This pizza dough is exactly like the one I remember helping my Italian grandmother make as a kid. It's light, fluffy and very easy to bring together if your are looking for a simple Sunday night dinner. Just add a big salad to round off your meal and you'll be starting the week off on the right foot.
The best topping for this easy peasy pizza is my simple tomato sauce and nothing else (my favourite way to devour this easy fluffy homemade pizza). But don't let that stop you. I have made it with the addition of different cheeses as well as a variety of vegetables and cold cuts. The combinations are endless!
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Gather your Ingredients for the Easy Peasy Homemade Fluffy Pizza Dough
- water
- sugar
- Active Dry Yeast
- extra-virgin olive oil
- all purpose flour
- kosher salt
See the recipe below for specific quantities and details.
Equipment
- stand mixer with a dough hook or large mixing bowl
- wooden spoon if making by hand
- measuring cups and spoons
- kitchen scale
- kitchen thermometer
- small mixing bowl
- two 9 inch by 13 inch pizza pans or two 12 inch round pizza pans
Recipe Instructions
Prepare yeast: In the bowl of a stand mixer add the warm water (100-110 degrees Fahrenheit or 38-43 degrees Celsius) and sugar making sure to fully dissolve the sugar. Next add in the packet of yeast. Stir to combine and let rest until the mixture begins to foam, 5-7 minutes.
Prepare the flour. Meanwhile in a separate bowl add the flour and whisk in the salt.
Add olive oil. When the yeast mixture has become foamy, add the olive oil and stir.
Add flour to yeast mixture. Set the bowl with the yeast mixture onto your stand mixer. Attach the dough hook and set the speed to low and begin adding spoonfuls of the flour mixture to the yeast mixture until fully incorporated. Next increase the speed of the stand mixer to medium and let the machine knead the dough for 5-10 minutes.
Check for the right consistency. When the dough is ready, it should be soft and not sticky. A good gauge for readiness is when the bowl of your stand mixer is "clean" with no residual flour in it as pictured below.
Remove from bowl. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and knead for 5 minutes by hand. This step is not necessary as the stand mixer already did most of the work, but it's a step I enjoy because I can adjust the consistency if a bit more flour is needed.
Shape the dough. Once kneaded, shape the dough into a ball, drizzle with olive oil and put back into the oiled bowl of the stand mixer. Cover with parchment paper (so that the dough does not stick) and a damp tea towel over that and let rise in a warm corner of your kitchen for 2 hours or until doubled in size. I like to let it rise in the oven with the oven light on or in the microwave.
After rising. Once doubled in size as pictured below, it's time to prepare the pizza.
Prepare the pizza. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. After the dough has risen, divide in two. Oil the pans and begin by stretching the dough onto the pan with your hands. This is an exercise in patience! If the dough is not spreading easily, let it sit for 5-10 minutes to relax the gluten in the flour and try again. Never use a rolling pin to spread and stretch the dough because you will deflate all the bubbles in the dough and your pizza will be dense rather than light and fluffy.
Add your toppings. Add the toppings of your choice to create your pizza. Once you've dressed the pizza, let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. This will give the dough one last chance to rise slightly so that the pizza will be thick and fluffy. Then bake the pizza on the lower rack of the oven for 13-15 minutes or until the bottom is lightly golden brown.
Secrets for Success
- Ensure that the yeast you are using is alive and not expired. If you notice that the yeast does not foam up when you begin the recipe, it could be that it has expired or that the water temperature used was not ideal. The water should be between 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit or 38-43 degrees Celsius.
- Do not use a rolling pin to stretch the dough as this will deflate the dough and your pizza will not bake up nice and fluffy.
- If you have a kitchen scale use it! It is always more accurate when baking to weigh the ingredients. This recipe was tested by weight but as a very rough estimate I have also included the volume measure in the recipe card below.
