OLIVE OIL PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE
Dear friends,
Yesterday I shared with you a post on our new acquisition, the Crispy Crust Pizza Maker by Breville.
As a follow up to that post I promised to give you my Olive Oil Pizza Dough Recipe.
I acquired this recipe some time ago from the book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and have been making it ever since (with some slight modifications). I’ve tried many different pizza dough recipes but after trying this one decided it was by far the best. So, why mess with perfection.
To be honest, making yeast dough of any kind does take a bit of practice to get it right. Trial and error and perseverance is what it takes, because I’ve learned that there is no perfect science when it comes to yeast doughs. Many things affect the outcome such as:
- The freshness and type of flour used
- The freshness of the yeast used
- The humidity in the air
- The air temperature
- etc., etc.
Pizza dough takes only a few minutes to make and costs very little. Ready-made pizza dough can be picked up at places like Trader Joe’s, but why spend the money when you can make it better and cheaper at home? Since my husband is the new pizza maker in my home, I told him he now needs to learn to make the dough. So this tutorial is as much for him as everyone else. Hear that honey?
So, here is how to make this big-batch pizza recipe which makes 4, one pound loaves of dough, enough to make 4 pizzas. It can easily be halved but as you’ll hear later, this dough keeps in the refrigerator or freezer, so I say make a big batch and have pizza dough for later. If doubling the recipe I suggest making 2 separate batches instead of doubling the quantities. That’s because a double batch will be too large for most mixers and difficult to work with.
Start with 1-1/2 tablespoons of granulated yeast (or 2 packets). I make a lot of yeast dough so I buy my yeast in bulk at Costco. I keep it fresh by storing it in a jar in the freezer. It is imperative that the yeast be fresh or your dough will fail. Always check the expiration date on packets of yeast before using.
To insure that your yeast is active, you will first mix the yeast into 2-3/4 cups of lukewarm water (about 100º F). I use an instant read thermometer to determine the temperature of the water. This is important because if the water is too hot it will kill the yeast and your dough will fail. Briskly mix the yeast granules into the water until they dissolve. Then give it a few minutes to work its magic, causing the water to foam up. If the water fails to foam that is a sure indication your yeast is dead. In this case discard the liquid and begin again with fresh, active yeast.
Now let’s talk methods of preparation. Several years ago I purchased what I consider to be an essential kitchen appliance, my Bosch Universal Mixer. I bought it used on Ebay after bidding and losing on several others before landing this gem. I consider these mixers essential for any serious bread maker and simply could not live without it. Its powerful engine makes the mixing and kneading of bread dough a breeze. Before I owned my Bosch Universal I actually broke the gears of my Kitchenaid Mixer making bread dough. But, since this is not a staple appliance in most kitchens you can make your pizza dough in a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, or in a large bowl by hand.
To get started pour the water and yeast mixture into your mixing bowl.
Next add:
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1-1/2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
The addition of sugar performs another essential function in dough making: it feeds the yeast. As I used to explain to my high school Home Economics students, yeast needs 3 things to perform:
- Food – provided from the sugar
- Moisture – provided from the water
- Warmth – from the lukewarm temperature of the water or from a bit of warmth during the proofing process (I’ll explain that later)
Turn on your mixer and quickly mix to combine the wet ingredients.
Now it’s time to add the flour. I have tried special pizza flours which do tend to produce an especially good flavor. But, since I seldom have pizza flour on hand, I simply use unbleached all-purpose flour. So at this point it is time to add
6 Cups All-purpose Flour.
Turn the mixer on low and mix until the flour is incorporated. If you are not using a mixer you can do this using a sturdy wooden spoon. Unlike many other traditional bread and pizza doughs, this recipe is a no-kneed dough so lots of extra kneading is not necessary.
I reserve a final 1/2 cup of flour until I have mixed in the first 6 cups. That’s because as I said, dough making is not an exact science and sometimes you need to adjust the amount of flour used based on the conditions at the time.
At this point assess your dough before adding the final 1/2 cup of flour. Pizza dough needs to be rather soft and wet to be good. A soft, tacky, almost sticky dough is also easier to work with, making it more pliable to stretch and throw into a round pizza shape. It will also come into contact with more flour in the shaping process later, so I say err on the side of less, not more flour.
