Today I am sharing my recipe for Italian Pizza Dough that I have been using for years. I started to make pizza and pizza dough many many moons ago. My earliest memories of making pizza go way back to my middle school days. I can still remember one of my first attempts being a disappointment because I put way too much cheese on the pizza. Seriously, the ratio was soooooo off and the cheese so thick. If it was cold and flipped upside down, the slice would not have flopped. Now that’s some serious cheesiness.
Since then my ratios and pizza making skills have improved tremendously. The Italian pizza dough recipe I am sharing today is one that I found all them years ago while in middle school. Since then I have made slight tweaks, here or there, based on years of experience. As well as trial and error. However, the recipe is virtually unchanged and been a staple in repertoire.
SCROLL DOWN FOR ADDITIONAL TIPS AND TRICKS
The Dough
The dough starts out pretty basic. Simply use water, yeast, sugar, salt, oil and flour. What makes this dough different from any other is not so much the ingredients. It’s the technique.
To start the dough you will need to bloom the yeast. To accomplish this, use warm water a packet of dry yeast and sugar. The yeast will bloom in about five minutes. You’ll see this happen when a layer of foam develops at the top of the water. No foam? Either your water was too cold and did not activate. Or the water was too hot and you killed the yeast, you monster!
Once the yeast has bloomed, move the liquid to a mixing bowl if by hand or your stand mixer bowl if by machine. Add one cup of the flour and begin to mix. Once the flour is incorporated, add your salt and oil here. You add the salt as this point and not before to protect the yeast. Salt kills yeast and adding it after some flour keeps them from fighting. Adding the oil now helps condition and soften the dough. The oil helps make an easy working dough that is terrific to handle.
The Feel
Now add the remaining flour until your create the proper feel. At this point it is not about the amount of flour listed in the recipe. It’s all about the dough telling you how much flour it needs today. The amount of flour needed is based off more than just the amount of water used. The type and brand of flour affects feel. Humidity, temp and time all play a part as well. To stay from getting too technical what you want to create is a dough that is nice and soft, slightly tacky, but not sticky. You should be able to press your fingers lightly into the dough and pull them back with the dough slightly sticking to your fingers, but releasing and not leaving tiny bits.
Once the right feel is achieved, knead the dough for roughly 5-8 minutes by machine and 10-12 minutes by hand. You should end up with a ball of dough that is nice and soft, but smooth like a baby’s bottom. At least that’s what my old professors used to say. Just knead the dough until it is nice and smooth.
Now, roll the dough into a nice ball and place in a covered bowl until the dough doubles in size. Approximately 45 minutes to an hour.
Professional Tips and Tricks For Italian Pizza Dough
- To develop flavor, start with cooler water. This will allow you to retard the dough in the fridge for a few days. Allowing the dough to rest and ferment (retard) in the fridge for an extended time develops a deeper flavor.
- The fermentation period will also allow the dough to develop added texture and chewiness when baked. Most popular pizzerias and bakeries allow their dough to ferment overnight, if not longer.
The Only Italian Pizza Dough Recipe You'll Need
Crispy, chewy and oh so tasty. This Italian Pizza Dough recipe is so good it's the only one I need. Once you try it, it will be the only one you need too.
Servings: 1 Recipe
Author: Nate
Ingredients
- 1 1/3cupfiltered water
- 1pktdry active yeast
- 1tbspsugar
- 2.5tbspoilive oil
- 1tbspkosher salt
- 3cupbread flour, high proteinapproximate amount
Instructions
Bloom yeast in warm water with dissolved sugar.
Allow yeast to bloom until a thick foam has developed on top of water.
Add liquid to mixing bowl and add 1 cup of flour and combine well.
Once the first cup of flour is incorporated, add the salt and oil. Combine.
Now add the remaining flour until that soft, slightly tacky dough is achieved. Focus on the feel.
Proof until dough has doubled in size. Approximately 45 minutes to an hour.
Related
FAQs
Italians take extra care and time to create their pizza dough. They allow the dough to sit and rise for three days to make it light and fluffy. They're also very particular about using high-quality ingredients to create a mouthwatering dish.
What's the difference between pizza dough and Italian bread dough? ›
Bread dough has a higher moisture content than pizza dough. This is because bread dough uses more water-to-flour ratio. The oil in pizza dough is not included in the hydration calculation.
