Homemade pizza dough, my family recipe!

homemade pizza dough

One day my mom gave me, solemnly, this homemade pizza dough recipe.

Her pizza dough recipe from scratch is a little hard working, but you always get great homemade pizza. Of course, you can’t pretend to get the exact result you would get in a “pizzeria”; you should have a wood-fired oven reaching 450°C (840°F), at least. Still, you get a good, reliable, pizza crust, ready to hug the condiment of your choice!

In Italy, homemade pizza is a rarity unless you have the specific oven. We usually order delivery from our trusted pizzeria (something that happens mostly on Sunday nights). Sometimes, to make it a fun night, we buy the dough from the pizzeria or a “forno” (bakery), and only take care of the condiment.
But foodies, my favorite people in the world, do make homemade pizza dough. Starting the preparation early in the day, hoping for it to rise well, and always adding a tip or an ingredient they found about during their never-ending research.

As said, I’m sharing with you my precious family recipe, for your next pizza party or gourmet movie night. Treasure it, use it, fix it, enjoy it!

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homemade pizza dough recipe

Course authentic Italian recipes
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4 -6
Author Claudia Rinaldi | Gourmet Project

Ingredients

  • 7 oz Manitoba flour or very strong Canadian wholemeal flour 200 gr
  • 8.8 oz 0 or 00 flour 250 gr
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 25 gr fresh baker's yeast

Instructions

  1. Crumble brewer's yeast and loose it in 50 ml of water, add 2 tablespoons of flour and stir. Cover with a damp cloth.
  2. Let rise for 30 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, mix the remaining ingredients in a very large bowl.
  4. When the first dough has raised add the second one and mix them with a wood spoon until the dough starts collecting all the flour from the walls of the bowl. Add water, if necessary (a tablespoon at the time).
  5. Form a ball and place it on a board or work surface.
  6. Knead with your hands, with a pushing downwards motion for 5 minutes, here’s a video: gourmet pizza party dough
  7. If the dough is too sticky, add 1-2 additional flour spoons.
  8. Put a bit of flour on the bottom of the bowl, place the dough over it and carve a cross with a knife. Cover with the damp cloth and let rise for at least 2 hours (I did it at lunchtime and let it raise for about 4-5 hours, not a problem!).
  9. Your homemade pizza dough is ready. All you need now is a rolling pin, your hands and a lot of patience to roll out the dough on baking paper. Give it a rectangular or round shape (depending on your oven trays).
  10. Select/prepare and place toppings on it and bake in preheated oven at 200°C. It may take 12 to 20 minutes, depending on your oven, the topping quantity and the thickness of your dough. Check through the oven window: when you see it crispy and golden brown you should be done.

Enjoy your homemade pizza dough, your pizza parties and movie nights!

Claudia