Personal Pizza Dough Recipes

PERSONAL PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a medium bowl, stir in yeast, water, sugar, salt, and oil. Mix in enough flour to make a dough that can be kneaded .
• Turn dough out onto the board and quickly knead for 3 minutes, adding more flour if the dough is too sticky to knead.
• Place dough in a greased bowl and flip dough over in bowl so that dough top is also lightly greased.
• Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until it doubles in size, which should take about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 F.
• Divide dough into 3 equal parts. Grease the pizza pan or baking sheet. Press 1 dough part into a 9-inch circle on greased pan. Put on the sauce and desired toppings.
• Bake pizza in a heated oven for about 20 minutes or until pizza edges are lightly golden.
• Enjoy.

HOMEMADE INDIVIDUAL PIZZAS

Steps:

• (this dough can also be made in a bread maker):
• Put warm water in a large bowl, add the yeast and let stand for about 7 minutes for the yeast to activate. Don't use hot water or you will ruin the yeast.
• Whisk in honey and olive oil. Add flour, then the salt and knead until well-combined (use a dough hook on speed 2 if using a mixer). The dough should be sticky.
• Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place until doubled in volume (45 min to 1 hr at room temp or 25-30 min in a warm 100˚F oven).
• Combine all sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan.
• Simmer over medium/low heat until it is reduced by about a third. It needs to thicken or the pizza will be too juicy. If you need to cool sauce to room temp faster, transfer sauce to a bowl and place in a bath of ice water.
• Generously sprinkle baking pans with cornmeal; this keeps the crust crisper and prevents sticking to the pan. You can also oil pans if you don't have cornmeal.
• Grease a clean work surface and your hands with olive oil. Transfer dough to oiled surface and cut into three even pieces. Form each piece into an 8" round pizza crust using your hands and transfer to baking pans lined with cornmeal.
• Spread 1/3 pizza sauce on each pizza leaving a 1/2" border of dough all the way around. Add plenty of mozzarella cheese and any of your favorite toppings; this is where it gets really fun! (See list of toppings above for supreme pizza or Greek Pizza).
• Bake pizzas at 415 degrees F for 15 minutes or until the crust is crisp and toppings are cooked. Cheese will be melted and turn golden in a few spots.
• (Tip for the Greek Pizza: once the toppings are on, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. After the pizza comes out of the oven, sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese. It's so good!)

PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• It's easiest to make this in a standing mixer with a dough hook (otherwise mix it in a bowl and knead on your work surface). Put the flour and salt in the bowl and mix the yeast into the water. It's always a good idea to wait 5 mins before using the liquid to see if the yeast is working - little bits will start to rise to the top and you'll know it's active.
• Turn on the motor and pour in the liquid. Keep the speed on medium-high and it should come together as a ball. If the bottom is still sticking, tip in 1-2 tbsp of flour. Knead for 5-7 mins until the dough is shiny and it springs back when you press your finger into it. (If kneading by hand, it will take you about 10 mins.) Try not to add too much flour if you can. This is a slightly sticky dough, but that keeps it light and it rises beautifully.
• Use oiled hands to remove the dough from the hook and bowl. Oil another bowl and place the dough in it. Turn it around so that it's lightly coated in the oil. Cover tightly with cling film and then a tea towel. Place in a draught-free area that's warm and leave until the dough has doubled in size. If it's a hot day, it should only take 2 hrs to rise, but it could take 4 hrs if it's cold. (If you don't plan to use the dough for a day or two, place it in the fridge straight away; take it out 3-4 hrs before using. Punch it down first and bring it together on a floured surface.)
• Divide the dough into 2 pieces for big pizzas or 4 for plate-sized ones, then shape into balls (see Shaping the dough in tips, below) - dust them in flour as they will be sticky. Keep them covered with a tea towel or cling film while you prepare the toppings. (you can also freeze them in sealed bags. Just thaw in the fridge on the day, then bring to room temperature 3 hrs before using.)
• To shape the dough: If you want to get air pockets and a light but crisp dough, then don't use a rolling pin. It flattens and pops the air bubbles. (Two days in the fridge will produce the most air bubbles - take it out three to four hours before using.) If your dough is at room temperature, you can use your fingers to gently stretch the dough out. Once it's about 16cm, place the disc over the tops of your hands (not palm side) and use them to stretch it further, up to about 25cm. You can start pressing out the other discs, then wait to do the final bit when you're ready to cook. Once you've mastered stretching the dough out, you can experiment with other shapes: rectangles, rounds or squares all look authentic.
• To cook the pizza: An outdoor gas barbecue is best for controlling the temperature, but charcoal will give your pizza a more authentic, smoky flavour. For gas, turn the flames down to medium-low so that the bottom of the pizza doesn't burn. When cooking on a charcoal barbecue, let the coals turn grey before you pop on the pizza.
• Place the pizza on a floured baking sheet (with no edge) or a pizza peel - this is a flat pizza paddle with a long handle, which makes it easier to get the dough on and off the grill. The flour will provide the 'wheels' for it to slide onto the grill - don't use oil as it sticks more and won't transfer as well.
• Make sure the grill is hot and the flames have died back if cooking on charcoal. Slide the dough onto the grill, close the lid (if your barbecue has one) and give it three to four minutes. The dough will puff up; it's ready when the bottom has light brown stripes. Use tongs to pull the dough off and turn it upside down.
• Assemble the pizza of your choice - see 'Goes well with', right, for topping suggestions. Remember that less is more, as the dough will stay crisper and the toppings will cook better.
• Place the pizza back on the grill, uncooked-side down, and shut the lid. Give it another three to four minutes, then remove when the cheese is melted and the toppings are hot.

PIZZA DOUGH FOR PERSONAL PIZZAS

Steps:

• Heat the water and milk in a small saucepan over low heat until lukewarm, about 40 seconds. Transfer to a large bowl. Sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the liquid and stir. Let sit until the yeast is dissolved, up to 5 minutes.
• Stir in the olive oil, flour, and salt. Once the dough is combined, knead on a lightly floured surface until the dough is smooth and elastic, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Brush a large bowl with olive oil. Add the dough and lightly brush the top with olive oil. Cover and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 3 hours. Or, place in the refrigerator overnight to rise slowly. Punch the dough down and divide into the appropriate number of portions as directed in the recipe you're following. Place the dough balls on a baking sheet and cover until ready to roll out.

PERSONAL PIZZA

Steps:

• Prepare both packages of pizza dough according to directions. On a floured surface, knead dough several times; divide into six portions. Roll each into an 8-in. circle. Place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes. , Spread pizza sauce over crusts to within 1/2 in. of edge. Top with beef, onion, green pepper, olives and cheese. Return to the oven for 10-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.