Pizza Dough Recipe: From the Blooming Kitchen Garden

Homemade pizza is so easy and delicious - and making it yourself allows you the freedom to truly "have it your way." We like our pizza loaded with Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses, with lots of veggies tucked in... and sometimes a little spicy sausage crumbled on as well.  To make your own pizza, you need an easy pizza dough recipe. Making your own is far more frugal and healthy (and tastier!) than buying prepared dough!

Pizza Dough Recipe

2 Tsp (or 1 package) instant dry active yeast
1 C warm water
2 Tsp sugar
3 C  flour, plus extra for dusting/kneading
1-2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tsp salt

Method

Stir water, yeast, sugar, and a 1/2 cup of flour in a large bowl, and then let sit in a warm place for 20 minutes. Watch for the yeast bubbling up as it eats the sugar and flour (yes - I make this with children, smile).

Add the olive oil, salt, and the remainder of the flour. Mix with your wooden spoon until the dough "pulls together" - then turn it out on to a lightly floured work surface for kneading. (I just flour my counter-top - but I know some folks like to use a board or a mat - whatever suits!)

Knead the dough for about 10 minutes - until it is soft and smooth and elastic and just a little bit "still sticky." You can dust with flour a little at a time if it feels too sticky - but don;t add too much in. I often measure out about 1/4 cup for dusting both the countertop and the dough to make sure I don't accidentally add too much.

Form the dough into a ball and place in a large oiled bowl. Flip the dough over to ensure it is all covered with oil. Cover the bowl with a cloth and let it sit in a warm spot for about 2 hours - until it is doubled in size.

Punch the dough down, and divide into 2 pieces. Form a ball of each piece and let them rest on a lightly floured or oiled surface (to avoid sticking) for about 15 minutes. At this point, you can either proceed to make 2 pizzas OR you can place the dough into a large plastic baggie (I use a gallon baggie for each ball so there is lots of room) or wrap well in plastic wrap and refrigerate until you want to use. I never let this sit more than 4 days in the fridge.