Pizza Dough Recipe

Baking pizza in a indirect wood fired oven can produce some of the best tasting pizza you will ever eat. The only thing that will limit the flavor of the pie is the ingredients you use within it. That it why it is so important to get the highest quality pizza ingredients possible. Good cheese, sauce, and toppings are not usually much of a chore, but finding the right kind of dough can be nearly impossible. You can buy the already formed pizza dough that is sold in a lot of grocery aisles, but these products are typically tasteless with a rather tough texture. Some stores even have cold uncooked pizza dough near the dairy section. The problem with these kinds of dough is that they are packaged to last quite a long time, which affects the flavor profiles and textures of the finished product.

The best way to get great authentic tasting dough is to make it yourself. This is what the high quality pizza restaurants do because it is really the only way to get perfect results. Below is a great recipe for fresh pizza dough that will have your pizzas coming out with a perfectly tasty crust. Don't be intimidated by making fresh dough if you haven't done it before, it is not that hard.

Pizza Dough

Makes about 4 large or 7 small pizzas

Ingredients:

5 ¼ cups lukewarm water

7 tsp. salt

2 ½ tsp. active dry yeast

¼ cup oil

½ tsp. sugar

14 cups all-purpose flour

Mix everything together in a standing mixer. Cover mixer bowl with

plastic wrap; cut several hole in plastic. Allow to rise for about 1 hour. Knead

lightly on a floured surface; divide into 4-7 equal pieces and form each into a

round ball. Place dough balls on a floured surface, cover with a linen cloth and

let rise for another hour or two. Roll out each, drizzle with olive oil, and top with

your favorite sauce or topping. Bake on a stone surface until crust is golden

brown and crisp.

For the best results, cook in a wood burning pizza oven a temperatures above 500 degrees.