The Perfect Homemade Pizza Dough

Step 1

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, or in a large mixing bowl, combine the water, yeast and sugar. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes or until the yeast is foamy. Add the melted butter.

Step 2

Add 3 and 1/2 cups of flour, salt and garlic powder to the yeast mixture and mix on low speed, or by hand using a wooden spoon until combined, about 1 minute.

Step 3

Increase your mixer speed to medium-low (2 on a kitchenaid) and knead the dough until it's smooth, elastic and starts to pull away from the sides, about 7-10 minutes. If not using a stand mixer, turn dough onto a floured surface and knead by hand.

Step 4

If the dough is too wet and sticky after 5 minutes of mixing, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time. Test your dough by poking it with your finger, if it bounces back it's ready.

Step 5

Lightly grease a large bowl with cooking spray or olive oil. Remove the dough from mixing bowl and shape into a ball. Place into greased bowl and turn to coat it in the oil.

Step 6

Loosely cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1-1 and 1/2 hours.

Step 7

Once dough has doubled in size, punch it down and turn it out onto a floured work space. Divide it into 2 equal portions, each ball should weigh 396 grams. At this point you can wrap the dough balls and refrigerate overnight or freeze until ready to use. Thaw out frozen dough in the refrigerator overnight and proceed with remaining steps.

Step 8

If using the dough right away, shape both halves into balls and place into two separate bowls. Lightly cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Step 9

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F and allow to heat for at least 30 minutes. Grease a pizza pan with cooking spray and sprinkle with cornmeal. If you prefer a thin crust, roll out dough into a circle using a rolling pin. If you want a thicker crust, flatten and stretch on prepared pizza pan or hold the dough up on one side and quickly move your hands around the edges to stretch it out. Use your fingers to push up the edges to create a crust. Let dough rest for 10-15 minutes before topping.

Step 10

Brush the crust with olive oil, top with your favourite toppings and bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until the edges of the crust are golden brown.

Step 11

If you prefer a darker crust, move pan to the top rack and broil for 1-2 minutes. Slice and serve!