I don’t know about you but if you ask me – I could eat pizza at least once a week! I love it. I should not eat too much of it but I still love it ;) If you like pizza as much as I do, you might need a simple and easy recipe for a Classic Homemade Pizza Dough, right? If your answer is yes… I might have the perfect recipe for you. Well. I guess you already knew by the title of this article/recipe. Anyway ;P
Germans love Italian food. Well, I guess people all around the world love Italian food. According to various surveys, the three most popular dishes in Germany are all coming from Italy: Pizza takes the first place in almost all surveys, followed by Lasagna and Spaghetti Bolognese. You can’t blame us for not loving »Eisbein with Sauerkraut« as much. Even though it’s a classic German dish ;P
Seriously – pizza is something omnipresent these days. You can have pizza for lunch or enjoy it with friends in the evening, you can eat it in the middle of the night after going out for a drink… a slice of pizza is always great. Even in the morning. Leftover (cold) pizza from the night before as a quick breakfast – love it! ;) The only question you have to ask yourself: do you buy the pizza or are you gonna make it yourself at home?!
Pizza dough can be made with five simple ingredients – flour, yeast, salt, a little oil and water. Some people also add some sugar, honey or maple syrup, so the yeast can work better. I do that most of the time. Others also replace part of the water with beer. Something you can do, but you don’t have to ;) With the five basic ingredients you actually already have everything you need.
What you do with these simple ingredients is a whole other story. There are many factors that make a pizza great or not so great. How much/long you work the dough, how much moisture is in the dough, how long you let the dough rise, if you let it rise in a warm or cold place, how hot your oven gets… all of this affects the final result. Good or bad ;) Making pizza at home is a “journey” – let’s put it that way. You have to trust the process, you have to make your own experiences, and then you just have to see how it turns out. You probably won’t become the world’s best pizza maker right off the bat. It takes time ;P
This pizza dough here is great for a »regular« pizza. Not talking about the size though ;) I mean a regular pizza with a not too thin crust and somewhat fluffy edges. As you probably all know pizzas come in many different versions – Neapolitana, Romana, Chicaco-style, NY-style, etc. This one is a »regular« one ;P Anyway. As already mentioned, the result depends on many factors. Probably the most important one is the oven you’re going to use. The recipe below describes how to bake the pizza in a regular oven with a standard baking sheet or with a pizza stone* – that’s what most people have at home I guess. With that you will get a delicious pizza but probably not one that looks like the one you know from your favorite pizza place. Preheating a baking sheet or working with a pizza stone will give you a nice crispy crust, but the edges will not brown a lot… unless you place your pizza pretty close to the heating element of your oven. Still – not the same as a pizza made in a hot pizza oven. Just sayin’ ;)
The best method for baking pizza?
I also mention in the recipe, that I recommend the preparation in a pizza oven. Not talking about those big ovens they have in pizza places – there are much smaller ovens available you can use at home. They are quite affordable these days. Nevertheless, you should really think twice before you buy one. Those ovens are quite clunky and take a lot of space on your kitchen counter. You need space in your cabinets for a gadget like that ;P If you want to make pizza only once or twice a year… don’t get one. If you’re planning to use it more often… maybe it’s going to be your new favorite kitchen appliance. Who knows ;)
The pizza in the pictures was baked in a pizza oven, by the way. Just as a note on the side ;)
The 10 most popular pizzas in Germany
1. Pizza Salami
2. Pizza Hawaii (dunno why?!)
3. Pizza Tonno
4. Pizza Margherita
5. Pizza Funghi
6. Pizza Prosciutto
7. Veggie Pizza
8. Pizza Diavolo (hot salami & peperoni)
9. Pizza Speciale (salami, ham, mushrooms)
10. Calzone
The world’s best pizza sauce! [click]
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(for 2 single pizzas or one large tray)
0.75 oz. (21 g) fresh baker’s yeast
1 1/4 cups (300ml) lukewarm water
1 tsp. sugar
17.6 oz. (500g) pizza flour (Tipo 00)*
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil, maybe more
(für 2 Pizzen oder 1 Blech)
1/2 Würfel (21 g) frische Hefe
300ml lauwarmes Wasser
1 TL Zucker
500g Pizzamehl (Tipo 00)*
1/2 TL Salz
2 EL Olivenöl, ggf. mehr
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Mix the yeast with sugar and lukewarm water in a small bowl until the yeast has dissolved completely. Add the flour to a large bowl and make a depression in the center, pour the yeast water into it and mix with a small amount of the flour from the sides. Cover The bowl with a kitchen towel and let the yeast bubble up in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
2. Add the salt and olive oil and mix until the dough starts holding together. Transfer to a floured surface and knead the dough for about 5 minutes until soft and smooth. If the dough is too dry, add some more olive oil. If the dough is too sticky, add some more flour. Shape the dough into a ball, place in a bowl, cover and let rise for another 30 minutes in a warm place until the volume has (almost) doubled.
