Family Secret Pizza Dough Recipes

THE BEST PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix warm water and 1 teaspoon sugar; add yeast and whisk until dissolved. Let stand until bubbles form on surface. In a large bowl, whisk 3 cups flour, salt, remaining 1 teaspoon sugar and, if desired, dried herbs. Make a well in center; add yeast mixture and oil. Stir until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead, adding more flour to surface as needed until no longer sticky and dough is smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a large greased bowl; turn once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes; transfer bowl to refrigerator and chill overnight. Allow dough to come to room temperature, about 30 minutes, before rolling.

FAMILY SECRET PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE

Steps:

• Prepare mashed potatoes by boiling peeled/quartered potatoes until tender (approx. 20 minutes) and mashing with 2 tablespoons milk.
• Prepare dough sponge and proof yeast by mixing yeast, 1/2 cup flour, and 1/2 cup water with 1/2 teaspoons honey dissolved in the water in a bowl and letting stand for 20 minutes until mixture is foamy. (Throw out and start over with fresher yeast if not foamy.).
• Mix 1/2 of remaining flour with herb mix, salt, remaining water with remaining honey dissolved in it, olive oil, dough sponge, and mashed potatoes. Mix in remaining flour (dough should only be slightly sticky). Knead 15 minutes on a floured surface (10 minutes in a machine) until smooth.
• Place dough in lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled (about 1 to 1 1/2 hours) in a warm place. *Punch dough down and divide in half. Put dough halves in greased 9-inch cake pans and spread over bottom. Cover with towel and let rise until doubled.
• Dimple the dough surface with fingers. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil** and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake in preheated 400°F oven with pans directly on the pizza stone for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans and place on a wire rack.
• Cut in wedges and serve warm or at room temperature with dipping plates of extra-virgin olive oil (3 Tbsp) and balsamic vinegar (1 tsp).
• Focaccia Tips: Let dough rise until it falls (approx. double the time) and knead in extra flour. This technique improves the texture and flavor of the focaccia. Substitute other toppings such as a herbed garlic oil, sun-dried tomatoes, Greek olives and walnuts, etc. Add fresh herbs only after baking.

THE BEST HOMEMADE PIZZA CRUST RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.
• Stir the salt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, Parmesan cheese and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.
• Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky (sometimes I need more, sometimes I need less- it kind of depends on the weather and the humidity in the air).
• Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour.
• Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out. Use for your favorite pizza sauce recipe (I just like to use Prego Traditional spaghetti sauce) and favorite toppings.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough, and bake immediately. If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before topping and baking it.
• Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.