Advice On Homemade Pizza Dough With A Stand Mixer

posted on 07/04/2009

Although it's easy enough to buy a frozen pizza and stick it in the oven, nothing tastes better than pizza made with homemade dough. It's also really easy to go to your neighborhood bakery and ask for a ball of dough, or buy a frozen package in the grocer's freezer. But it's just as easy to make your own, especially if you have a stand mixer, such as the Kitchen Aid.

It really IS easy
Before I got my Kitchen Aid stand mixer a year ago, I would have never considered making my own pizza dough. But the mixer came with a recipe that seemed simple enough, so one afternoon I decided to try it. And I have never looked back. Homemade pizza with homemade dough is on my menu at least once a week.

Why is it so easy?
The "hardest" part of the recipe is making sure the water you use to dissolve the yeast is between 105 and 120 degrees. Other than that, the mixer does all the work for you. The dough is ready to rise in less than 10 minutes.

The recipe

Crusty Pizza Dough

1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105 degrees F to 120 degrees F)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 1/2-3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornmeal

Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl. Add salt, olive oil, and 2 1/2 cups flour. Attach bowl and spiral dough hook to mixer. Turn to speed 2 and mix about 1 minute.

Continuing on Speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix about 1 1/2 minutes, or until dough starts to clean sides of bowl. Knead on Speed 2 about 2 minutes longer.

Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk. Punch dough down.

Brush 14-inch pizza pan with oil. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Press dough across bottom of pan, forming a collar around edge to hold toppings. Add toppings, as desired. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

This really is the easiest pizza dough to make, it's a dream to work with and it tastes great.

Topping the pizza
Pizza is a great way to use up leftovers. You can put anything on a pizza. You don't need to top it conventionally with tomato sauce and cheese. You can use anything you darn well please. How about homemade pesto from your garden? Leftover refried beans from your Mexican dinner? Just look at what you have in your refrigerator and pile it on for a delicious and nutritious dinner or snack. You can even make a dessert pizza. Just use your imagination!

Pizza is everyone's favorite food. Making your own dough saves time, money and delivers fantastic taste.