This is a staple in our kitchen! During Covid lockdown, we tried soooo many different pizza dough recipes, this one wins hands down. Every. Single. Time.
I legit tell everyone that mentions making pizza at home about this Easy Peasy - Pizza Dough Recipe and have had nothing but rave responses.
With just three ingredients (plus water), it's the easiest pizza dough recipe (that truly delivers) that you will ever make.
I'm not into super lengthy recipes, nobody reads that crap anyway besides maybe my mom (hi mom). But please note, this recipe makes SIX whole 10"ish pizzas. We have a six member household so this recipe is perfecto for us.
Just a few things to keep in mind before starting this recipe:
You will need a pizza peel to safely remove your pizzas from the oven. Amazon has tons to choose from, we have had ours for over 10 years now so it's not available anymore but if you want to make pizzas at home this item is a must. Ours is the aluminum style head with a wooden handle.
A kitchen aid (or similar) mixer will make your life SO much easier for this recipe, but I have successfully made this when on vacation or in cabins when a mixer was not available and just kneaded the dough by hand until I had a smooth dough. It does work, just takes more human power :)
Don't skip the parchment paper! Helps with keeping dough clean and from sticking to any surfaces.
Heat your oven or grill to 500 degrees a good 30-45 minutes before you plan on cooking the pizzas so the oven is nice and hot when you are ready to go!
The original recipe for this pizza dough was found on www.ciaoflorentina.com
Homemade Super Easy Pizza crusts x 6
5 cups all purpose (organic is best) flour or 00 flour (+ some for dusting)
1-1/2 tablespoons sea salt
1-1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast <-- I buy this one in bulk at Costco or amazon and keep in a glass jar in the freezer
2 cups COLD water (make sure that water is cold :)
In the bowl of your mixer and using the paddle or whisk attachment : mix the flour, sea salt and active dry yeast until combined about 1 minute.
Switch to the dough hook and add slowly the cold water to your dry ingredients. After the water is all mixed in, the dough should be smooth and a little sticky but should not stick to the sides of the bowl. Mix on low speed 8 to 10 minuets. If the dough sticks to the sides at all during the kneading process, sprinkle in a bit more flour a tablespoon at a time. If the dough looks dry, add a splash more water.
After the 8-10 minutes of kneading has passed, remove dough from mixer and tear or cut the ball in half, then split each half into thirds making six total pieces. Roll each piece into rounds and dust each with flour then place into a glass or proofing dish that has been sprayed or wiped down with olive oil. Cover container with the lid if it has one (we use a large rectangle glass Pyrex dish with lid), or add plastic wrap to cover and allow to sit at room temperature and rise for 1-2 hours in a draft free area. If your room is cold your rise time might will be longer.
While dough is proofing, I like to cut out the parchment paper pieces I will need for the next step. Each pizza essentially needs two pieces of parchment. I use scissors and cut 12 rectangles about 12" in length. Set these cut sheets aside.
Prep your toppings by washing then dicing any veggies that you are going to use. I like to make a plate of all the toppings and cheese I will be using. After it's all prepped I keep the topping plate in the fridge until I need it. Our favorite toppings are fresh mozzarella, mushrooms, sliced tomatoes, dried oregano, and fresh basil 💚
Once your dough has risen for at least an hour or two. Take one of your parchment sheets and sprinkle with a dash of flour. Place one dough round from proofing tray and without messing with it too much or trying to rework it, place the dough round in the center of the parchment paper. Put another piece of parchment on top of the dough round. This second "top" piece of paper keeps dough covered, clean, and you can easily stack them this way as you go, plus comes in handy at the end!
Press down on dough ball with a heavy flat bottomed pan (a heavy cast iron pan works amazing for this step) or you can flatten it by rolling it out with a roller. You can make it as thin or as thick as you like. We tend to roll them out pretty thin Italian style.
After your six dough balls are all rolled out and sandwiched between two pieces of parchment. They are ready for toppings!
Start by poking holes with a fork in the pizza crust all over the bottom. This helps with getting the big air bubbles from forming while cooking. Then the crusts are ready to top anyway you like! If you run into any questions please let me know in comments below! Save this recipe! And I hope you seriously give it a try one of these days! It really is an incredibly fun and simple recipe that the kids love!
