LUC 002 – Pizza Dough

Creating a good pizza dough takes times and practice. I went through some variations throughout my time learning how to do this and there were some OK-ish attempts at first. Then I had a breakthrough when I broke away from the tap water and went in to the filtered water cooler. Consistency with your approach helps in perfecting the perfect dough. I do about ⅔ of a glass full of hot and the rest cold from that water cooler. I’ve also used the microwave to some satisfying results to hear up the water, but find whatever practice makes perfect for you. Again, focus on consistency and this recipe will be perfected before you know it.

Photos from the prep:

Ingredients!

• 1 cup warm water (~105F)
• 3 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon yeast

Directions!

1. Put honey at the bottom of a mixing bowl. Through in some sugar and yeast. I like to swirl it around a bit and allow the yeast to cover all the honey. When the water is up to temp, mix it in to the bowl with a spoon and walk away.
2. Seriously, walk away and let it be
3. After about 10-15 minutes, we’ll start adding in the flour one cup at a time, stirring between each cup. Somewhere after the second or third cup, toss the spoon to the side and start kneading the dough with your hands until all the flour is in there. If the dough cracks too much, add in some water. If the dough stays watery and more like a batter, keep adding in flour. Do this until you have a firm ball that doesn’t stick too much to your hands.
4. Clean out the mixing bowl and place the dough in it. Coat the dough with the olive oil, and be sure to get the edges of the mixing bowl as well. Put the dough in the bottom of the mixing bowl and cover the bowl with a warm towel. Let it sit and rise for about 45 minutes to an hour.
5. Punch the dough down so all the air escapes. Re-cover it with the warm cloth and let it rise for about another 30 minutes. While it is rising, pre-heat the oven to 405F.
6. Once the dough has risen, place some flour on the countertop and start pressing out the dough. Get the dough to the desired thickness and size that you want. This can be split to make a couple medium pizzas, you can go thin crust and make roughly four, or you have enough for a medium pizza and can re-use the dough for breadsticks.
7. Put on toppings and sauce of your choice.
8. Bake the pizza in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes until the crust is light brown. Check on it and adjust temp as needed. I generally run it at 405-410F and cook it in about about 15-20 minutes.