Thin Crust Pizza Dough
Bread Machine Pizza Dough Recipe - How To Make Pizza Dough


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It is so easy to make your own pizza dough! Once you make your own, you will never buy store-bought pizza dough again. This thin crust pizza dough recipe is by Marianne Wright of Austin, Texas.

tossing pizza dough

Bread Making Hints: Secrets to using the bread machine, About yeast in bread making, Sourdough Starter, and Quick Breads.

More great Pizza and Pizza Dough Recipes and Bread Recipes for your bread making.
 


Shop What's Cooking America - Easy on-line shopping for all your pizza baking needs such as Pizza Stones, Pizza Peels, Dough Dockers, Pizza Cutters or Pizza Wheels, rolling pins, and Linda's favorite Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer.

 


Thin Crust Pizza Dough Recipe

Recipe Type: Pizza, Pizza Dough
Yield: 1 large pizza or 2 medium pizzas
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min


Ingredients:

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water (110 degrees F.)
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3 cups bread flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons semolina flour
3 tablespoons Dough Relaxer (optional)
3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast


Preparation:

Add all the ingredients in the bread pan of Bread Machines. Process according to manufacturer's instructions for a dough setting.

Meanwhile preheat the Pizza Stone or tiles to 450 degrees for 30 minutes. Prepare your favorite pizza toppings.

When the bread machine has completed the dough cycle, remove the dough from the pan to a lightly oiled surface. Knead the dough several times and form the dough into an oval; cover with plastic wrap or a towel and let rest for 10 minutes.

NOTE: Dough may be refrigerated at this point and stored until ready to use. To store each batch of dough, spray a plastic bag with nonstick spray and place the dough in it. Store no longer than 7 to 10 days, or if frozen for up to 2 months. If refrigerated or frozen prior to use, allow the portions to come to room temperature before they are rolled out.

Roll and stretch the dough into a 14-inch circle. Place the dough on the prepared Pizza Peel (see below).

Makes 1 very large pizza or 2 medium pizzas.


Adding Pizza Ingredients:

Brush the dough with some olive oil and layer your favorite pizza ingredients (toppings).

Bake for approximately 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom and thetop is bubbly.

Remove your pizza from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a serving pan. This cooling down step allows the crust to stay crisp while it cools. Once cool, using your Pizza Cutter or Pizza Wheel, cut your pizza into slices and serve.
 

 

 
 

 

Pizza Making Hints & Tips
 How To Use Pizza Stone - How To Use Unglazed Tiles - How To Clean Pizza Stones


Pizza Stones - How To Use Pizza Stones:

pizza stoneA baking or Pizza Stone should be placed on a oven shelf and preheated with the oven. Preheat the stone to the temperature you’ll be cooking the pizza at BEFORE you put the pizza dough on the stone. Pizza stones need at least 20 minutes to heat up fully. Once pre-heated, the stone evenly transfers intense heat to the food being cooked, ensuring a particularly crisply baked base. NEVER put a cold stone in your fully heated oven unless you want it to crack.

I have a large stone that fits on oven rack in my oven. Either this stone or some unglazed terra cotta tiles are usually in my oven most of the time as they are also great for bread baking. Casserole dishes can also be set on top of the stone.

Linda's Comments: As to if it might crack, this I do not know, as I have never had it happen. I always place the cold pizza stone in a cold oven. I then turn on the oven to preheat oven and stone. Once the stone is hot, I do not remove it from the oven. I place my prepared pizza on the hot stone in the oven.


How To Clean Pizza Stones: Think of your pizza baking stone as a sponge; it will soak up everything put on it. These "stones" are actually molded sand, tightly compacted under high pressure. Like sand on the beach, they will suck in any liquid exposed to the surface. Anything else in the water - including soap - goes right into the stone. Manufacturers warn you to use only clear, plain water to clean a baking stone.

