Print
homemade pizza

Homemade Pizza.

  • Prep Time: 25 minutes, plus about 1 hour for rising
  • Cook Time: 8-10 minutes
  • Total Time: 1.5 hours
  • Yield: 2 (or 3 or 4) medium pizzas; the dough balls are about 14 oz each

Ingredients

For 2 pizzas:

  • 3 cups (450 g) flour (I use half white whole wheat and half all-purpose. It’s good with all of either, though!)
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast (aka bread machine yeast, aka rapid rise yeast)
  • 1-1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon honey
  • 1-1/3 cups warm water – don’t add it all at once (I just use warm water from the sink)

For 3 pizzas:

  • 4.5 cups (675 g) flour
  • 1 Tablespoon instant yeast
  • 1-3/4 teaspoons kosher salt (plus a bit; that was hard math)
  • 1.5 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1.5 Tablespoons honey
  • 2 cups warm water (don’t add it all at once)

For 4 pizzas:

  • 6 cups (900 g) flour
  • 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 2.5 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons honey
  • 2-2/3 cups warm water (don’t add it all at once)
  • Sauce, cheese, and toppings of your choice!

Instructions

  1. Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer, leaving out a little water. Give it a stir with the dough hook to form a loose dough. If it’s not coming together or seems dry, add the rest of the water. If it’s very wet or sticky, add a little flour (just a pinch).
  2. Attach the dough hook to the mixer and mix on low speed until a ball forms (about 30 seconds). Watch the dough – if it is sticking to the sides of the bowl, add a bit of flour. If it seems very dry, add a small splash of water.
  3. Knead for 8 minutes on medium-high.
  4. Lightly flour a pan or countertop. Using your floury hands, scoop the dough onto the floured surface and divide evenly into two pieces (or 3, or 4, depending on your batch size – the pieces will weigh about 14 oz each). Shape each piece into a rounded ball by lightly stretching the surface and tucking the ends under and pinching the bottom together. Lightly rub each piece with olive oil and cover the dough balls with a damp towel, giving them room to puff and rise. Let rise for about an hour (45 minutes if you’re in a hurry). Set a timer so you remember to crank the oven up to 500 about 30 minutes before you want to cook the pizza.
  5. Place risen dough ball onto a pan dusted with cornmeal (be generous, especially if your pan is not non-stick). Flatten it gently into a circle, then tuck your hands under the edge and stretch it over your knuckles, letting gravity pull on it. If the middle is getting thin before the edges are fully stretched, resist the urge to fold the dough! Instead, put the dough down on the pan and use a rocking motion with the pinky side of your hand to push the outer edge further out. If, umm, that makes sense.
  6. Top as desired and bake at 500 for 8-10 minutes or until the exposed edges of the crust are brown and the cheese is bubbly!

Notes

Dough recipe adapted from A Couple Cooks