Easy Pizza Dough Recipe

We usually make one pizza right away after rising, keep another one in the fridge for a day or two, and freeze two for a week or so. Then, when we decide to make a pizza, we can easily thaw the dough in the fridge a day before.

Looking for a classic pepperoni pizza recipe to make with this dough? Look no further! This one is our favorite!

How to make pizza dough in a stand mixer

I use a KitchenAid mixer, but it's not an absolute requirement. It just makes it easier, faster and perhaps better.

First, combine half the flour (2 cups) with all the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and run the mixer on the lowest speed, or stir by hand, making sure all the ingredients are very well mixed.

Second, add the warm water and olive oil and keep stirring on the lowest speed.

Third, gradually add the remaining flour (2 cups), just a little at a time, as you continue to stir on the lowest setting. Stop stirring when the dough reaches an elastic consistency and starts to pull away from the sides of the mixer bowl.

Tip: Increase the speed to 1 or 2 only if you feel the need, depending on your mixer.

Tip: Add a little more flour or a tiny drizzle of additional olive oil if you feel that the dough is sticking to the bowl.

You may be wondering about adding herbs like basil, garlic powder and others. You could always incorporate them into the mixture, but we prefer adding them to the pizza sauce when making the pizza. This gives us more flexibility to choose different herbs for each pizza.

Letting the pizza dough rise

Use a pastry brush to coat a large bowl with olive oil all over, including the sides. Remove the dough from the mixer and form it into a ball. Place it in the oiled bowl and cover it very tightly with plastic wrap. Throw a towel over it and let it sit in a warm place to rise until it doubles in size. This could take a while, so be patient. Most of the time, we're talking about 50 minutes for this specific recipe to rise and double in size.

Finally, uncover the bowl and deflate the dough with your hand.

Dividing, storing and freezing the dough

Sprinkle some flour on the countertop and move the dough there. Knead it gently with your hands for just a few seconds into a shape that you're comfortable dividing into 4 equal pieces.

Cut with a knife or separate by hand into 4 equal parts. Use whatever you need right away. Cover what you are going to refrigerate or freeze in plastic wrap.

Tip: The dough will continue to rise in the fridge, so double up on the plastic wrap to make sure the dough doesn't pierce through it. In addition to the plastic wrap, I also like to wrap the dough in a towel before storing it in the fridge.