Substitutions
- A large mixing bowl and wooden spoon can easily replace a stand mixer if you don't have one, you will just need a little bit more elbow grease! Follow the recipe instructions above except add the wet ingredients to a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir to incorporate. Then add a bit of flour to your hands and knead the dough on a clean counter until a smooth ball of dough has formed and continue with the recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes you can but you will have to make a few modifications. The Rapid Rise Yeast will need to be added to the dry ingredients and when you add the wet ingredients you will have to ensure that the temperature of the water is between 120-130 degrees Fahrenheit or 48-54 degrees Celsius, which is hotter than if you were using Active Dry Yeast. After you knead the dough, let it rest 10-15 minutes and then proceed with stretching your dough onto the pizza pans, garnish and bake.
Yes you can freeze this dough, however based on my testing, it did not yield the same fluffy results as you would get if you made the dough and baked it the same day. If you wish to freeze it, before letting the dough rise, wrap it in parchment paper and plastic wrap and freeze for up to three months. When ready to use, unwrap the dough and let it thaw at room temperature and let it rise in an oiled bowl covered with parchment paper and a damp tea towel for six hours. You can then proceed with the recipe but will notice that the pizza will have less volume when baked, but it will be as tasty!
Storage Instructions
- The pizza will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days. For best results reheat on the middle rack of a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 5-10 minutes.
Easy Peasy Homemade Fluffy Pizza Dough
- Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
- Yield: 16 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This pizza dough is exactly like the one I remember helping my Italian grandmother make as a kid. It's light, fluffy and very easy to bring together if your are looking for a simple Sunday night dinner. Just add a big salad to round off your meal and you'll be starting the week off on the right foot.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups water (100-110 degrees Fahrenheit or 38-43 degrees Celsius)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 packet (2 ¼ teaspoons or 8 grams) Active Dry Yeast
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 570 grams all purpose flour (or roughly 4 ⅛ cups)
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Prepare yeast. In the bowl of a stand mixer add the warm water (100-110 degrees Fahrenheit or 38-43 degrees Celsius) and sugar making sure to fully dissolve the sugar. Next add in the packet of yeast. Stir to combine and let rest until the mixture begins to foam, 5-7 minutes.
Prepare the flour. Meanwhile in a separate bowl add the flour and whisk in the salt.
Add olive oil. When the yeast mixture has become foamy, add the olive oil and stir.
Add flour to yeast mixture. Set the bowl with the yeast mixture onto your stand mixer. Attach the dough hook and set the speed to low and begin adding spoonfuls of the flour mixture to the yeast mixture until fully incorporated. Next increase the speed of the stand mixer to medium and let the machine knead the dough for 5-10 minutes.
Check for the right consistency. When the dough is ready, it should be soft and not sticky. A good gauge for readiness is when the bowl of your stand mixer is "clean" with no residual flour in it.
Remove from bowl. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and knead for 5 minutes by hand. This step is not necessary as the stand mixer already did most of the work, but it's a step I enjoy because I can adjust the consistency if a bit more flour is needed.
Shape the dough. Once kneaded, shape the dough into a ball, drizzle with olive oil and put back into the oiled bowl of the stand mixer. Cover with parchment paper (so that the dough does not stick) and a damp tea towel and let rise in a warm corner of your kitchen for 2 hours or until doubled in size. I like to let it rise in the oven with the oven light on or in the microwave.
After rising. Once doubled in size, it's time to prepare the pizza.
Prepare the pizza. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. After the dough has risen, divide in two. Oil the pans and begin by stretching the dough onto the pan with your hands. This is an exercise in patience! If the dough is not spreading easily, let it sit for 5-10 minutes to relax the gluten in the flour and try again. Never use a rolling pin to spread and stretch the dough because you will deflate all the bubbles in the dough and your pizza will be dense rather than light and fluffy.
Add your toppings. Add the toppings of your choice to create your pizza. Once you've dressed the pizza, let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. This will give the dough one last chance to rise slightly so that the pizza will be thick and fluffy. Then bake the pizza on the lower rack of the oven for 13-15 minutes or until the bottom is lightly golden brown.
- Prep Time: 155 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Pizza
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: pizza, Italian pizza, Sunday dinner
Tatiana says
This was my first attempt at making pizza dough and your recipe was awesome! This recipe is a keeper, thanks!!!
★★★★★
Donna Poirier says
That's great to hear Tatiana, thank you!