crust, this pizza dough recipe is for you.  It all depends on how thick you roll your pizza dough out.

PIZZA DOUGH INGREDIENTS

Bread flour

Instant yeast It is important to make sure your yeast is not past its best before date. Although it will still be safe to use yeast that has past its best before date, its effectiveness may be affect the dough from properly rising.

Yeast bread improver Also known as bread improver. This ingredient is optional, but it will improve the kneading and fermentation of the dough, thus resulting in a more well risen dough, and improved texture and taste.

Lukewarm water The temperature of water is key to activate the yeast, that will allow the pizza dough to rise properly. Although lukewarm water should range from 98 to 105 F (37 to 41 C), don’t worry about taking out your thermometer. You can go by feel. The water should feel slightly warm water that you can comfortably wash your hands in.

Salt

Olive oil The addition of olive oil will give a lovely flavour to your homemade pizza base.

Semolina flour This ingredient is used to prevent the pizza dough from sticking onto your work surface when stretching it out. Semolina flour also adds more texture to the pizza base that resembles to pizzas from Italian restaurants. A substitute to semolina flour is either bread flour or all-purpose flour. These alternative flours will do the job.

HOW TO MAKE PIZZA DOUGH

Dissolve yeast and yeast improver in a little lukewarm water, then stir into remaining water.  Set aside for 5 minutes for yeast to activate

Mix flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Add in yeast mixture and oil.  Using a wooden spoon, mix the ingredients together.  Once it gets too difficult to stir with a spoon, knead the dough by hand for about 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. If the dough is too sticky, add 1-2 tablespoons of extra flour.

Make a ball with the dough in the bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap.  Set aside to rise in a warm place for 2 to 4 hours.  The pizza dough should at least double in size.

Generously sprinkle a clean work surface with semolina flour.  Roll out pizza dough into a circle or rectangle.  Transfer onto a lined baking sheet.

Add desired pizza toppings, and bake at 200C/395F for 15-20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.  Serve immediately.

PRO TIPS

Temperature of water – It is important that the water you use to dissolve the yeast in is lukewarm.  The temperature of lukewarm water typically ranges from 98 to 105 F, or 37 to 41 C.  You will be able to tell if water is at a temperature where you it feels slightly warm, where you can comfortably wash your hands in.  If the water is too hot, it will ‘kill’ the yeast.  If the water is too cold, it will not be able to activate the yeast.

Making ahead – If making pizza dough ahead of time, instead of letting the dough rise in a warm place, leave it in the refrigerator overnight.  You can either leave the dough in the bowl, or transfer it into a large container.

Kid friendly – making pizza at home is a great activity to involve your kids!  They can lend a hand in mixing the ingredients together, kneading, and shaping the dough.  If you are making homemade pizzas with your kids, you can even divide your homemade pizza dough and make mini pizzas.  Chances are that your kids will love to add their favourite toppings onto their very own mini pizza.

Semolina flour – The addition of semolina flour on the base of the pizza dough will give it the texture like those from pizza shops.  If you don’t have or do not want to buy semolina flour, simply use all-purpose flour or bread flour to dust your work surface in the third step.

Reheating leftovers – My favourite way to reheat any pizza leftovers is to place it in a covered skillet over medium-high heat.  This will allow the crust and base to crisp again, while reheating the toppings on the top.  Another way to heat up pizza leftovers is to place them on a lined baking tray and bake in the oven at 200C/395F for about 10 minutes, or until fully reheated.  If you are short on time, there is always the microwave as a last resort.  However, you will lose the delicious crisp of the base and crust.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is bread improver?

Bread improver is a mixture of ingredients used to help improve the kneading and fermentation of dough. This tends to result in excellent volume, texture and taste.

You might be wondering – What is bread improver made of? Well, the main ingredient is yeast. The other ingredients in bread improve will vary from brand to brand, but it is common to find emulsifiers to help make bread soft and fluffy, and enzymes or vitamin C to give a more well-risen dough, thus improving the texture of the bread.

Despite yeast being the main ingredient in bread improver, do not substitute this for the amount of yeast the recipe calls for. If you are using bread improver in this recipe, you will still need to add in the regular yeast as directed in the recipe.

Bread improver is commonly found in the flour section of supermarkets. However, if you are not able to get your hands on a box if bread improver, you can simply leave it out or add a little sugar (about 1-2 teaspoons) when mixing yeast into some water. The sugar will act as ‘food’ for the yeast, and will help activate it better.

Can you freeze pizza dough?

Skip store bought frozen pizzas and make homemade pizzas instead!  This pizza dough recipe is great for making pizza bases that can be parbaked and frozen.  Simply stretch out the pizza dough according to this recipe, and bake at 250C/480F for 3 minutes.  This will give you pale and just cooked pizza bases.

Once baked, transfer the pizza bases onto cooling racks to cool completely.  Then, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 month.

When you are ready to use your frozen pizza bases, leave it on the kitchen counter to thaw for about 2 hours.  Place it on a lined baking tray, add the sauce and toppings, and bake at 200C/395F for 10 to 15 minutes.

How long does homemade pizza dough last in the fridge?

If you store your homemade pizza dough in an air-tight container, it will last for up to 3 days in the fridge. Storing pizza dough in the fridge for a few days will actually allow it to rest for longer, resulting in a more flavourful pizza base. However, make sure that the container you store the dough in is large enough to allow for the dough to rise a little.

What to do with leftover homemade pizza?

Whenever I make pizza at home, I like to make extra for lunch the next day. Keep any leftover pizza in an air-tight container or Ziplock bag and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

To reheat leftover pizza, place the pizza on a lined baking tray and bake at 200C/395F for about 10 minutes or until hot. You can also add some extra cheese on top before placing the pizza in the oven to ensure you get that cheese pull!

Any extra leftover pizza that has been reheated should not be kept again.

PIZZA TOPPING INSPIRATION

The possibilities with pizza toppings are endless! Here are a few of my most recent favourites:

• White Mushroom Pizza – Cheese, ricotta, and herb sauteed mushrooms
• Asian Margarita Pizza – A classic margarita pizza, but instead of basil, add spring onions for an Asian flavour twist.
• Candied Bacon and Caramelised Onion Pizza – A tomato sauce base topped with homemade candied bacon and caramelised onion. The perfect blend of saltiness and sweetness that will keep you coming back for more!

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