Basic Pizza Dough

Name: Basic Pizza Dough
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups warm water (115F); 2 packets (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast; 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for brushing; 2 tablespoons sugar; 2 teaspoons coarse salt; 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

6 ingredients

12 steps

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm water (115F)
2 packets (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for brushing
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons coarse salt
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

Directions

1

Place the warm water in a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast.
2

Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
3

Brush another large bowl with oil.
4

Whisk sugar, oil, and salt into yeast mixture, then stir in flour with a wooden spoon until a sticky dough forms.
5

Transfer to oiled bowl; brush top of dough with oil.
6

Cover bowl with oiled plastic wrap; let stand in a warm spot until dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.
7

Turn out dough onto a well-floured surface.
8

With floured hands, knead until smooth, about 15 seconds; divide into two equal balls.
9

To freeze dough, set balls on a plate (they should not touch); freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
10

Then freeze in a labeled resealable plastic bag up to 3 months.
11

Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
12

To make whole-wheat dough, replace 2 cups all-purpose flour with 2 cups whole-wheat flour.