Perfect homemade pizza dough:
It’s easier than you think

It’s a Friday night, you’ve worked a 40-hour week, your loved ones are hungry and you have no desire to cook a four-course meal. Well, I have the perfect recipe for you: homemade pizza.

Now, you might think making homemade pizza dough is not completely effortless – but you’d be wrong! Sure, takeout is easy, but it doesn’t compare to homemade. I mean, what could be better than homemade pizza? Plus,  good takeout can break the bank, especially if you’re feeding a crowd.

Did I forget to mention this homemade pizza comes with a side of breadsticks? Pizza night just got ten times better! You can lift your jaw up off the floor and head to the kitchen now.

Added bonus: you most likely already have all of the ingredients for the dough in your kitchen. Just pick up some cheese and your favorite toppings the next time you’re at the store and you will be ready for a spontaneous pizza night.

There really are no tricks or secrets for this recipe. My only suggestion would be to whip out the stand mixer along with its dough hook. That’s where the most work comes in, so why not let the machine do it? Also, get those hungry loved ones in the kitchen to do the laying of the pizza toppings for you. A family affair always makes dinner taste better!

Just follow this recipe and you’ve got yourself a foolproof pizza night in.

PERFECT PIZZA DOUGH
YIELDS: 1 Large pizza + 16 breadsticks

Ingredients:

2 cups warm water

1 Tablespoon active dry yeast

1 Tablespoon kosher salt

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

5 cups of  all-purpose flour, sifted and divided in half (2 1/2 cups in two separate bowls)

4 Tablespoons olive oil (for pans)

For breadsticks:

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dry italian herbs

2 Tablespoons melted butter

grated parmesan cheese

For pizza:

Marinara sauce

Mozzarella Cheese

Favorite toppings

• To make the dough mix the 2 cups of warm water with the active dry yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes. In a stand mixer with the dough hook add 2 1/2 cups of the sifted all purpose flour along with the 2 cups of water and yeast mixture. Mix well on medium speed until thoroughly combined. Add in the rest of the flour, 2 1/2 cups, along with the kosher salt and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Knead the dough in the mixer until the dough becomes smooth, about 3-4 minutes on medium speed. Do not knead on high speed, it will over work the dough and become tough.
• Coat a medium sized bowl with a small amount of oil to prevent sticking. Place ball of dough in greased bowl. Cover with saran wrap and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
• Pour 2 Tablespoons of olive oil evenly onto an 18 x 13 inch sheet tray. Pour the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil evenly into a 10 1/2 x 17 x 2 inch baking pan (or something similar in size).
• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. After the dough has rested remove from the bowl. Divide into two equal parts.
• Place one half of the dough into the baking pan. Using your hands stretch out the dough to all four corners, working the dough from the middle out towards the corners. Using a knife or dough cutter, “cut” an imprint in the dough, dividing the dough into a 16 pieces without removing them from the baking pan. This will allow easy pull apart after baking.
• Top the bread sticks with salt, garlic powder and Italian herbs. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Pop under the broiler before ready to serve, broil until the top becomes lightly golden brown, 1-2 minutes. Be sure to watch closely to prevent from over cooking.
• For the pizza, take the second half of the dough. Using your fingers stretch the dough out onto the greased sheet tray. Working from the middle out towards the edges, stretch the dough evenly until thin and reaches all sides of the sheet tray. Top the dough with a sprinkle of salt and then top with your favorite toppings. Be sure to leave a 1 inch border for crust. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the crust is crispy and the cheese is bubbly. Serve immediately with breadsticks and salad.

Kayleigh Van Vliet Baig was born and raised in Riverhead, where she lives with her husband Tahir.

Kayleigh has been in the culinary industry for the last 12 years, working in kitchens on the East End. She also is a personal chef.

Look for In the Kitchen with Kayleigh every Saturday on RiverheadLOCAL.com.

Got questions? Recipes? Ideas? [contact-form-7 id=”26578″ title=”Write to Kayleigh”]