Easy Homemade Pizza Dough (Make your own easy homemade pizza.)
Ingredients
Directions
Prep 10 m
Cook 10 m
Ready In 18 h 35 m (The dough must rise by the magic of yeast.)
Stir whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, yeast, salt, sugar, olive oil, and warm water with a spatula until formed into a sticky ball of dough that pulls away from sides of a large bowl, about 3-4 minutes.
Cover the bowl with a light cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place (80 to 95 degrees F (27 to 35 degrees C)) for 18 hours, until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 550 degrees F (280 degrees C). Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and sprinkle with more flour. Form the dough into a rectangle, and cut it into four equal parts. Shape each piece into a ball, stretching and tucking the dough to create a smooth surface, adding more flour if needed. Cover the dough balls with a towel and let rest for 15 minutes.
To shape the dough, sprinkle the surface with flour and lightly pat flat. Use a rolling pin to form a thin disk about 9 inches in diameter.
Transfer the formed crust to the prepared baking sheet and top as desired. Bake on the bottom rack for 4 minutes, move to the middle rack and bake for 5-6 minutes more minutes, until the bottom is crispy and the top is lightly browned. Move to cooling rack to cool slightly before serving.
Footnotes For The Cook
Additional all-purpose flour may be needed if the dough is too sticky and wet.
Idea: Tell the kids your going to make some pizza but use the above recipe to make your own dough. Tip the person who makes the best pizza dough or toss.
Learn How To Hand Toss Pizza Dough (Maybe Start Out With A Small Pizza And Work Up.)
How to Toss the Dough
You can use homemade or store-bought dough. As long as it was made with yeast, it's fine for tossing.
Prep your work area with flour. Keep a bowl nearby.
Remove any jewelry from your hands.
Dough should be room temperature and shaped into a ball. Dust with flour.
Press out the dough with your hands to form a disc about 10 inches (25.4 centimeters) across and a half-inch (1.27 centimeters) thick. You can also use a rolling pin.
Pick up the dough and drape it over your hands. One hand should be palm up, the other in a fist.
Use the hand with the palm up to lift and spin the dough into the air. You don't have to toss it high, just enough to get a rotation in.
Catch the dough on the backs of your fists, which provide a flatter and more stable area than your palm and fingers would.
Repeat until the dough stretches to the desired size, usually around 12 inches (30.5 centimeters).
If you're right-handed, use that hand palm-up. That's your "throwing hand." Same thing if you're left-handed.
Your fingers should always be closed -- don't spread them apart.
As the dough stretches and grows, adjust for the difference by moving your hands further apart.
