Homemade pizza dough? Absolutely! This homemade pizza dough is made of integral flour which is both healthy and delicious. Assemble your own pizza with your most favorite ingredients!
Italy has given the world one of the best dished. Anyone can find their favorite Italian dish since the variety is pretty large. You can prepare a popular light salad like Caprese, hearty risotto, mouthwatering lasagna or choose the top Italian dish – the pizza. Preparing a pizzeria-like dough for pizza at home is not complicated, just use a few basic ingredients and follow a few simple steps.
No doubt that there are many variations of the pizza dough on the internet cooking community, yet, I could not hold myself from sharing my special pizza dough recipe with you. Moreover, this dough recipe was passed to me by a very special person established in northern Italy, who’s running a Gelateria. Therefore, I will pass on it to you for authentic pizza preparation.
Ingredients for pizza dough
The basic dough is composed of a few simple ingredients such as flour, water, sugar, oil, salt, and yeast. With the indicated doses, you can assemble 3 round pizzas of 28-30 cm in diameter. That’s just the right quantity for a Sunday pizza evening with the family.
The dough recipe I am going to share with you is made with whole-wheat flour, ideal for long rising. This type of dough made of integral flour is considered healthy and low on calories, perfect for those on a diet. When choosing to operate with integral flour, you should know that Integral absorbs way more water than regular flour. For this recipe, you’ll need 500 gr of whole-grain flour.
Yeast is also a must ingredient for the dough. Without the yeast no leavening will happen, the dough will not rise. The best pizza dough recipes are about doughs that rise doubles its own volume, making a bubbly crust upon baking. For my recipe, I used 7g of dried yeast. You can buy that in any grocery store and it costs nothing. Also, the yeast needs to be prepared separately before adding it to the main flour part. Fusing warm water with dried yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar will dissolve the yeast and will activate it. Then this combo will make the dough beautifully rise and perfectly bake.
Olive oil is mandatory for the pizza dough. The oil is responsible for the elasticity of the flour paste. Only 50g of the aromatic olive oil will make the dough mouldable and you’ll be able to shape it the way you want it.
Maybe you’re wondering why should you use both sugar and salt for the dough recipe. First, the sugar goes to the yeast composition to balance the taste of the yeast. Second, the salt goes to the dough preparation to give it the appropriate taste.
Unwritten rules about making pizza dough
As you can see, there are only a few ingredients you need to combine to get a delicious pizza dough. Also, I wish to empathize one thing, when it comes to preparing the dough, the ingredients are important as much as your mood. My grandmother taught me to avoid making dough when I’m upset or not in the mood. Dough preparation requires time and dedication. So if you feel you don’t have that, leave the job a kitchen robot.
How to prepare pizza dough
As a first thing, I start by preparing the yeast. For that, I need 150 ml of warm water, 1 tablespoon sugar and 7g of dried yeast, and 2 tablespoons of flour.
In a small/medium bowl pour the warm water, not hot, that will ruin the particles needed for the leavening. Add the yeast, sugar, and flour. Mix everything and let rest for 10-15 minutes. You know the yeast is ready when there’s a foam hat formed above the liquid.
Until the yeast is getting ready, pass on to sifting the flour. You can avoid this step, however, sifted flour will turn into a fluffier, bubblier dough. Therefore, I strongly recommend to always sift flour prior to using it. If you are a person who likes bakery products, you must have a sift somewhere in your kitchen drawers. It will come handy every time.
Once you’ve sifted the flour in a bigger bowl, pour in 250 ml of warm water and 50ml of olive oil. Again, the water should be warm. NEVER use cold or hot water when making dough, especially for pizza or bread.
Then, add the yeast composition to the flour bowl and start mixing everything with a spoon. When a more congealed composition has formed, take it out from the bowl and place it on the table and start kneading the dough with your hands. Make sure you have some flour next to you so you add little of it gradually while kneading to form a dough that doesn’t stick to your hands. My piece of advice is to add small amounts of dough a few times in a row instead of adding lots at once. This way you are certain to reach the right consistency – soft and flexible dough that’s doesn’t stick to fingers.
The dough needs a rest
One should always let the dough sit for at least 1 hour at room temperature before proceeding to prepare it. Remember to cover it with a piece of food film. During the resting time, the gluten that has formes while kneading will calm down. That means that the air bubbles can be worked out later from the dough when kneading it repeatedly. As a result, the dough becomes softer.
I usually leave the dough to rest for 12 hours, mostly overnight, because I believe that the best daughs require time. Normally, knead the dough every hour 2-3 times then cover it with a piece of food film and put it in the oven to rest. Not heated oven. I chose that place for the dough to rest because there is no stream of air and I am sure it is well isolated to grow beautifully. If you don’t have the time, one hour resting at room temperature is enough to get a delicious pizza.
Pizza time
Pizza timeOnce ready, it can be filled to taste with the classic tomato sauce and the ingredients you prefer. Pizza comes out perfect with this dough. You can cut it into slices easily, it retains its shape, bakes evenly, it can be used for pizza with a thinner counter and for the one with the fluffier dough.
Authentic Italian Pizza Dough
Equipment
- Sift
Ingredients
- 500 g integral flour
- 400 ml water
- 50 ml olive oil
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 7 g dried yeast
Instructions
Preparing Yeast Composition for the Dough
- In a small/medium bowl pour 150 ml of warm water
- Add the 7g of dried yeast, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 2 tablespoons flour
- Mix everything and let rest for 10-15 minutes. You know the yeast is ready when there’s a foam hat formed above the liquid
Making the Dough
- Sift the flour in a large bowl
- Pour in 250 ml of warm water and 50ml of olive oil
- Add the yeast composition to the flour and mix everything with a spoon
- Take the ununiformed dough from the bowl, place it on the table and start kneading it with your hands
- Add little of flour gradually to the dough while kneading until it doesn’t stick to your hands
- Cover the dough, or the bowl with the dough with food film
- Let the dough rest for at least 1 hour at room temperature. Up to 12 hours of resting is advisable
