This homemade pizza dough makes a crispy exterior and bottom. It holds up perfectly to toppings. It has a great chew that you want in a good pizza dough.
Place the warm water, yeast, and sugar into the body of a stand mixer with the hook attachment. Stir to combine and let it sit for about 5 minutes until a bubbly foam forms on the top of the water.
While the yeast is activating, place the flour and salt into a medium-sized bowl and whisk together until combined.
Once the yeast is activated, pour the flour mixture into the bowl. At slow speed, stir the flour mixture and yeast mixture together until a dough forms, scrape down the sides as needed.
Crank the stand mixer up to medium-high and knead the dough for 5-7 minutes. The dough will form a smooth ball. If the dough sticks to the sides or bottom of the mixer while you are kneading, add a small amount of flour at a time, about 1 tablespoon until it no longer sticks.
On a clean work surface lightly dusted with more flour, knead the dough a few times to form a ball. Place the vegetable oil into a large bowl and grease the sides with the oil.
Place the dough ball into the bowl and roll it around in the oil so it is coated. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough sit and double in size. About 90 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Lightly grease a pizza pan with cooking spray and set aside.
With your hands or with a rolling pin, take half of the dough and place it on a lightly floured clean work surface and roll it out into a 10-12 inch circle.
Place the dough on the pizza pan and add toppings of your choice. Place into the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until the cheese is browned and the crust is golden around the edges.
Optional garlic butter: In a small bowl whisk together the melted butter and garlic powder. Using a pastry brush, brush the pizza crust as soon as you take it out of the oven.
Notes
Two good rules for working with yeast that I have learned: have active yeast and knead dough until smooth and elastic. That is really the basics right there. I buy a jar of rapid rise yeast and I store it in the fridge. Doing that keeps it fresher, longer.
You want to get yeast that says fast-acting or rapid rise. Check the expiration date on the package.
If you have a bread machine, this recipe works great in one. Just put all ingredients in your bread machine (add the wet ingredients in first.) Put bread machine on dough setting and allow dough to rise. Once dough has risen, take out and continue with the rest of the recipe.
This dough makes a crispy exterior and bottom, it holds it really well, nothing floppy! It also has a great chew that you find in a good pizza dough.
For a more "chewy" dough, try using bread flour. It has more gluten and therefore will will produce a softer, chewier dough.
This dough can be used for more than traditional pizza. It can be used to make garlic breadsticks. You can also use it to make a sweet pizza, like my APPLE DESSERT PIZZA.
This recipe makes two 10-inch pizzas. If you only use one dough ball, just wrap up the other dough ball in plastic wrap and store in the fridge. Use that other dough ball within a week. Dough cannot be frozen.