Go Back
–+ servings
prosciutto and arugula pizza
Print

Basic Pizza Dough

Makes 6 -10 inch pizza crusts
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword pizza, pizza dough, pizza toppings, rotolo, calzone, Italian recipes
Servings 6 -10 inch pizza crusts
Author Nadia Fazio

Ingredients

For the dough:

  • 2 2/3 cups warm water
  • 2 packages active dry yeast
  • 7 to 7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons sugar

Topping suggestions:

    Pizza margherita:

    • tomato sauce
    • fresh mozzarella chunks
    • fresh basil leaves

    Sausage pizza:

    • sweet or mild sausage, casing removed and cooked
    • tomato sauce
    • fresh mozzarella chunks

    Spinach and ricotta calzone:

    • cooked spinach, strained
    • ricotta

    Rotolo with mortadella, eggplant and ricotta

    • parmesan cheese
    • sliced mortadella
    • marinated spicy or mild eggplant
    • ricotta

    Arugula and prosciutto pizza:

    • tomato sauce
    • fresh mozzarella chunks
    • thinly sliced prosciutto, added after the pizza is baked

    Dessert pizza:

    • Nutella
    • fruit such as sliced banana slices or berries

    Instructions

    For the dough:

    • In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the warm water and yeast. Let stand about 10 minutes. 
    • Add olive oil, salt, sugar and flour. Mix by hand until a dough is formed. Knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. 
    • If using a stand mixer, use the dough hook to mix the ingredients on low speed for 1 minute. Increase to medium speed and kneed for 7 minutes. 
    • Transfer dough to a large bowl lightly coated with olive oil and turn it once to coat with oil. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
    • Preheat oven to 475ºF. Dust 3 baking sheets with cornmeal. You can fit 2 pizzas on each sheet. Alternately,  place a baking stone in the oven and preheat for 45 minutes.
      If using a wood burning oven, heat the oven to 750ºC.
    • Punch down the dough and divide in 6 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and let rest, covered with a cloth, for 15 minutes.
    • Using your fingers or a rolling pin, flatten each ball of dough into roughly a 10 inch round on a lightly floured surface. Place 2 pizzas per baking sheet (or baker's peel if using a pizza stone). Use your fingertips to push dents in the surface of the dough, to prevent bubbling and let rest for about 10 minutes. The pizza is now ready to be topped and baked. Add desired toppings. 

    To bake:

    • If using baking sheets, place on bottom rack. You will be able to bake 2 at a time.
      If using a pizza stone, slide the pizza off the peel onto the baking stone. Bake until the crust is browned and cheese is golden and bubbling, about 12 minutes.
    • If using a word burning oven, when the oven has reached 750ºC , slide the pizza in the centre of the oven with the pizza peel and bake for about 2-3 minutes, rotating it in order to evenly bake all sides.