3. Preheat the oven including a baking sheet or pizza stone* for at least 30 minutes. Once again, knead the dough for about 6-8 minutes, divide if necessary and roll out thinly on a floured piece of baking parchment. If the dough is a bit difficult to roll out and springs back, let it sit for a few minutes, so it can relax. Spread some tomato sauce on top of the pizza crust(s) and add toppings to your liking. Place the pizza with the baking parchment on the baking sheet or pizza stone and bake for about 15-20 minutes depending on the toppings you have chosen.
Tip: I highly recommend using a pizza oven (something similar to this) if you love to bake (and eat) pizza more often. Those ovens create higher temperatures, they normally take less time to preheat, and your pizza bakes much faster. Not to mention the crust normally looks much better ;P Unfortunately, they also take a lot of precious space in your kitchen – so you have to use them often to justify the purchase I guess ;P
1. Die Hefe zusammen mit dem Zucker im lauwarmen Wasser einrühren und auflösen. Das Mehl in eine Schüssel geben und in der Mitte eine Mulde formen. Das Hefewasser in die Mulde gießen und mit etwas Mehl verrühren, dann mit Mehl vom Rand abdecken und zugedeckt an einem warmen Ort etwa 30 Minuten gehen lassen.
2. Das Salz und Olivenöl zur Schüssel dazugeben und alles verrühren. Den Teig dann (auf einer bemehlten Fläche) in etwa 5 Minuten zu einem glatten Teig verkneten. Sollte der Teig zu trocken sein, noch etwas Olivenöl dazugeben, ist er zu feucht, noch etwas Mehl einarbeiten. Zu einer Kugel formen und abgedeckt noch einmal 30 Minuten an einem warmen Ort gehen lassen – das Volumen sollte sich in etwa verdoppelt haben.
3. Den Ofen samt Blech/Pizzastein* auf 200°C (390°F) Ober-/Unterhitze für mind. 30 Minuten vorheizen. Den gegangenen Teig noch einmal 6-8 Minuten durchkneten und dann je nach Bedarf aufteilen oder in einem Stück ausrollen. Sollte der Teig zu störrisch sein, einfach kurz liegen lassen, damit er sich entspannen kann. Den/die ausgerollten Pizzafladen auf ein bemehltes Backpapier legen, mit Tomatensoße bestreichen und nach Wunsch belegen. Auf das Blech oder den Pizzastein ziehen und je nach Dicke des Belages etwa 15-20 Minuten backen.
Tipp: Für die Zubereitung von Pizza empfehle ich einen Pizzaofen (sowas Ähnliches wie hier). Der schafft eine höhere Temperatur, braucht weniger Zeit zum Vorheizen und die Pizzen sind auch wesentlich schneller fertig. Das Ergebnis sieht auch x-mal besser aus ;P Leider nehmen solche Geräte aber auch viel Platz in der Küche weg – also nur was für Pizza-Liebhaber ;)
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Classic Homemade Pizza Dough
- Prep Time: 00:20
- Cook Time: 00:20
- Total Time: 02:00
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Pizza
- Cuisine: Italy
Description
If you want to make delicious pizza you need a good base. This »homemade« classic pizza dough is easy to prepare and good for two pizzas with all the toppings you love ;)
Ingredients
0.75 oz. (21 g) fresh baker’s yeast
1 1/4 cups (300ml) lukewarm water
1 tsp. sugar
17.6 oz. (500g) pizza flour (Tipo 00)*
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil, maybe more
Instructions
1. Mix the yeast with sugar and lukewarm water in a small bowl until the yeast has dissolved completely. Add the flour to a large bowl and make a depression in the center, pour the yeast water into it and mix with a small amount of the flour from the sides. Cover The bowl with a kitchen towel and let the yeast bubble up in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
2. Add the salt and olive oil and mix until the dough starts holding together. Transfer to a floured surface and knead the dough for about 5 minutes until soft and smooth. If the dough is too dry, add some more olive oil. If the dough is too sticky, add some more flour. Shape the dough into a ball, place in a bowl, cover and let rise for another 30 minutes in a warm place until the volume has (almost) doubled.
3. Preheat the oven including a baking sheet or pizza stone* for at least 30 minutes. Once again, knead the dough for about 6-8 minutes, divide if necessary and roll out thinly on a floured piece of baking parchment. If the dough is a bit difficult to roll out and springs back, let it sit for a few minutes, so it can relax. Spread some tomato sauce on top of the pizza crust(s) and add toppings to your liking. Place the pizza with the baking parchment on the baking sheet or pizza stone and bake for about 15-20 minutes depending on the toppings you have chosen.
Notes
I highly recommend using a pizza oven (something similar to this) if you love to bake (and eat) pizza more often. Those ovens create higher temperatures, they normally take less time to preheat, and your pizza bakes much faster. Not to mention the crust normally looks much better ;P Unfortunately, they also take a lot of precious space in your kitchen – so you have to use them often to justify the purchase I guess ;P
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
