Anne’s Homemade Pizza Dough
Learn how to make this easy and versatile dough from scratch that can be used to make pizza dough, dinner rolls, Greek pita, cinnamon rolls, bread, and more!
I traveled to Phoenix, AZ to hang out with my new friend Joanie from The Bite Shot to learn more about Joanie's incredible food photography. While I was there, Joanie and I made fresh pizza using local ingredients.
We heated the wood-fired oven, let the dough rise, then added our favorite toppings, and, voila! Fresh wood-fired pizza from scratch! Since I completed my own wood-fired oven, a lot of folks have been asking for a tutorial on how to make my family's famously easy dough recipe. Making your own dough from scratch is super quick and simple, and can be used/modified to make cinnamon rolls, bread, pizza dough, dinner rolls, Greek pita, and many other dough-based baked items.
Why I Love This Recipe
My mom and grandmother taught me to cook, and they use a “no measuring” approach. The reason for this is so that you can understand and know the feel of a recipe rather than following instructions in a disconnected fashion, and then not know what went wrong when the recipe doesn’t turn out. Paying attention to what the texture of the dough is telling you is key in this process. Measurements in this recipe are meant for reference only, and if you rely on following recipes to a “T”, this is a great beginner project to begin practicing the “no measuring” approach.
Ingredients
1 ½ - 2 cups warm water - The water needs to be just warm enough to dissolve the yeast. Do not use boiling water…it will kill the yeast!
1-2 tablespoons active dry yeast - Store yeast in an airtight container in the freezer to prolong the shelf life.
1 tablespoon sugar - This is not used to sweeten the dough, but to activate and feed the yeast.
1 teaspoon salt
4-5 cups flour - All-purpose or bread flour will work for this recipe. Just be aware that, due to the higher protein content, bread flour will absorb more water, so you will need to adjust the water as needed.
2-3 tablespoons olive oil - Any oil can be used in this recipe, but olive oil is recommended because it is a healthier choice.
How to Make Pizza Dough
Dissolve the Yeast
Sprinkle yeast over warm water, and stir to combine. Add in the sugar, salt, and oil. Stir well, and set aside waiting for the sugar to activate the yeast. When activated, the combination will form bubbles, and the yeast will begin to look like foam.
Mix the Dough
In the meantime, add flour to a bowl. A stand mixer with a dough hook works well, but you can just as easily use any bowl and spoon. Once the yeast is activated, add the yeast mixture to the flour, and mix until it forms a dough. If mixing by hand, feel free to use your hands to knead the dough once the dough becomes too thick to stir. Use additional flour or water until you reach the desired consistency which is sticky to the touch, but won’t transfer to your hands as you handle the dough.
Allow the Dough to Rise
In a clean bowl, pour about a tablespoon of oil into the bottom. Place dough into the bowl, and turn to cover the dough in oil. Cover the bowl with saran wrap, and allow to rise at room temperature until doubled in size. The longer the dough is allowed to rise, the thicker and fluffier in texture the end result will be, so for a thin crust pizza, allow the rise time to be about 30 minutes.
Shape the Crust
Remove the dough from the bowl, and either stretch or roll out pizza crust to desired size and shape onto a pizza pan, or pizza peel. Top with desired toppings.
Bake the Pizza
When using a conventional oven with a pizza pan, bake at a 425 degree preheated oven for 12-15 minutes. When using a wood-fired oven, bring the oven up to temperature for at least 25 minutes. Move the majority of the fire to the back with a few coals on the sides of the oven. Using the pizza peel, place pizza in the oven to bake. Using tongs, turn the pizza to bake evenly. This process requires constant attention. The pizza will be cooked using different times every time. Remove pizza from the oven, and enjoy!
Wood-Fired Cooking Tips
When making pizza, use a ton of flour on the bottom of the crust. It helps enormously when it comes to sliding the pizza on and off the peel.
Do not use an excessive amount of sauce. This makes it difficult for the crust to bake and crisp up evenly. If you like a lot of sauce on your pizza, simply reserve sauce for dipping after the pizza is baked.
After removing the pizza from the oven, I like to sprinkle it with sea salt, drizzle with olive oil, add fresh basil and tomatoes, fresh parmesan cheese, and arugula.
Preheating these ovens can take some time, but you can save about 25 minutes in heat up time if you use a torch.
Temperature control can be tricky, and cook times will vary. Never walk away from the oven. With such high temperatures, your stuff cooks FAST in there.
Wood-fired pizza is delicious with this homemade goat cheese. In this recipe, you can also use farm-fresh cow's milk or even milk from the store. For more information on making your own dairy products, check out my Homesteader's Guide to Milk - Digital Course where you will learn how to make homemade yogurt, simple mozzarella, hot pudding, custard ice cream, and butter complete with bonus recipes using whey, troubleshooting tips, meal prep advice, and more!
