Basic Italian pizza dough (pasta da pane)

Is Friday night pizza night at your house? Here’s a great recipe for basic pizza dough that you could start tonight and finish tomorrow – just in time for Friday night pizza! We have a great topping ideas to share as well. Now if you’ve never made pizza dough at home before, it’s really easy. You don’t even need a machine, just a good bit of elbow grease. The key to success is using a really good 00 flour which you’ll find at the local supermarket, fresh yeast – not something that’s been in the fridge for months, and sunny spot to let the dough rise. We use the passenger seat of a black car on a sunny day. Yes, it’s a bit unorthodox, but it works a treat. Give it a go and let us know how you went.

  • Prep Time

    40 Minutes

  • Cook Time

    20 Minutes

  • Makes

    4 Pizzas

Ingredients

  • Makes 750g of dough enough for 4 x 24cm pizzas
  • 1 cup lukewarm water
  • 2 teaspoons dry yeast
  • 1¼ teaspoons sugar
  • 1½ tablespoons olive oil, plus extra, for greasing
  • 475g ‘strong’ (bread flour or 00 flour) plain flour plus a little extra
  • 1¼ teaspoons salt

You'll Need

  • Multix Cling
  • Multix Bake

Method

  1. Stage 1. In a small bowl, mix the lukewarm water, yeast and sugar together until combined, then leave in a warm place for 5 minutes or until frothy.
  2. Stage 2,  if using a bench top mixer with a dough hook. Simply add all the ingredients into the mixer bowl and turn the power on low add the yeast foam in a steady stream and process for about 3 to 4 minutes until an elastic dough forms.
  3. Stage 2,  If your making it by hand, stir the olive oil into the yeast foam. Sift the flour and salt together into a large bowl. Making a hollow in the flour mix and use your hands to bring the mixture together to form a dough.
  4. For both methods turn the dough out onto a work surface and use the heel of your hands to work the dough for 5 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Lightly grease the inside of a clean dry bowl with oil and add the dough cover with cling wrap and leave in a warm (not hot) place to raise for 45–60 minutes or until doubled in size.
  5. Dust a clean work surface lightly with the extra flour and tip out the dough.
  6. Use your fists to knead and work the dough to let any air out. Separate the dough into 4 portions and then kneading and working each portion separately form them into 4 balls.
  7. Place the dough balls on a baking tray lined with Multix bake, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place to prove and raise for another 15 minutes. Roll out, add your favorite topping and bake in a hot preheated oven at 220°C for 15-20 minutes.

Freezing left over pizza dough:
If you have left over pizza dough, you can freeze it for a quick pizza next time. Don’t freeze the fresh dough, instead, make a pizza base and partially cook it, then freeze the pizza base. If you have a few bases, place them in a large freezer bag separated with a sheet of Multix bake.

Posted in Dinner, Entertaining, Lunch, Party, Quick & Easy