Fluffy Pizza Dough

Yes, this is the second pizza dough post in a row.  Don't judge; there's a certain amount of pizza required to keep you sane during the moving and job searching processes.  Whenever I make this pizza, N always says, "This is much better than takeout."  That's pretty high praise coming from a guy who loves his pizza, so I thought I'd share this recipe with you as well.  This pizza has everything you want out of a takeout pizza, but it's much healthier because it's homemade.  It has the crispy bottom, while still maintaining a soft, fluffy crust, and just a subtle greasiness to the crust to curb those takeout pizza cravings.  Happy baking!

I use a KitchenAid Stand Mixer to make my dough, but if you don't have one you can absolutely still make this recipe if you aren't afraid of using a little elbow grease! :)

Put one packet of active dry yeast in the stand mixer bowl and add a generous 1/2 TBSP of sugar.

Add 2/3 cup of water (115F) to the bowl and swirl to mix.  (You may need more or less water depending on the current humidity.  If you live in a very dry area, you may need up to 1 cup of water.)

Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes, or until it looks like this.  Then add 1 TBSP of olive oil.

Next, add 2 cups of AP, and a little less than 1/2 tsp salt.  Keep some flour on hand, as you may need up to 1/4 cup more during the kneading process.

Mix until a smooth ball forms that no longer sticks to the side of the bowl.  Add additional flour (or even water) as necessary if the dough seems too dry or wet depending on your local weather conditions.

It's done!  Let it rise for 1-2 hours, then shape into a 14" circle.

Drizzle about 1 TBSP of canola oil in the bottom of a 14" baking pan.  Transfer your stretched dough to the pan, and then use your fingers to pull some of the oil from the bottom of the dough to the top of the the dough.  Spreading a bit of oil about 1" down the edge of the dough will help to brown your crust.

Add your favorite pizza sauce or if you're feeling really ambitious, make your own!  I used 3/4 of a can of Hy-Vee pizza sauce (don't knock it until you try it).

Add your mozzarella cheese.

Top your pizza as desired.  I used Applegate natural turkey pepperoni.

 Bake the pizza at 500F for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is golden-brown and bubbling.

 Slice and enjoy!

Fluffy Pizza Dough

Yield: One 14" Pizza; serves 4-8.

Ingredients:

• 1 package active dry yeast
• Generous 1/2 TBSP sugar
• 2/3 cup water (115F)
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 2 cups AP flour (+ 1/4 cup for kneading if necessary)
• <1/2 tsp salt
• 1 TBSP canola oil
• pizza sauce
• cheese
• desired toppings

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 500F.

Put the yeast, sugar, and warm water in the stand mixer bowl.  Swirl gently and let sit for about ten minutes, or until foamy.  

Add the AP flour (minus the extra 1/4 cup of flour), olive oil, and salt to the yeast mixture.  

Mix the dough on setting 2 until a smooth ball that doesn't stick to the sides forms.  Add the 1/4 cup of flour during the mixing process if the dough is sticky.  Let the dough rise for 1-2 hours.

Shape the dough into a 14" circle and transfer to a baking pan with 1 TBSP canola oil spread over the bottom.  Use your fingers to pull some of the oil from the bottom of the dough to the top of the the dough.  Spreading a bit of oil about 1" down the edge of the dough will help to brown your crust.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling.  Cut into 8 pieces.

 Enjoy!
-D