One of our favorite family traditions is at least once a month we do family pizza and movie night. My girls absolutely look forward to this night every month where we make homemade pizzas, watch a movie we haven’t seen yet and snuggle up on the couch.
Homemade pizza dough is surprisingly easy to make and I love knowing the exact ingredients that go into it so I know we aren’t being pumped full of preservatives and tons of sugar. Plus, I love that authentic Italian taste that brings me right back to days spent in Italy.
This pizza dough can be made day of or left in the fridge for up to 2 days if you want to make it ahead of time. You can make a thin crust pizza (which I highly suggest with this dough) or thick crust.
When it comes to the ingredients a few things are key:
FLOUR: Make sure to use the different types of flour as this gives the crust the right texture. This receipt calls for: “00” King Arthur Pizza Flour and Semolina Flour. ”00” flour and semolina flour are key. I also suggest going with organic if you can.
RISE TIME: It is important you allow the dough enough time to rise. Don’t skip the time listed and you can always let it go longer if you are busy just don’t cut it short!
KNEADING IT: Time to get your hands on the prize and knead the dough–making sure to really knead the dough well to get out all the air bubbles is key. Spend the time.
PIZZA TOPPINGS: Using a high quality sauce and cheeses is key. I suggest making your own homemade sauce with San Marzano tomatoes. For the cheeses I love using fresh mozzarella or burrata (burrata is my fav!) as well as freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Ingredients–>
3.5 cups bread flour, divided
1 cup warm water (100-110 degrees), divided
1 tsp sugar
2 packages dry yeast (4.5 tsps)
1 cup milk, warmed
1 cup semolina flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil
Directions-->
Combine 1 cup 00 flour, 1 cup warm water, sugar and yeast in a large bowl. Mix well and let stand for 15 minutes.
Add all the flours and mix
Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead well until dough is smooth. Add more flour if needed.
Cover dough with some plastic wrap and let it rise for at least 45 minutes.
When ready to make your pizzas, remove plastic wrap and add more flour so you can break off pieces for pizzas. The size of the dough balls will depend on how big of pizza you want to make and desired thickness of the crust.
Roll out dough to pizza size, shape and desired thickness.
Warm up pizza pan/pizza stone in a 450 degree oven. Once warm, place rolled out pizza dough on it. Using a fork poke holes on the crust and rub the surface with the olive oil. Bake in oven for 5 minutes.
Remove from oven and add desired toppings then place back in oven for 10-15 minutes depending on how crispy you like your pizza.