I think people are missing the point of this dough. This dough is meant to be EASY so that you can make it last minute. Adding the extra steps completely ruins the ease of this recipe. It is delicious, AS IS. If you want to tweek it to add flavor add some herbs to the dough. Of course the dough could be better with more time and more steps (and it is, I've taken the time). But the recipe, as is, deserves the full 5 stars. You will never make pizza dough better than this with this little effort put forth. Thanks for the FABULOUS recipe. We will never order out again.
Good recipe, but like other reviewers, it's missing directions. Here's my changes: 1 1/4 cups warm water, 1 pkg active dry yeast, 1 tblsp sugar, 1 tsp thyme or Italian seasonings, 3 tblsp olive oil, 3+ cups of flour, 1 tsp salt. Mix water, yeast, sugar & oil in mixer bowl. Then add flour & salt. Mix-knead for 10-12 minutes, sprinkling with flour to keep from sticking to bowl. Dough should be elastic & smooth. Place dough in oiled bowl, cover dough with oil, cover & let stand 1 hr at room temp. Then divide dough 2 equal parts roll into balls, cover with damp towel & let stand another 10 mins. Use immediately. Don't forget to poke holes into dough with fork once rolled onto pan to let steam escape while baking.
Okay, we are sold on this dough!! We are connoisseurs of anything Italian and this is the best!! I followed some of the suggestions and added 1 tsp garlic, 1 tsp basil, only 2 1/2 cups of flour, olive rather than vegetable oil, and let rise for 30 mins. I also bake the crust alone for 5-7 mins then add my toppings. Yum, Yum.
I agree with the previous reviewer RenaKS27 - people who are knit-picking this recipe to death are missing the whole point of its "quick and easy"-ness. It is a no-fail go-to recipe for pizza crust when you dont WANT to wait for dough to rise, or have to pull out fifty-three different ingredients. By all means, personalize it to your heart's content, but also don't be afraid to make it as is. I also use it for quick breadsticks: roll it out and cut into strips with a pizza cutter, bake as directed, then brush with butter that has been melted with minced fresh garlic and sprinkle them with grated parmesan. yum!
I've made this dough four times now trying all the different suggestions and variations. The best result though was to make it as per the recipe! There is quite a big difference in the final result depending on how you add the yeast. You'll get a thin & crispy result if you add the yeast to the warm water first and a thicker bready base if the water is added to all the dry ingredients at the same time. I used olive oil and also added lots of dried herbs to the dry mix. This recipe also makes a really good garlic bread if you top it with olive oil, crushed garlic and parmesan cheese. I doesn't seem necessary to let the dough rise first, I didn't really notice any difference. Maybe our yeast is a bit different in NZ!
I made this dough tonight and it was perfect! I took the time to dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm cup of water though and let the dough rise for 30 minutes. Then kneaded it lightly and let it rise again for 15 minutes. I feel the dough doesn't need to be flavored like others suggested; pizza sauce and toppings add all the flavor you need :) I made a huge deep dish pizza using all the dough in a 9x13 baking dish; piled high with cheese and toppings..the crust was thick, soft and moist just the way I love it!! Thanks for the recipe!
This recipe needs a lot of work. First of all, throwing all the ingredients together will restult in a thin crispy crust. If thats what your going for, fine, but you dont need the yeast. To make a proper crust, proof the yeast, sugar and water for 10-15 mins, then add the rest of the ingedients. The recipe is very bland by itself, you need, at the very least, more salt. I just used Adobo (about a tablespoon) and addes some garlic powder and onion powder. Not enough to over power, but enough to take away the blandness. I've also found adding 2 tablespoons of honey, in addition to the sugar, helps a lot. Also, once you form the dough, let it sit so it can rise, maybe 10-15 mins, then roll it out.
I use olive oil instead of vegetable oil. I also add italian seasoning and oregano to the dry mixture before adding in the water and oil. And make sure the water really is warm... when I was learning how to cook I didn't necessarily pay attention to that part. Using warm (rather than cool) water makes a difference. UPDATE 2/14/11: I have made this many times over the last few years. I do everything I did above plus I've tweaked a bit. I heat the oven to 400 and bake just the crust for about 12 minutes before adding the toppings and baking for another 15. I also sometimes brush the crust and edge with olive oil for a slightly more "golden" effect. I find that these changes do not take away from the simplicity and greatness of this recipe nor do they add hardly any time to preparing. I'm also updating my 4 stars to 5 because I've gotten the hang of this crust and it really is fantastic!
Excellent recipe. I made the dough in my bread machine using 2 tsp. bread machine yeast. I added a pinch each of oregano & garlic powder to the flour. Also, I used olive oil in place of vegetable oil [just a preference]. My husband likes a medium thickness to his crust and I like a thinner [flat bread] crust, which this recipe accomplished. I brushed a little olive oil on the shells I made and prebaked them at 425 degrees for 5 minutes and froze them. No need to thaw when you are ready to use, just put on the toppings and bake. I baked at 425 degrees, just perfect. Depending on the size of the pizza shells you are making, you can get several shells from this recipe. Thank you.