What is the secret of pizza dough? ›
There are many tricks to achieving a tasty, homemade pizza dough that rises into a beautiful pizza crust, such as making sure your ingredients are at right temperature, using half bread flour for a stronger dough and half all-purpose flour for a nice rise, substituting honey for sugar to help caramelize the crust and ...
How do you make Tony Gemignani pizza dough? ›
ingredients
- 2 1⁄2 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 package)
- 1 cup lukewarm water (90 to 100 degrees)
- 1 cup ice-cold water.
- 1 tablespoon sugar.
- 1 1⁄2 tablespoons kosher salt.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- 5 1⁄4 - 5 1⁄2 cups unbleached bread flour, plus more.
- unbleached bread flour, for dusting.
Authentic Italian pizzas are based with nonna's special fresh tomato sauce (which doesn't get cooked at all!). This rich sauce must be prepared with peeled Italian tomatoes, preferably with San Marzano peeled tomatoes, and then blanched with salt, fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil to get an original taste.
Why does pizza in Italy taste better? ›
The combination of tomatoes, spices, and cheese on the dough gives it a unique flavour that sets it apart from other types of pizzas around the world. Italian Pizza can be eaten as an appetizer, main dish, and even dessert! And, has many variations to suit different tastes.
Is Italian pizza dough thin or thick? ›
Pizza Napoletana
The dough is comprised of wheat flour, yeast, salt, and water and is left to rise for up to 24 hours. It's shaped by hand into a flat, round disk, about 3 millimeters thick.
Why is Italian pizza dough so good? ›
The Italian pizza crust is thin but perfectly balanced. It's not too crunchy and made with wheat flour and olive oil. Sometimes they may add herbs to the dough as well as the sauce. Many people don't know this, but there's a chance they may have never tried Italian pizza, even if they've eaten pizza a hundred times.
What is the difference between Greek and Italian pizza dough? ›
Greek pizza is laid in a shallow pizza dish which. results in a puffier crust vs the thinner, crunchier crust. of Italian pizza.
What not to do to pizza dough? ›
The Most Common Mistakes When Making Pizza
- Not Letting the Dough Rest. ...
- Not Kneading the Dough for Long Enough. ...
- Using a Rolling Pin to Form the Dough. ...
- Overloading Pizza Toppings. ...
- Not Letting the Pizza Cook for Long Enough.
Flour is the main ingredient in pizza dough, and the type you use can have a big effect on the end result. All-purpose flour will work fine, but if you want a chewier crumb and a better hole structure, you should consider buying yourself some high protein bread flour.
What is the key to making great pizza dough? ›
The secret to great dough isn't kneading or throwing . . .
It's good old-fashioned H20. “Water, water, water,” says Falco. “Pizza dough made at home should be 50 percent water. Pizza needs to cook longer in a home oven, which means the dough needs to be more hydrated.”
How to make pizza dough Mario Batali? ›
Mario Batali's Exceptional Pizza Dough
- 3 ¼ Cup All-Purpose flour, plus extra for dusting.
- 2 tsp Instant or Rapid-Rise Teast.
- 1 Tbsp Salt.
- 1 Tbsp Sugar.
- 1 Cup warm Water.
- ¼ Cup dry White Wine, at room temperature.
- 2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil.
Diastatic malt powder doesn't just elevate the dough's rise; it also enhances its flavor. The sugars produced during fermentation contribute to a richer, more complex taste. Your pizza crust will have a subtle sweetness and a depth of flavor that takes your homemade pies to a whole new level.
What makes a crispy pizza dough? ›
A baking steel helps the underside of your pizza brown and crisp to perfection. The recommended option is a baking steel, which most home pizza bakers prefer. A baking steel has significant thermal mass, plus it excels in an extra category: thermal conductivity.
What is the difference between Italian pizza and regular pizza? ›
Italian pizza has more crunch to it because of the thin crust and has a less airy and bready texture. American pizza on the other hand has a more chewy texture to it because of the thicker crust.
How does Italian pizza differ from American pizza? ›
In general, pizza in Italy is lighter than in the United States. Its crusts are a lot thinner than in the US. The average pizza has a thicker crust and is often made by hand in a brick-and-mortar shop in the US. In Italy, the main ingredient is tomato and mozzarella cheese.