First, completely submerge your baking stone in warm, clear, plain water for 15-20 minutes. This should thoroughly saturate the stone with clean water and dilute the soap residue. Next, remove the stone from the water and place it on a pie cooling rack on your kitchen counter. Allow the stone to dry completely overnight.

Repeat the same soaking and drying process five or six nights in a row. After the last round, bake some pizza dough on the stone. If the pizza stone still smells, I'm afraid your stone is destined for the trash.


How To Use Unglazed Terra Cotta Tiles:

unglazed tiles
I, personally use these tiles all the time in my oven. You must make sure that they are "unglazed" tiles only. They are very cheap to buy (You can find them at any hardware/home store. I buy them at my local Home Depot). I even leave them in my oven when using the self-cleaning cycle. I bought enough to line the bottom shelf of my oven. Most of the time, I just leave them in the oven all the time as these tiles don’t effect the oven’s performance and are great to help stabilize the heat when cooking or baking.
 



Hints from Shelley Booth of Phoeniz, AZ: For bread and pizza baking I use inexpensive unglazed terra cotta tiles. From experience as a potter I know that terra cotta is food safe when unglazed and not for storing liquid. Terra cotta in general is fired at a lower temperature when not glazed and has not vitrified, thus it is porous, which makes it ideal to use as plant pots but not for liquid storage.

I preheat the oven for one hour, tiles on lower rack, where it stays unless something bulky is baked. Dust the tiles with cornmeal and slide the pizza skin or bread and bake until done. I often pre-bake the pizza skin to a point where the skin is done and just starting to brown. Cool and then add whatever desired and baked again until brown and cheese bubbly.

Another thought, when baking anything I will put the container on the preheated tiles. The concept behind this that ovens, especially electric cycle on and off in order to maintain the set cooking temperature without spiking. This result in a variable oven temperature and when baking bread this could effect the end product. The tiles store heat and thus help maintain a consistent temperature. A gas oven, which I use, does the same cycling but not as often and maintains the temp profile better.


Dough Dockers:

dough docker
Thin pizza crusts (known as cracker dough) usually needs to be well docked to help control blistering and bubble formation during baking. This just means to prick it all over the middle part (not the edges) so that it doesn't inflate. Either use a Dough Docker or use a fork to prick the dough thoroughly. In a home setting, it is also common to use dough dockers if the pizza dough is to be pre-baked or par-baked before finishing. That applies mostly to cracker style pizzas.



 

Pizza Peels: Also known as a pizza shovel. Pizza Peels are a long-handled, wide wooden or metal spatula-like implement that slides quickly and easily under the pizza, keeping hands safely out of the fiery oven. It is used for moving pizzas to and from an oven. Sprinkle cornmeal all over the surface of a baker's or pizza peel before using.

metal pizza peel

wood pizza peel class=


Pizza Cutters/Pizza Wheels:

A good Pizza Cutter or Pizza Wheel will save you time when cutting your pizza into slices. The use of a pizza cutter instead of a sharp knife avoids the dislodging of loose toppings through the back-and-forth motion of the blade typical of a knife. Pizza cutters press their blade down vertically instead.

Pizza Tips:

A helpful hint is to put a piece of parchment paper on the peel instead of using cornmeal. I place the rolled-out pizza dough on the parchment paper and then add the toppings. The parchment goes into the oven with the pizza. This makes it easier to slide the pizza off the peel and onto the baking stone.

If you don't have a peel, an upside-down cookie sheet will do if you use parchment paper. Just slide the pizza onto the stone with the paper.

Does pizza have to be a circle? - You can make them triangular, square, diamond, or anything else you can imagine. Just change the shape of your pan to the shape of a crust that fits your imagination.

 

Readers Comments:

I tried your thin crust pizza dough tonight and it is the best crust.  I was getting discouraged because things kept sticking on our stone. Your parchment paper tip is the BEST yet.  I worked PERFECT.  - Patti (1/10/06)