Classic Homemade Pizza Crust
An easy recipe to make your own crust from scratch and get pizza on the table in about the same time as busy delivery on a Saturday night!
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 pizza stone or pan
- 1 glass measuring cup
- measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast or one packet of rapid rise yeast
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ cup lukewarm water
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour or substitute all purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp olive oil
- extra flour for kneading surface
- toppings as desired
Instructions
- Measure the yeast, sugar and water and place in a large bowl. The water should be warm, but not hot. Let sit for about 5 minutes until frothy.
- Measure and add the flours, salt and olive oil. Keep the salt on top of the flour to avoid mixing with the yeast until you are ready to combine all ingredients.
- Sprinkle some flour onto your kneading surface so it is ready to go.
- Stir everything together, using a spoon or your hands.
- Once the dough comes together and mostly sticks in a ball, turn it out onto your floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes. The dough will become smooth and elastic. if it is too sticky, sprinkle a little more flour over the ball and work it in. If it seems too dry and crumbly, drizzle a little more olive oil on the ball and work it in.
- When you have a smooth, elastic ball of dough, drizzle a little olive oil in your bowl and place the dough back into the bowl. Turn the dough over a time or two to coat it with oil so it does not dry out while rising.
- Cover the bowl with a dish towel and place on the stove (or other somewhat warm area) to rise for at least 20 minutes. The dough should look a little puffy and have almost doubled in size.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450° F. If you are using a baking stone, trace the stone shape onto a piece of parchment paper and then place it in the oven to preheat on either the middle rack or lower middle rack. If you are using a regular pizza pan, coat the pan with a thin layer of olive oil - you don’t need much!
- When the dough is ready, deflate it by punching down on the center of the ball. Gently remove the dough from the bowl and begin stretching it out to size. If you are feeling brave, you can toss it up in the air to let centrifugal force do some of the work. If not, place the dough in the center of your pan (or parchment paper) and stretch with your hands from the center out until you have reached the desired size.
- Spread your favorite pizza sauce over the crust, leaving a bit on the edge plain to form the edge crust of the pizza. Top with whatever toppings you desire, finishing with cheese.
- Place the pan on the middle rack or lower middle rack (or transfer the parchment paper onto the baking stone), depending on your preference and oven performance. The lower middle rack can lend a little crispier crust.
- Bake at 450° F for 10-12 minutes until the cheese is melted and the crust is a nice golden color. Bake longer if you prefer your cheese to be brown on top.
- Transfer the pizza to a cutting board immediately after you remove it from the oven and then cut with a pizza slicer. The cheese will be very hot, so be careful with the first bite!
Notes
- I like the combination of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour, but this recipe also works using bread flour instead of all purpose flour or omitting the wheat flour and using 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour.
- 2 cups of cheese is a good amount to cover a 12-inch pizza. You can also divide the dough into smaller pieces to make individual pizzas.
- If you prefer a more dense dough, try kneading for less time. This will not fully develop the gluten, which will leave you with a crust that does not rise as much during baking.