Pizza Dough

Turn up the heat

Let’s cook.

1. Pour the warm water into a large bowl. Stir in the honey or sugar, then sprinkle the yeast evenly over the surface. Leave it completely undisturbed for 5 to 10 minutes, until frothy, foamy, and aromatic.
2. Gently stir the salt and olive oil into the foamy yeast mixture.
3. Mix in 2½ cups of the bread flour with a sturdy wooden spoon or a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead vigorously for 5 to 7 minutes, or knead for 5 minutes on medium low speed in a stand mixer. If the dough is very sticky, add the remaining ½ cup flour 1 tablespoon at a time. The finished dough should be smooth, slightly tacky but manageable, and spring back quickly when poked.
5. Choose either the same day rise or the cold ferment method below and let the dough proof as directed.
6. Preheat the oven to 475°F (245°C). For a pizza stone or steel, place it on the middle-lower rack and preheat it with the oven for at least 45 minutes before baking. For a regular pizza pan, lightly oil the pan; it does not need to be preheated.
7. When the dough is ready to use, divide it into 2 equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball, cover, and let it rest briefly before stretching so the gluten can relax.
8. Stretch each dough ball into an approximately 11–12-inch round, leaving a slightly thicker outer rim. If using a regular pizza pan, stretch the dough into the lightly oiled pan.
9. For a normal amount of sauce, cheese, and toppings, prebaking is not necessary. For particularly heavy or moisture-rich toppings, prebake the shaped crust for 4–5 minutes before adding the toppings.
10. Add the sauce, cheese, and toppings. Bake at 475°F (245°C) for approximately 10–14 minutes on a stone or steel, or 13–18 minutes on a regular pizza pan. If the crust was prebaked, check it earlier as the remaining baking time may be shorter.