Easy Pizza Dough
- judithstred
- Feb 7, 2015
- 2 min read
Simple to make, easy to store, and delicious to eat...
This is a simple recipe I got from a friend of mine (thanks Smunsie!) that I've been using for years...
Pizza Dough
1 1/2 cup warm water
1 sachet dry yeast
2 cups all-purpose flour*
1 tsp salt
1 tsp olive oil
*Flour: I suggest replacing all-purpose flour with wholewheat or an even healthier flour of your choosing. As most commercially milled flour is blanched and processed, most of its nutrients are stripped when they remove the germ from the wheat (to increase shelf-life) so even your wholewheat flour isn't actually whole-grain and is missing the nutrients you could be having if you milled your own. Don't get discouraged! Making your own flour is actually a lot easier than you'd think. You can make it yourself by roasting whole grains on low heat and then grinding into a powder; Most of these flours are available in the health section of grocery stores if you don't want to bother, but milling your own saves a lot of money! For this recipe, try barley, buckwheat, steel oats, or quinoa flour; I don't recommend spelt flour for this recipe as it creates a very dense dough...For the ultimate flour alternative, check out the end of this post!
To add flavours (parmesan oregano and cheesy rosemary are two of my favourites), add in some cheese (parmesan) or nutritional yeast and fresh or dried herbs!
1. In a large bowl, combine water and yeast, whisk until yeast dissolves.
2. In another bowl, combine flour, salt, & additional flavour ingredients (herbs, cheese, etc); gradually add to yeast mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon, until soft dough forms.
3. Knead until smooth and elastic (10 minutes).
4. Lightly oil a large bowl. Add dough, turning several times to oil top.
5. Cover with cling wrap and cover with dish cloth to let rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in bulk.
6. Punch dough down to remove air and divide in half to make two medium sized pizzas (or use entire dough for large pizza). The thinner you roll out the dough the thinner the crust will be. Use straight away or store by wrapping dough in plastic wrap and sealing in a freezer-safe bag to store in freezer. When needed, pull and let thaw (~2 hours) before rolling out and covering with delicious toppings!
I recommend trying roasted red capsicum (pepper) sauce as a tomato sauce alternative; simply slice a capsicum in half and place it in the oven (or on the barbeque) to roast for approximately 15 minutes, then blitz in the blender (with a touch of oil if needed) until smooth. To thicken sauce, place in a saucepan on a light simmer until reduced to the right consistency.
Want to forgo flour altogether? make a cauliflower pizza base!