Soft and fluffy pizza dough makes the perfect homemade crust for your next pizza night!
I still use the ingredients of my favorite whole-wheat pizza crust. We have been experimenting with different flour instead of basic all-purpose. You can still make an excellent crust using all-purpose. But we have been using bread flour for a while and recently splurged on a small bag of 00 flour. 00 Flour is pricier than all-purpose and bread flour but is often considered the best for achieving a light, fluffy, yet chewy pizza crust.
2 1/2 Hours Before Pizza
Pull a bowl and add your yeast and flour. Stir with a spatula until combined then pour in warm water. We just run the tap until the water feels warm, but not hot. Hot water may kill the yeast. Stir in the water until a dough ball forms and all the flour is wet.
Cover the bowl and wait 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, uncover the dough. Prepare a surface with a coating of olive oil. We find the countertop works well for the next step.
Using your hand or a spatula, scoop the dough from the bowl. If desired, flatten the dough and add salt, garlic powder, and herbs. Hubby adds salt and we both add dried Italian seasoning and garlic powder.
Wet your hands and then knead for a minute or so until a cute, round ball forms. Alternatively, you can simply grab the dough, stretch it a little, and fold it over itself. Rotate the dough a quarter turn and repeat this folding process a couple of more times. If the dough is sticking to your hands, just wet them again.
Cover the dough ball. We take the bowls that previously held the dough and place them upside down to cover the balls. Allow to sit for another 30 minutes. Then uncover and knead or fold the dough like you did before. Shape into a ball and allow to sit, covered, for another 30 minutes.
I am thankful that Hubby sets a timer and keeps track of this timing. 🙂
After 30 minutes, your pizza dough will be risen, soft, and fluffy. With oiled-up hands, carefully scoop up the dough, upside down, onto a piece of parchment paper.
Carefully press your pizza dough into a round or rectangular shape. Be gentle as you don’t want to tear the dough. Cover for another 30 minutes. We each use a sheet pan to cover our dough.
Once 30 minutes is up, it is pizza prep time! Spread the crust with sauce and add toppings and cheese as desired.
My pizza goes on a pizza stone at 525 degrees for 12 minutes. Hubby used a pizza pan with holes at 550 degrees using convection for 8 minutes.
His and her pizza! Mine is in the forefront piled with veggies. Hubby adds sausage and/or pepperoni along with vegetables. We savor every bite!