PIZZA SERIES - THE PIZZA DOUGH

I'm starting a Pizza Series where I get to make all the elements that go in creating a homemade pizza, from the dough, sauce up to the toppings. Today we begin with the Pizza Dough. There is nothing as good as making your own Pizza! You not only get to have healthy options but you get to have your favorite toppings on your Pizza. And the first place to start is making the pizza dough. Only a few ingredients and you get the perfect Pizza dough to make delicious Pizza at home. And what is Pizza without the perfect crust. The crust should be chewy and yet crispy. With making your own Pizza dough, you can choose to have a very thin crust or a thick crust, and the cheese, you can smear with as much as you want, nobody ever says no to more cheese, is there? There is no need to be overwhelmed about making your own Pizza dough crust. Do.Not.Be.Afraid.Of.Yeast. Yeast is your friend, most people do not like using it but it is quite simple. The only problem you might have is if the yeast has lost its activity or expired. Always check the expiration date of yeast to prevent being disappointed when making your dough. Yeast is a living organism and as such if you do not bake often, buy small yeast packages that you use once instead of storing for longer periods. To get a thick crust make 10 inch pizza but if you want a thinner crust  that will be crispier make a 12 inch pizza with half the dough. You can decide to bake two Pizzas or refrigerate one to use at a later date. Making your own Pizza dough gives you endless possibilities when it comes to toppings so why not create your own deliciousness right at home? Let's meet again next week as we go to part two of my Pizza Series- the Pizza Sauce!

INGREDIENTS

2 1/4 Teaspoon Yeast (1 Packet)
3/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Icing Sugar
3 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/3 Cups Warm Water
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

INSTRUCTIONS
Add instant dry yeast to all purpose flour. If using active dry yeast, combine yeast with warm water, stir and leave until yeast froths/foams

Add icing sugar and salt into the flour

Add olive oil into the mixture

Mix all these ingredients until incorporated into the flour

Start adding warm water a little at a time

Mix with a spatula until the mixture starts to come together

Once all the water has incorporated into the flour, pour the flour on a working surface

Start kneading the flour with your hands, it will form a rough dough

Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic. To know if the dough is ready, poke it with your finger and if it slowly bounces back your dough is ready

Shape dough into a ball, place in a bowl coated with olive oil. Turn it over to make sure all sides are coated with the oil. Cover with clean dump kitchen towel. Set the dough in a draft free warm place and let it rise 1-2 hours or until doubled in size

After 1-2 hours the dough has proofed and doubled in size

Punch dough down to release air

Remove the dough from the bowl and set it on a working surface

Knead the dough into a smooth ball again for a few minutes

Divide the dough into two. Roll out each half dough into a ball, let rest in two separate bowls 20 minutes

Cover the pizza dough with cling film and freeze if not using immediately

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PIZZA SERIES - THE PIZZA DOUGH

by Mulunga Alukwe April-6-2018

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 Teaspoon Yeast (1 Packet)
• 3/4 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Icing Sugar
• 3 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 1/3 Cups Water
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Instructions

Add instant dry yeast to all purpose flour. If using active dry yeast, combine yeast with warm water, stir and leave until yeast froths/foamsAdd icing sugar and salt into the flour. Add Olive oil. Mix all these ingredients until incorporated into the flourAdd water a little at a time mixing with spatula. Begin kneading dough with hands until it forms a smooth and elastic doughShape dough into a ball, place in a bowl coated with olive oil. Turn it over to make sure all sides are coated with the oil. Cover with clean dump kitchen towel. Set the dough in a draft free warm place and let it rise 1-2 hours or until doubled in sizePunch dough down to remove air. Place on working surface, knead and divide dough into two balls. Use one or both dough to make Pizza or freeze if not using immediately

Details

Prep time: 2 hour 25 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 2 hour 45 mins Yield: 2 Pizza Crusts