Prepare to feel like you have conquered the ultimate comfort food. I am about to teach you how to make a pizza that will have the neighbor talking about your skills.
For this crust, you don't have to use type 00 flour. But if you choose to use regular ol' flour, welllll, you just might sacrifice the title of "Best Pizza Ever." Your call.
Makes 2 12 inch pizza crusts
Prep time: 15 minutes
Rise time: 30-45 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 package of yeast*
1 tablespoon cane sugar, optional
~3-4 cups Type 00 flour (I use this kind)
1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
1 tablespoon avocado oil
* 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast is equivalent to 1 package of yeast.
In a bowl, stir to combine water and sugar. Water should be pretty warm, but not hot, to activate the yeast. Add yeast. If you are unsure if your yeast is fresh and active, allow the yeast, sugar, and water to sit for 5 minutes to give the yeast time to proof.
Then add in 2 cups of flour and begin to mix. I use a dough hook in my counter mixer, this works perfectly to blend the dough and knead it. Otherwise, take a wooden spoon and start mixing. Once this is blended, add in the salt and oil and continue to mix well. Continue adding in flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of bowl and no longer sticks to the bowl. Once the dough is only sticking to itself, begin kneading the dough. If using a dough hook, allow to run for 5 minutes, adding more flour if needed to keep from sticking to the sides of the bowl. If hand kneading, cover surface with flour and begin working dough for up to 5 minutes, adding more flour to keep dough from sticking to surface.
Once kneading is finished, transfer to a bowl, or keep in bowl, coat ball of dough with oil, cover with a towel and place in warm area and allow dough to rise until doubled in size. Time will vary based on warmth, expect at least 30 minutes.
Quick Tip: If you are lacking a warm area, fill up your sink with about 3-4 inches of hot water and place bowl in sink while dough rises, keeping towel from getting wet.
Grease a pizza pan, or a pan with no sides, and remove half of your dough. Begin pushing dough out to edges of pan (pulling will tear the dough). Push outward till dough is fairly thin, but not see through. It will rise a bit during baking. Repeat with other half of dough.
Top as desired.
Preheat oven to 450°F Place pan on lowest rack and bake for 11-13 minutes. Crust should be fully baked when toppings appear uniformly baked. Remove from oven, allow to cool briefly. Slice and serve.
Pro Tip: Save money and reduce sugar content by using a marinara sauce rather than pizza sauce.
Also, quality matters!!! I of course, recommend choosing organic whenever possible, but using quality ingredients will greatly impact the overall taste of your dish.
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