Believe it or not, I’m not a huge fan of pizza. I know, I know… call me crazy, but I’m just not all that into it. Now don’t get me wrong, every once and a while I will crave pizza, and you can bet that I’ll never turn down some pizza if I’m in Italy or Europe. However, 9 times out of 10, I’d much rather have something else to eat.
When the pizza cravings do strike, I always like to make my own dough. It’s so much better (and fresher) than store-bought or take-out pizzas, plus it isn’t even all that hard to make. All you need is a few simple ingredients, a little elbow grease (or a stand mixer), and a little bit of time to let it rise! After that, you’re left with a pizza that tastes so much better than take-out.
Another benefit of making my own pizza is that it gives you the ability to personalize it just how you like. Personally, I don’t love a ton of sauce or cheese, so guess what? I don’t add a lot when I make it! I’m also a huge fan of veggies, so you better believe that I load up all of my pizza pies with veggies galore. It’s such an easy way to pack in a few extra servings of nutrients, plus it adds such great color!
This recipe for pizza dough is the one that my mom always made for us while we were growing up, and it’s still my favorite dough recipe that I have tried to date. I try different homemade pizza crusts all the time, however I always seem to come right back to this one. It’s very simple and easy to make, and it really doesn’t require that long of a resting period like a lot of yeast pizza crusts. However, I’ve found that letting it rise just an extra 20-30 minutes makes it even doughier and fluffier. Definitely a bonus!
Not only does this dough make an excellent pizza crust, but it’s also great for making calzones, as well. To do this, just make the dough exactly how you would as if you were making a pizza, but instead of rolling it out into one crust, just cut it into 4 or 5 smaller pizzas and then add the toppings of your choice. Sell it up, bake it, and wha-la! You have a calzone, just like that. (Or as I like to call them… pizza sandwiches!)
This recipe makes enough dough for one large pizza, 2 smaller pizzas, or 4-5 calzones, but you can easily double the recipe if you need to feed a larger crowd. Either that, or the dough can actually be frozen and then thawed whenever you’re ready to eat it! Simply take as much dough as you need, seal the rest up very well, and then stick it in the freezer until you’re ready to cook it. Now you’re already halfway there to making a pizza the next time you crave it!
- 2¼ tsp. active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 4 TBSP olive oil
- Add the yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer (or any mixing bowl). Add the warm water and stir to dissolve. Make sure the water is not too hot - you do not want to kill the yeast. Once stirred, let sit for at least 5 minutes.
- Add the sugar, salt, and oil to the bowl with the yeast/water mixture. Mix well, and then gradually add 1 cup flour. Use the dough hook on an electric mixer to slowly start mixing. Slowly add the remainder of the flour, mixing well in between.
- Continue to mix until the dough becomes smooth and elastic and springs back when pulled. If mixture is too wet, add more flour and mix until it reaches the right consistency.
- Sprinkle some flour on the counter where you will be working. Turn the dough out onto the counter and knead for one minute with your hands.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place dough into a bowl greased with olive oil or cooking spray. Let it sit in a warm (not hot) place for 15-20 minutes.*
- Divide the dough into your desired number of pizzas (it makes 1 large, 2 medium, or 4 calzones).
- Roll each piece of dough out with a rolling pin to about ⅛ - ¼" thickness. Let rise for an additional 10-15 minutes, and then top with desired toppings and bake until browned.*
- When ready to bake, bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is starting to brown.
