Homemade Pizza Dough

I already had a recipe for homemade dough however, I dislike the time I needed to let it rise. This one makes more than one crust and you let it rise in the fridge overnight. Also, the recipe calls for a stand mixer, but I used a hand one. It worked fine, but didn't need to mix as long as the recipe calls for. We will be using this recipe for pizza from now on.

Homemade Pizza Dough

Making pizza dough is economical, fun, and healthful since you control the ingredients. This recipe yields enough dough to make two pizzas, or one pizza and four large calzones.

Yield
2 crusts, 14 servings

Ingredients
1 package active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
1 1/4 cups cold water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
26.1 ounces (about 5 1/2 cups) unbleached bread flour, divided
Cooking spray

Preparation
1. Dissolve yeast in 1 cup warm water in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Combine 1 1/4 cups cold water, oil, sugar, and salt in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.
2. Weigh or lightly spoon 24.9 ounces (about 5 1/4 cups) flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, yeast mixture, and cold water mixture in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low 8 minutes or until dough begins to form. Let rest 2 minutes; mix on low 6 minutes or until dough is smooth. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 2 minutes); add enough of the remaining 1.19 ounces (about 1/4 cup) flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel sticky).
3. Divide the dough in half, and place each portion in a large zip-top bag coated with cooking spray. Seal and chill overnight or up to 2 days. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before using.

Note: You can freeze the dough in heavy-duty, freezer-safe zip-top plastic bags for up to 2 months; thaw dough overnight in the refrigerator.


Nutritional Information
Calories: 214
Fat: 2.9g (sat 0.4g,mono 1.5g,poly 0.6g)
Protein: 6.6g
Carbohydrate: 39.5g
Fiber: 1.4g
Cholesterol: 0.0mg
Iron: 2.5mg
Sodium: 170mg
Calcium: 8mg

Diane Morgan, Cooking Light, JULY 2009