Easy Basic Pizza Dough

Five ingredients and a single rise stand between you and homemade pizza crust that beats anything in a delivery box. The proofing step at the start (yeast, sugar, warm water, and a spoon of flour foamed together for 10 minutes) tells you whether your yeast is alive before you commit the rest of the flour.

If the mixture isn’t frothy after 10 minutes, the yeast is dead. Toss it and start over. There’s no recovering from dead yeast halfway through a batch.

Knead until the dough is smooth and bounces back when you poke it. The texture should feel moist and tacky, not sticky. Dough that’s too stiff will fight you when stretching, so don’t be shy about adding a splash more water.

Let it rise somewhere warm and draft-free. The top of the fridge or inside an oven with just the light on are both reliable spots.

Kitchen Tips

• Use bread flour if you want extra chew. All-purpose works fine but the crust will be softer.
• A pizza stone or steel preheated for 45 minutes in a hot oven gives the best blistered bottom.
• Stretch with your hands, not a rolling pin. Pins crush the air bubbles that give crust its texture.
• Refrigerate the dough overnight after the first rise for deeper flavor. Cold ferment is what gives pizzeria crust its tang.

Variations

• Add a teaspoon of dried oregano or rosemary to the dough for an herby crust.
• Swap a quarter of the flour for whole wheat flour for a nuttier base.
• Use semolina flour on the peel to keep the dough from sticking and add crunch.