Foolproof "tested a thousand times" pizza dough

Prev Recipe Next Recipe

Let us know what you think Please fill out this brief survey to help us understand how we can improve your experience

The name doesn't lie - this pizza dough is so easy that it is great for beginner chefs and veterans alike.

Excerpted from Feeding My Mother: Comfort and Laughter in the Kitchen as My Mom Lives with Memory Loss. Copyright © 2017 Jann Arden. Reprinted by permission of Random House Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited.

SERVES

TO

25 Mins

Ingredients

2 teaspoon fast-rising yeast (or one packet, if that’s what you’ve got on hand)
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 generous cup very warm water
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

I used to do this by hand, but now I use my KitchenAid with the dough hook. Doing it by hand works just as well, but needs elbow grease and some patience.
Combine your yeast, sugar, warm water and olive oil in a large measuring cup. Stir gently and set aside. Put your flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and stir well.
When your yeast has activated (a few bubbles on the surface), add it gradually to your flour as you mix it on a slow setting. Make sure it’s not too wet—you want the flour mixture to be able to form a ball and NOT stick to the sides. Same goes if you’re mixing by hand. Add a little more flour if you need to.
Then I leave my mixer on knead for seven or eight minutes. Remove the dough and set on a well-floured surface. Shape the dough into a ball and knead a few more times. (Or knead by hand on a well-floured surface until the dough feels springy.) Cover with a clean tea towel and leave it for an hour to rise. It’s now ready to roll out and use!
Put it on your pan, cover it with a little tomato sauce and your favourite toppings, and bake at 450F for 15 minutes.
You can also use this dough to make naan bread. Pull off a small ball of dough. Roll it as thin as you can and fry it in a hot frying pan. I use spray oil directly on the piece of dough and I sprinkle it with a bit of salt. Flip it when you see the dough bubble up—it will only take a minute on each side, if that.