You will want it to look like this.
Now, turn the dough out onto a floured board and shape it into a single ball. If you’ve made the no-knead dough in a mixer, this gives you a chance to make contact with the dough, something I think is essential in dough making. Enjoy the soft warmth of the dough, which should feel just like a soft baby’s bottom.
Now, pour a bit of olive oil into a large bowl and move it around to coat the sides of the bowl.
Place the ball of dough into the oiled bowl…
and cover it loosely with plastic wrap. This keeps the dough from drying out during the proofing process. You can also cover it with a slightly damp or floured dish towel. Place the bowl in a non-drafty area at room temperature. In my case I place the bowl in my warming drawer because it has a “proof ” setting which provides an ideal environment for the dough to proof and rise. This takes about 2 hours. Allow the dough to rise and then begin to collapse and flatten on top.
At this point the dough can be used immediately after this initial rise to make pizza.
However, if you have planned ahead I think it is better to place the dough in a covered container in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. This allows the dough to develop additional flavor. The folks who wrote the original recipe at Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day indicate that this dough will keep in the refrigerator and can be used up to 2 weeks later. I have tried this and feel like the dough loses a lot of its umph, and is not as good after such a long period. Instead, I freeze any dough not used and thaw it out as needed. I find that having pizza dough at the ready in the freezer is really handy and only takes a few hours at room temperature to thaw and be ready to use.
I simply place individual balls of dough (this recipe makes enough for 4 pizzas) in Ziploc bags and place them in the freezer, next to my Limoncello of course!
So, there you have it: OLIVE OIL PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE
Stay tuned and in my next post I’ll show you how to assemble and bake a delicious pizza with your Olive Oil Pizza Dough Recipe. In the meantime, here is some pizza making inspiration to wet your appetite.
And unless you have a wood-fired pizza oven in your kitchen like my friend Brenda, you might want to get yourself a pizza pan to bake your pizza on.
And here is your handy, printable Olive Oil Pizza Dough Recipe:
- 1-1/2 Tablespoons Granulated Yeast (or 2 packets)
- 2-3/4 Cups Lukewarm Water (about 100º F)
- ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1-1/2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
- 6-1/2 Cups Unbleached, All-purpose Flour, Divided (plus extra for dusting)
- Briskly mix the yeast granules into the lukewarm water (about 100º F). Use an instant read thermometer to determine the temperature of the water. If the water is too hot it will kill the yeast and your dough will fail.
- Give it a few minutes to foam up. If the water fails to foam that is an indication your yeast is dead. In this case discard the liquid and begin again with fresh, active yeast.
- Pour the water and yeast mixture into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook. You can also use a large mixing bowl and a sturdy wooden spoon.
- Add the extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt and granulated sugar and mix to combine.
- Add 6 cups all-purpose flour, reserving ½ cup for later.
- Turn mixer on low and mix until the flour is incorporated. If not using a mixer do this by hand using a sturdy wooden spoon.
- NOTE: This is a no-kneed dough so lots of extra kneading is not necessary.
- Assess your dough before adding the final ½ cup of flour. At this point the dough should be rather soft, tacky and almost sticky.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured board and shape it into a single ball.
- Place the ball of dough into a large oiled bowl and cover it loosely with plastic wrap or with a slightly damp or floured dish towel.
- Place the bowl in a non-drafty area at room temperature to proof.
- Allow the dough to rise and then begin to collapse and flatten on top. This takes about 2 hours.
- At this point the dough can be used immediately to make pizza.
- If you have planned ahead it is better to place the dough in a covered container in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. This allows the dough to develop additional flavor.
- The dough keeps well in the refrigerator for several days but also freezes well.
- Place individual balls of dough (divided to make an individual pizza) in Ziploc bags and freeze.
- Thaw for several hours at room temperature before making pizza.
Thanks so much for dropping in!
Express Yourself!
No blog post is truly complete without a word from you. I’d be so delighted if you’d leave a comment below.
All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Unless otherwise noted, all photos are the original property of Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com and may not be reproduced without specific permission. This post contains affiliate links which help to make this blog possible. Thank you for your support.
