Busy people need "rescue recipes". Even on really hectic days when things don't go as planned or you just have a lot going on, there should be meals that you can make at a moment's notice. Having pizza dough on hand is a wonderful option for just those occasions. Not only is it really easy to whip up on the day that you plan to have pizza, but you can make it a day in advance and keep it in the refrigerator. Even better - you can store pizza dough in the freezer for up to 3 months! Isn't that awesome? Make a couple batches of pizza dough, throw them in your freezer, and when you know that you'll have a really busy day, take out the dough the night before and put it in your refrigerator to thaw. Add the toppings, bake and you have dinner ready in 15-20 minutes. That's less time than it takes to order a pizza and it will taste incredible too.
Not in a pizza mood? No problem. Pizza dough has many other uses too. How about calzones, stromboli or garlic knots? With tons of different ingredients combinations, you can come up with just about anything that you and your family can enjoy.
I didn't even talk about this dough yet. It creates the most amazing crisp and chewy crust, just the way pizza dough should be. It's important to use bread flour if you want that chewy texture. It bakes up to tender and fluffy perfection on the inside and tastes like carb heaven.
Ingredients:
1 ½ cup warm water (105-110 degrees Fahrenheit)
2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
pinch of sugar
3 ½-4 cups bread flour (you can use all purpose flour, but the crust will not be as crispy)
2 teaspoons salt
2 ½ Tablespoons olive oil, plus ½ Tablespoon for coating the dough
Instructions:
Add the yeast and sugar to the warm water. (Honestly, you can just add the yeast into the flour, but I have a habit of always adding yeast to warm water first. This way, I can make sure that the yeast is still fresh and will work. The best way to check if yeast is still fresh is to add it to warm water. If it's fresh, it will get foamy.)
In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and olive oil. Bread flour is the best to use, since it will make your crust really chewy. You can use all purpose flour, but the crust will be much softer.
Pour in the yeast mixture. 
Using a dough hook on a standing mixer, start mixing the dough on low speed and gradually increase the speed, until the dough forms into a ball. Continue mixing for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and firm.
You can also make pizza dough in a food processor. Pulse all the dry ingredients in the food processor first and then add the liquid ingredients until you have a smooth dough.
If the pizza dough seems a little bit too runny, add a Tablespoon of flour at a time until you have the right consistency. Also, if the dough is too tough, add a Tablespoon of water at a time until it's the right consistency.
Drizzle the pizza dough with the remaining ½ Tablespoon of olive oil, turning it over to make sure it's all coated with the oil. This will help prevent a dry skin from forming on top of the dough as it's rising.
Place the dough in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Set aside in a warm, draft free place to rise until the dough doubles in size, 1 - 1 ½ hours.
Cut the dough in half and use to make pizzas, calzone, stromboli, etc.
You can keep the dough refrigerated overnight.
To freeze the pizza dough, have the pizza dough rise, divide the dough in half, cover with olive oil and place in a freezer bag, trying to get as much air out as possible before closing. Freeze up to 3 months.
To use the frozen pizza dough, defrost the pizza dough in the refrigerator overnight. Let the dough come to room temperature for about 30 minutes; there is no need to wait for the dough to rise before using it.
Homemade Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup warm water 105-110 degrees Fahrenheit
- 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- pinch of sugar
- 3 ½-4 cups bread flour you can use all purpose flour, but the crust will not be as crispy
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 ½ Tablespoons olive oil plus ½ Tablespoon for coating the dough
Instructions
- Add the yeast and sugar to the warm water. (Honestly, you can just add the yeast into the flour, but I have a habit of always adding yeast to warm water first. This way, I can make sure that the yeast is still fresh and will work. The best way to check if yeast is still fresh is to add it to warm water. If it's fresh, it will get foamy.)
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and olive oil. Bread flour is the best to use, since it will make your crust really chewy. You can use all purpose flour, but the crust will be much softer.
- Pour in the yeast mixture. Homemade Pizza Dough-3Using a dough hook on a standing mixer, start mixing the dough on low speed and gradually increase the speed, until the dough forms into a ball. Continue mixing for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and firm.
- You can also make pizza dough in a food processor. Pulse all the dry ingredients in the food processor first and then add the liquid ingredients until you have a smooth dough.
- If the pizza dough seems a little bit too runny, add a Tablespoon of flour at a time until you have the right consistency. Also, if the dough is too tough, add a Tablespoon of water at a time until it's the right consistency.
- Drizzle the pizza dough with the remaining ½ Tablespoon of olive oil, turning it over to make sure it's all coated with the oil. This will help prevent a dry skin from forming on top of the dough as it's rising.
- Place the dough in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Set aside in a warm, draft free place to rise until the dough doubles in size, 1 - 1 ½ hours.
- Cut the dough in half and use to make pizzas, calzone, stromboli, etc.
- You can keep the dough refrigerated overnight.
- To freeze the pizza dough, have the pizza dough rise, divide the dough in half, cover with olive oil and place in a freezer bag, trying to get as much air out as possible before closing. Freeze up to 3 months.
- To use the frozen pizza dough, defrost the pizza dough in the refrigerator overnight. Let the dough come to room temperature for about 30 minutes; there is no need to wait for the dough to rise before using it.
Good recipe but even better when you use “00” flour from Italy that works for best for pizza crust. Some grocers carry it or you can buy online. I bake crust at 425 degrees F. For 10 minutes or until golden and then put the toppings on and bake another 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.
You can bake several crusts in advance and freeze them without the toppings.
.CAPUTO brand
1924
Il mulino di Napoli
Chef's flour
Long fermentation baking
SOFT WHEAT FLOUR
TIPO"00"
Net Wt: 2.2.Lb. (1 Kg)
So I made this pizza dough and the pizza turned out great, however after I tried making pizza from the dough that I froze my pizza didn't rise at all. Have you ever had that happen to you?
Hello Olga! Do you have a recipe to make your own alfredo and marinara sauce? I work at Cafe and make breadsticks with marinara sauce and they taste but premade and so you don't know what they put in their. Also, doesn't taste homy. In addition, how do you know if the dough is overrise? If the the dough is overrisen does it change taste or anything like that? I would be happy if you share those recipes with me. Thank you I appreciate.
Hi Lana.
Here are my recipes for Alfredo and Marinara sauce:
Alfredo Sauce
Marinara Sauce
Here are two other terrific tomato based sauces:
Tomato Vegetable Ragu
Roasted Tomato Sauce
The easiest way to know if yeast dough has risen enough is that it should be double in size. You can also touch the dough lightly with your fingertip, if the indentation remains, the dough is ready. If you let it rise too long, the taste might be a bit "sour" and will not have a correct texture.
Sounds good! Will try it tonight for dinner. By the way, do you have recipes for calzones?
I sure do, Anna. Here's the link to calzones.
Hello Olga! 🙂 Thank you for the recipe!! What temperature do you bake it at, does it take you 15-20 min? and what toppings do you add? Thanks in advance!!!
It depends what recipe you are using. The way I prepare pizza, it only take 8-12 minutes to bake and just 5 minutes or less to put the toppings on. I will post my pizza recipe soon.
😄Sounds good! Thank you!😃
I only have self-rising bread flour. Would it work if I omitted the active dry yeast?
I wouldn't use it, Yana. Usually, self rising flour has baking powder added to it, not yeast. It works completely different then yeast. It will have a different texture and taste. Plus, it might not work at all, because the liquid ingredients to flour ratio might not be correct for self rising flour.
Hi Olga. Can I make this dough in a bread maker?
Yes, you can, Diana. Just use the dough setting.