Pizza Crust
The best Homemade Pizza Crust, and I've tried many! Made with bread flour for a chewy yet crispy crust. Skip delivery and make your own!
Servings 2 large pizzas
Ingredients
- ½ cup warm water ~110F
- 1 envelope ~2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast AKA Rapid Rise
- 1 ¼ cups water room temperature
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cups bread flour 22 ounces, plus more for dusting work surface and hands
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- olive oil or nonstick cooking spray for greasing bowl
- corn meal for dusting pan
Instructions
Make the dough:
- Fill a 2-cup liquid measuring cup with warm water and sprinkle yeast on top. Allow to sit until yeast dissolves and swells - ~5 minutes. Meanwhile, add flour and salt to food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
- Add room temperature water and oil to the yeast/water mixture, and stir to combine. While pulsing flour mixture, pour the liquid through the feed tube, reserving a few tablespoons. If the dough has not formed a ball, add the rest of the liquid and pulse. Process for ~30 seconds until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand a few turns, shaping the dough into a smooth, round ball.
- Place the dough ball into a deep, oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Bake the crust:
- Preheat a pizza stone for at least 30 minutes, 60 minutes if possible.
- Press the dough to deflate it. Divide dough into desired portions, and place them back in the bowl, covered with a damp cloth to allow dough to rest for at least 10 but no more than 30 minutes.
- Press dough out into a round pizza onto a piece of parchment paper. Brush lightly with extra virgin olive oil. Using a pizza peel or a baking sheet, transfer dough on the parchment to the pizza stone and prebake for around 5 - 7 minutes or until crust just starts to turn golden.
- Remove crust/parchment paper and top pizza as desired. Bake pizza for another 5 - 10 minutes, or until crust is golden and toppings are heated through.
Notes
Source: Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker, originally from Cook's Illustrated
You're Gonna Bake It After All
bakeitafterall.com