I can't remember where from, but somehow this dough recipe fell into my lap and I will be forever grateful. While you can find many similar dough recipes out there, I like this one because it uses plain old all purpose flour instead of bread flour, and also doesn't include any sugar.
The recipe says to use 100-110 degree water, but I always just use my hand to gage - if it feels warmer than your body temperature, but not super hot, that should be just about right. Once it's all mixed together, how long you let it rest is up to you and your time frame. The longer you let it sit, the fluffier the crust will be, but I've been known to only let this sit for the time it takes the oven to heat up and it still tastes great (just thinner and less puffy). If you're ever in a pinch (as in, you bought the pre-made frozen dough but forgot to defrost it in time to use for your daughter's sleepover) this will save your life! And you'll probably keep using it forever because it's so easy.
K I D D U T I E S : (kids can do any or all, or they can just enjoy their slumber party while you do the work :)
There's not much kids can't do for this one!
All ages love sprinkling the yeast and watching it dissolve
Measure and mix flour and salt, stir and/or knead with their hands (warning, hands will get sticky)
Help roll out the dough
I N G R E D I E N T S :
This recipe yields about 4 personal size pizzas, double the recipe if feeding more than 2 adults and 3 younger kids
1 cup warm water (100-110 degrees Fahrenheit)
One 1/4 oz pack active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
I N S T R U C T I O N S :
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and place baking sheets you'll be using into the oven to preheat also (this will help the middle of the crust cook).
Sprinkle yeast into the warm water and let it dissolve. Add oil, flour and salt and mix until a sticky dough forms (I usually use my hands at the end to make sure it gets mixed well). Cover bowl with a kitchen towel and set on or near the stove while it heats up (minimum 20 minutes). As mentioned above, if you let it sit longer (up to 1 hour) it will be fluffier, so how long you let it rest is up to you (and how hungry you are).
After resting, split dough into 4 equal balls and roll out each one on a well floured surface to desired size and thickness. Once it's rolled out, I gently move it to a piece of parchment paper where each person can finish it off with their favorite toppings. Then grab a preheated baking sheet from the oven, slide the parchment with the pizza onto it, and bake 10-12 minutes until cheese is fully melted and browning and crust is starting to brown around the edges.
Tips:
- Oil your hands a bit to split the dough into 4 parts without getting sticky
- For rolling out the dough, flour your surface, plop the first dough-ball down and then rub some more flour on top so it won't stick to your rolling pin. If it sticks, pat on a little more flour.
For more tips on how to have a successful pizza night, check out this other post!
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