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CalmHealthySexy Cooks! Easy Dough for Pizza, Bread or Rolls

32 Comments

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAA couple of weekends ago I visited my mother, who lives in another city. On Saturday she asked me to go to the “fancy” grocery store near her house and buy a bag of refrigerated pizza dough in the deli, so we could make a pizza for dinner. I’d never had refrigerated pizza dough from a grocery store or bakery, but I expected it to be good, based on the quality of the store.

But it wasn’t. For starters, it  was expensive. And it tasted very bland. And it was hard – really hard – to roll out. And, to top it all off, the ingredient list was long and complicated, when pizza dough should include just a few simple ingredients.

It reminded me why I’ve been making pizza dough at home for years (and using the same dough recipe to make round loaves of bread, focaccia and dinner rolls).

If you have a stand mixer, hand mixer with dough hooks, or food processor, you can make homemade pizza dough quickly and easily, anytime your family craves pizza. (My family craves pizza frequently!)  It’s delicious and cheaper than dough from the grocery store (and much cheaper than ordering pizza), and you control the ingredients. And it freezes well, so doubling the recipe (or even making two double recipes) gives you a big payoff for just a little extra work.

Do you make pizza at home? If not, I’d love for you to give this recipe a try and let us know what you thin,. If you’re a regular pizza maker, what are your tips for making great pizza at home?

Sharing with Foodie Fridays.

Easy Dough for Pizza, Bread or Rolls

Print recipe
Easy Dough for Pizza, Bread or Rolls

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 1.5 cups unbleached white flour
  • 1+ cup water
  • 1 packet active dry yeast ((1 packet = 2.25 teaspoons))
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt or other salt

Directions

Place all ingredients except water into the bowl of a stand mixer. Begin mixing, using the dough hook attachment. Slowly add water until dough comes together to form a ball. You want the ball to come away clean from the sides of the bowl, but just barely. If it's too sticky add small amounts of flour until it comes clean. If it's too dry add tiny amounts of water. The more whole wheat flour you use, the more water you will need to form the ball. After it comes together, continue to mix/knead for 3-4 minutes.
Lightly grease a large bowl (you can use the mixer bowl) and roll the dough ball around so all sides are lightly greased. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. You can let it rise longer if needed - the flavor will continue to develop.
When the dough has doubled in size punch it down and roll it out for pizza, form it into a round loaf of bread, or shape it into rolls.

Notes

You can use different combinations of flour for this recipe.  My guys don't like all whole wheat for their pizza, so I use 1/2 white whole wheat and 1/2 unbleached.  You can also use all whole wheat or all unbleached.  The more whole wheat flour you use, the more water (slightly more) you'll need.

If you don't have a stand mixer or a heavy-duty hand mixer with dough hooks, you can make the dough in a food processor.

You can easily double the recipe and freeze one batch.  Freeze the dough after it rises.  Punch it down, form it into a ball, oil lightly, wrap and freeze.  To thaw, take it out of the freezer on the morning of the day you plan to use it and let it thaw at room temperature.  If you're using it for pizza, it doesn't need to rise again (but it's fine if it does).  If you're making bread, shaped the thawed dough and let it rise again before baking.

Let the dough rest for a few minutes before you roll it out.  If it's too stretchy and springy, let it rest another 5-10 minutes.  Top with your favorite sauce, cheese and toppings (veggies!) and bake at 400.

For additional information, check out How To Make Pizza or How to Make Round Loaves of Bread,

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Comments

  1. dishofdailylife says

    I am so glad you shared this with us at Foodie Fridays! I never make my own pizza, but I’ve been collecting so many recipes lately that I think it’s time to try! It’s not the toppings that make me nervous…it’s the dough! So thank you for the recipe!

    Reply

  3. Kimberlee says

    I make my own bread, rolls and pizza dough a lot and the recipe is pretty much just like yours but with a Tbls of honey in the mix. I have also discovered that you can freeze the pizza dough and thaw it out on the day you want to use it – learned that last year from pinterest.

    Reply

    • GC says

      Hi Kimberlee – I often put honey in dough if I’m using part or all whole wheat. I like that little bit of sweetness with the slightly more bitter taste of whole wheat flour.

      Thanks so much for stopping by.
      Gaye

      Reply

  4. Pure Grace Farms says

    There is something about kneading my own bread that is so satisfying to me. I too make my own pizza dough but always take it out before it is fully kneaded with the dough hook so I can give it a few minutes of kneading by hand. I am sure it has a lot to do with watching my Grandmother make bread for so many years. Thanks for sharing your recipe and for the trip down memory lane.
    Blessings,
    Shari

    Reply

    • GC says

      Hi Shari – I don’t have a legacy of bread making in my family, but it is very satisfying to knead it by hand just a bit.

      Thanks so much for stopping by.
      Gaye

      Reply

  5. Nicky says

    Hi Gaye,
    I agree that homemade pizza dough is almost always better than store bought. Your recipe is similar to one I’ve been using. Mine is a wet dough that only needs to rise once for an hour and then can be refrigerated. It’s great to make the dough once and use it throughout the week.

    Reply

    • GC says

      Hi Nicky – I have made a wet, refrigerated dough sometimes too, and it is very good. Especially after it’s been “developing in the refrigerator for a few days!

      Gaye

      Reply

  8. jugglingrealfoodandreallife says

    Hi Gaye! Stopping in from Let’s Get Real. My family just loves pizza……..ok who doesn’t? Pizza was one of the meals I had to clean up right away. I found a whole wheat flat bread and frozen pizza dough from my favorite bakery. Unfortunately, the bakery isn’t always convenient. I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks for including all the different variations. My teenager loves to make pizza. I’ll let you know when your dough passes his test.

    Reply

    • GC says

      Hi Christina – I’m nervous now that it won’t meet with your teenager’s approval! My college student loves it, as long as I don’t use all whole wheat flour. It’s his second favorite pizza, next to Mellow Mushroom.

      Reply

    • GC says

      Hi Lori – I freeze it in a ball after it has risen. If you use the frozen dough for pizza, it only has to thaw and doesn’t really need to rise again (but it’s fine if it rises some – just punch it down). If you’re making a loaf of bread, you would thaw it, shape it, let it rise and bake it. I have heard of people shaping the crusts and freezing them, but that seems like more work and more difficult storage to me.

      Gaye

      Reply

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