Classic pizza dough
Description
The recipe doesn't take much time. We make pizza at home very often, and this is one of my favorite dough recipes, perfect as a base for any topping. This recipe is also great because the pizza turns out equally delicious whether thin or thick. It all depends on how thinly you roll out the dough. With the specified amount of ingredients, I make two thin pizzas, about 30-32 cm in diameter. If you only need one base, simply halve the ingredient quantities. You can also freeze part of the dough—it keeps perfectly in the freezer. Just take it out when needed, let it sit at room temperature, and it will be ready to use again. Serve cooled or slightly warm.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Prepare all the ingredients from the list. Use clean drinking water; do not use chlorinated tap water. Use premium-grade flour, and of course, it's better to use olive oil rather than sunflower oil.
- 2
Step 2
Pour warm water into a deep bowl, add sugar and yeast. Mix.
- 3
Step 3
Cover the bowl with a towel and let it sit in a warm place for 10 minutes to activate the yeast.
- 4
Step 4
Then add salt and sifted flour.
- 5
Step 5
Mix.
- 6
Step 6
Add the butter.
- 7
Step 7
Knead the dough. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky—that's how it's supposed to be, so the pizza turns out crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Before rolling, just dust the work surface with flour or grease it with oil. But if the dough sticks too much to your hands, you can add a little more flour, about 1–3 tablespoons. Grease your hands with vegetable oil, shape the dough into a ball, place it in a bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise in a warm place for about an hour.
- 8
Step 8
After the time has elapsed, it will have risen well and increased in volume.
- 9
Step 9
The risen dough needs to be kneaded and divided into two parts. If you don't plan to make two pizzas right away, put the unused portion of the dough in the freezer.
- 10
Step 10
I usually roll out the dough on a silicone parchment paper or a special baking mat dusted with flour, and bake it right on the same surface, because it's very difficult to transfer thinly rolled dough onto a baking tray without deforming it. For that, you'd need a large pizza peel like they use in pizzerias, but I don't have one. Form the edges into a rim and prick the dough with a fork.
- 11
Step 11
Brush with your favorite sauce.
- 12
Step 12
Place the filling. I have mushrooms, tomatoes, cheese, and olives.
- 13
Step 13
On top, you can additionally sprinkle the pizza with more cheese.
- 14
Step 14
Preheat the oven to its maximum temperature (230-250 degrees) and bake the pizza for 7-10 minutes, depending on your oven's characteristics.
- 15
Step 15
Cut the ready pizza into portion pieces and serve hot.
- 16
Step 16
Using this base, you can make any pizza to your taste. Happy baking!