The pizza dough before rising.
There is something about making your own bread at home that is just awesome. I’m not one of those amazing home bakers who has a sourdough starter bubbling away on my counter. I do like to make bread, and yes, I’m lumping pizza dough in there with bread. There is something about getting your hands into the pizza dough, watching it rise, and rolling it out that is incredibly satisfying. And, my daughters love helping to make pizza dough, especially since there is usually the promise of pizza at the end of it.
Which pizza dough to make?
I have tried dozens of recipes over the years, and consistently go back to a variation of Mark Bittman’s basic pizza dough. He calls for using instant yeast, which is far more convenient than the packaged kind you must hydrate before you use. With instant yeast, you just add it to the rest of the dry ingredients, and it does all the yeasty magic all on its own. Bittman also calls for making the dough in the food processor. I have made dough by hand, the hard way, with a lot of kneading, in the KitchenAid stand mixer, and in the food processor. You can get a great pizza dough with any of the methods. The food processor is the fastest, so if I stand any chance of making a pizza dough from scratch on a weeknight, it’s going to be in the food processor. If you are in the market for a good food processor, this is the updated version of what I have and it is great.
I like to vary Monsieur Bittman’s recipe a bit, and use half all purpose flour, and half white whole wheat. This means using a bit more water to get the dough to come together, but makes for a bit more nutritious dough.
You can also use this dough for making focaccia. Roll or press it out to about half an inch thick, rub olive oil on top, sprinkle a little salt on and maybe some fresh rosemary and bake at 500 degrees for 10 minutes.
If you are looking for a good pizza recipe to make with this dough, why not try my Grilled Pizza with Summer Vegetables?
The pizza dough after rising.
Sam Kaestner
2 pizza dough balls
A quick and nutritious pizza dough with no kneading required.
15 minPrep Time
1 hr, 30 Total Time
Save RecipeINGREDIENTS
- Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ¼ cups water
- cornmeal for dusting
METHOD
- Put both types of flour, yeast, 2 teaspoons salt and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a food processor. If your food processor came with a plastic dough blade, use that. If not, no worries. Turn the machine on and add 1 ¼ cup water through the feed tube. Process until the mixture forms a slightly sticky ball, about 30 seconds. If the mixture is too dry, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time and process for 5 to 10 seconds after each addition. If the mixture refuses to come together, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time and process until it does.
- Once the mixture is in a ball, take the dough out and form it into a ball by tucking it under itself several times. Here is a clip of the pro level version of what that looks like Basically, you want the top to be totally smooth, and the bottom to have all the seams tucked under. Drop the dough into a large mixing bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Set the bowl somewhere warm to rise for at least an hour and up to three. If you don’t have an hour, take this time to get all of the toppings ready, and preheat the grill, then proceed to the next step. You need at least 20 minutes for the dough to rest. If you are making the dough the night before, just pop it in the fridge and it will rise more slowly overnight. Some interesting flavors develop this way, so it’s worth a shot if you remember to do it.
- If you are making this pizza the same day as you are making the dough, you might want to get all of your toppings ready while the dough is rising.
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