How to Make Pizza Dough

Instead of ordering takeout, take movie night up a notch and make a homemade pizza. A fun dinner to serve to a group, a homemade pizza recipe gives everyone a chance to get involved. While making the dough, enlist the kid's help to prep the toppings. Then, when ready, work as a team to put it all together. Ready to learn how to make pizza dough from scratch? Keep scrolling to learn everything there is to know about making pizza dough at home.

Homemade Pizza Dough

At the base of every great pizza is an even better dough. Here at Bob's Red Mill, we've perfected pizza dough and created a recipe that both thick and thin crust lovers will enjoy. Continue reading for step-by-step instructions to make the perfect pizza dough. We've also included a gluten free version so that even those with celiac disease can take a bite.

Basic Pizza Dough Recipe

With the help of Bob's Red Mill Organic Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour and Active Dry Yeast, you can create a great-tasting pizza dough recipe in minutes. Follow the instructions below to get started. This recipe makes two 14-inch pizza rounds or one 18-inch pizza.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp Sea Salt
• 2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 1/3 cups warm Water (105-115°F)
• 1 Tbsp Active Dry Yeast
• 4 cups Bob's Red Mill Organic Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour

Basic Pizza Dough Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, proof the yeast by combining it with warm water. Add olive oil, and then set aside.
2. Combine the flour and the salt, gradually adding them into the bowl of yeast water until the dough is stiff. Let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes.
3. Add the remaining flour to a dry work surface, and place the dough on top. Begin kneading the dough for 10 minutes.
4. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let it rise for 2 hours.
5. As the dough is rising, oil two 14-inch pizza pans. Add a bit of cornmeal to the top and set them to the side.
6. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out into two thin or one thick dough round. Flatten and pull the dough to fill the pans. Then poke the dough in several places with a toothpick.
7. Brush the crust lightly with olive oil. Spread the sauce over the top and add the chosen toppings.
8. Preheat the oven to 450°F and bake for 15-25 minutes.

Gluten Free Pizza Dough Recipe

You can use Gluten free pizza dough in many different applications. This recipe creates a perfectly crispy outside crust while leaving the pizza crust light and chewy inside. In addition, this gluten free pizza dough can also be turned into a crisp and flavorful stuffed calzone. A recipe that's hard to resist, it makes two large or three small pizzas.

Ingredients

• 1 cup White Rice Flour
• 1/2 cup Potato Starch
• 1/4 cup Corn Starch
• 1/4 cup Garbanzo Bean Flour
• 2 Tbsp Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Instant yeast
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2-3/4 cup Water

Gluten Free Pizza Dough Instructions

1. Combine the rice flour, potato starch, corn starch, garbanzo bean flour, sugar, yeast, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt in a large bowl. Mix well.
2. Add olive oil, apple cider vinegar, eggs and 1/2 cup water to the dry ingredients and mix. Mixing can be done by hand or with a mixer with a dough hook attachment.
3. When properly mixed, the dough should be slightly wet, and you should be able to touch it with a wet finger without it sticking to you. If the dough is too dry, slowly incorporate more water and mix again.
4. Cover the dough and set it in a warm place like the inside of an off oven or microwave.
5.  Allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes to an hour.
6. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place some of the dough onto the pan.
8. Using wet hands, flatten and shape the dough to your desired shape.
9. Spread the dough pretty thin since it will rise a bit when baked.
10. Bake the gluten free pizza dough for 5-7 minutes, until it has set but not browned.
11. Top it with your favorite sauce, cheese and toppings.
12. Bake the dough for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese has melted.

Homemade Pizza Dough-Making Tips

Making homemade pizza dough is a relatively simple process. However, a few tips and tricks can make the process even easier and ensure the best results. 

Pay Attention to the Flour You're Using

When following a pizza dough recipe, you may not feel like it's important to know much about the flour chosen. Though the flour selected is undoubtedly the one that works best in that recipe, it helps to know a bit about it—especially if you aim to create a particular type of pizza crust.

In general, bread flour's high gluten content produces a crunchy crust with a chewy interior. all-purpose flour will create a softer crust, and 00 flour—a high gluten, finely ground flour—works best in wood fire ovens, not home ovens. When making homemade pizza crust, you'll find that most recipes call for bread flour or all-purpose flour.

Lean Dough vs. Rich Dough

Knowing the difference between lean dough and rich dough can help you create the desired pizza texture. Lean doughs contain very little fat, whereas rich doughs are mixtures high in fat. Neapolitan pizza is an example of lean dough, as it has almost no oil or fat. Some recipes use oils like vegetable oil and olive oil as part of the main ingredients. While these oils work to contribute more flavor and texture, they can interfere with gluten production, affecting the bread's overall rise.

When choosing between a lean dough or a rich dough, note that the leaner the dough, the more elastic and chewier the crust, and the richer the dough, the more fragile and crumbly the crust. If you plan on making a pizza with an array of toppings, you'll want to choose a leaner dough that can support the added weight.

Bring Dough to Room Temperature

When making pizza dough, some recipes require that the dough is left to rest in the refrigerator after the ingredients are mixed and shaped into a ball. Some recipes may also recommend allowing the dough to come to room temperature before you start working with it again.

Though it might seem like a small detail, this step is crucial. Colder dough will be more difficult to stretch and will likely tear, and working with it too soon will hinder the fermentation process. Fermentation is essential to flavor development, which means that if you want a flavorful pizza dough, you won't want to skip this step.

Stretch the Dough

While a rolling pin is often required to make cookies, it's hardly ever called for in a pizza dough recipe. When shaping your dough into a flat crust, you don't want to press it down or roll it to achieve a disk-like shape. Instead, you'll want to stretch it. Aside from increasing the diameter of the dough, stretching the dough works the gluten in a way that rolling can’t. Good gluten development is vital for creating a crunchy and chewy crust.

Shape the Dough

Homemade pizza crusts are rarely ever perfectly round, and that's okay! One of the joys of homemade pizzas is that they look like they were made with time and care instead of processed through a machine. That being said, it is essential to note that the shape you make the original dough ball will determine the shape and size of your pizza crust. With a bit of stretching, the diameter of the ball will increase to some extent. However, if you're aiming for a round pizza, strive to form a round dough ball. Likewise, to create an oblong pizza, create an oblong shape, and so on.

Making pizza dough from scratch is a fun and rewarding process. By following the tips and tricks above, you can ensure that your first homemade batch of pizza turns out just as great as you'd hope. Upgrade your next at-home dinner by using one of the pizza dough recipes above and topping it with your favorite ingredients. We're confident that everyone at the table will be impressed. From the Bob's Red Mill family to yours, happy baking!

Do you make homemade pizza dough regularly? We'd love to hear about the tips and tricks you've learned from your experience. Share your pizza dough-making knowledge with us in the comments below.