Pizza Dough: The Recipe for Making Traditional Pizza at Home

recipe

Preparation: 20 min

Rest: 4 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Serves: 4 people

ingredients

00 flour

500 gr

Waterfall

300 gr

Extra virgin olive oil

50 gr

salt

7 gr

Caster sugar

7 gr

Dehydrated brewer’s yeast (or 10 g of fresh yeast)

3 gr

you also need

Extra virgin olive oil

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Pizza dough is a basic preparation that will allow you to make one of the most loved and replicated leavened products in the world at home . It is a highly hydrated dough , obtained by mixing together 00 flour with dehydrated brewer’s yeast, water, extra virgin olive oil, salt and a pinch of sugar, which will please everyone: from lovers of Neapolitan pizza , with a high and well-honeycombed crust, to admirers of the low and crunchy Roman one, up to the pan pizza .

To prepare it properly, we suggest using a flour with a good strength , indicated by the letter W printed on the package: rich in gluten and high in protein, it will be able to absorb higher percentages of liquids. Once the powders, namely flour, sugar and yeast, have been mixed together in a bowl, all you need to do is pour in the extra virgin olive oil, mixed in a jug with salt and the right amount of water  and mix everything vigorously until you obtain a smooth and well-strung dough. At this point, a series of reinforcement folds are made , necessary to give strength and structure to the gluten mesh , and the smooth and homogeneous dough obtained is left to rise in a clean bowl, covered with a cloth, for about 3-4 hours or until it has tripled in volume.

We chose to use 3 g of brewer’s yeast and let the dough rise in the oven with the light on, so as to reach a temperature of about 24 °C. However, if you intend to get ahead of the game and let the dough rise in the fridge for 24 hours, it would be more appropriate to increase the amount of yeast used by 2-3 g: the metabolism of yeast is in fact slowed down by low temperatures .

As for the oil , we suggest you choose a good extra virgin olive oil , so as to make the dough fragrant and scented. The correct percentage to add can vary based on the type of flour chosen but, generally, it ranges from 1.3 to 3% of the total weight of the flour.

Find out how to prepare pizza dough by following the step-by-step procedure and tips. If you liked this recipe, also try pizza margherita and focaccia .

How to make pizza dough

Step 1

Mix the sifted flour with the sugar and the dehydrated brewer’s yeast in a bowl1.

Step 2

Pour the water into a jug, add the salt and extra virgin olive oil and mix briefly with a spoon2.

Step 3

Add the liquid mixture to the powders3.

Step 4

Start mixing everything together with a spoon4.

Step 5

Continue kneading vigorously with your hands for a few minutes.5.

Step 6

Then transfer the dough onto an oiled work surface.6.

Step 7

With your hands greased with oil, make a series of reinforcement folds, necessary for the development of the gluten mesh: fold the edges of the dough inwards7and let the resulting dough rest, covered with a clean cotton cloth, for about twenty minutes. Then repeat the operation 2 more times, always allowing for a resting time between one round of folds and the next.

Step 8

At the end you should obtain a smooth and homogeneous ball8.

Step 9

Transfer the dough into a bowl, cover with a clean cloth9and let it rise in the oven with the light on for about 3 hours.

Step 10

The dough will be ready when it has tripled in volume.10. If you want to get ahead of the game, you can put the dough in the fridge the night before: in this case, you will need about 24 hours of leavening.

Step 11

The pizza dough is ready to be used11. Once rolled out and topped with your favorite fillings, let it rest for another half hour at room temperature, before cooking it in a hot oven at maximum temperature.

Usage tips

With the indicated doses you can make both a pan pizza , to portion and share with friends, and a classic round pizza. If you opt for pan pizza, you will have to oil a baking tray of about 30×40 cm , then gently spread the dough with your fingertips and let it rest at room temperature, once stuffed with your favorite ingredients, for at least half an hour before putting everything in a hot oven at maximum temperature .

If, instead, you intend to try your hand at a round pizza as Neapolitan tradition dictates, we suggest you divide the dough into 250 g loaves, then roll them out into many discs of about 24 cm in diameter and finally place them in a hot oven, always at the maximum temperature, arranged on a preheated refractory stone : it will take you just a few minutes to obtain a golden and fragrant leavened product.

Variants

We used 00 flour, but it would be better to choose a strong flour , such as type 0 or Manitoba . Alternatively, you can also try a gluten-free or wholemeal dough , but in any case, keep in mind that each type of flour will have a different capacity to absorb liquids.

If you like, you can replace the dried brewer’s yeast with fresh yeast : in this case you will need about 10 g to dissolve in a glass of water taken from the total amount of the recipe.

If you have the tool , you can also prepare the pizza dough with the planetary mixer . Simply collect the flour and yeast in the jug, turn the machine on at medium speed and then slowly add the water and extra virgin olive oil, until you obtain a well-strung dough. The dough will be ready when it comes away from the sides of the bowl while remaining attached to the hook.