{"id":1246,"date":"2015-08-29T07:00:02","date_gmt":"2015-08-29T07:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/betondinner.com\/?p=1246"},"modified":"2018-08-30T01:36:55","modified_gmt":"2018-08-30T01:36:55","slug":"homemade-pizza-part-1-the-dough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/betondinner.com\/homemade-pizza-part-1-the-dough\/","title":{"rendered":"Homemade Pizza, Part 1 – The Dough."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"homemade<\/a><\/p>\n

Pizza is #1 (by, like, a mile) on the\u00a0list of “meals my whole family loves”. (Umm, now I’m trying to think of what else would be on that list. Anyone? Bueller?<\/em>) And it’s a good one to be able to make at home on the cheap, and a little on the healthier side, so you can rejoice in\u00a0a weekly pizza night!<\/p>\n

Now. You can certainly buy a refrigerated bag of dough at the grocery store. But this is better. And in pizza: part 3<\/a> I’m going to make making your own dough SO WORTH YOUR WHILE. But for now you’ll have to trust me.<\/p>\n

\"adding<\/a><\/p>\n

Simple, simple ingredients – flour, yeast, salt. Olive oil, honey (in that order, for honey that slides right out of the measuring spoon), and water. I always use my KitchenAid mixer for this, although I’m sure you could get in there and knead it by hand!<\/p>\n

\"dough<\/a><\/p>\n

If you have any fears about making your own dough, take heart! This super helpful pizza video tutorial<\/a>\u00a0from A Couple Cooks is here to help you. Over the years I’ve adapted the\u00a0recipe I use somewhat from theirs, but I still use the exact technique from the video and have made dough this way dozens of times. Seriously, you should watch it before you start out!<\/p>\n

\"dividing<\/a><\/p>\n

Once the dough is kneaded, dust a pan (or your counter) with flour. Plop the dough onto the floured surface (it shouldn’t stick to your hands much!) and make it an even-ish shape that you can divide into two equal pieces (or more, if you made a big batch). Then shape each portion into a boule: lightly stretch the top of the piece of dough and tuck the edges under, until you have a smooth, rounded top and a pinched together bottom (here, just watch the video<\/a>). Rub a drizzle of olive oil onto the tops and tuck them in for a little rest under a damp towel.<\/p>\n

\"dough<\/a>Aren’t they just beautiful? Aren’t you so glad you’re doing this? I heart dough.<\/em><\/p>\n

After about an hour, the dough balls are puffed and ready to be made into a beautiful pizza!<\/p>\n

\"risen<\/a><\/p>\n

Transfer a piece of dough to a cornmeal-dusted pan. (I usually use the non-stick pan pictured below. Recently, I used the shiny one above and was sad sad sad because my pizza stuck. So if your pan isn’t non-stick, use a lot of cornmeal!) Press it to flatten it, then pick it up and set\u00a0your inner Italian chef free\u00a0while you stretch it on your hands a little. (Have I mentioned\u00a0this awesome video<\/a>?) A problem I sometimes have is that\u00a0the middle of the pizza gets kind of thin but I\u00a0still want to stretch out the outer edges, so I usually end with a pinky-side-of-the-hand move where I rock my hand toward the edge of the crust (you can kind of see the indentations from that on the bottom left picture below). But an imperfectly shaped homemade pizza still tastes delicious, so no pressure on this part!<\/p>\n

\"making<\/a>Please allow your child to double-fist the mozzarella like mine is. And employ as many family members as you can as assistant pizza chefs!<\/em><\/p>\n

Then top, and bake! Isn’t that so doable? Just one little step at a time. My older daughter loves helping with every part of this process, and it is so satisfying to transform humble ingredients into a homemade pizza masterpiece. And I don’t think that’s just my inner food nerd talking! Stay tuned –\u00a0I’ll be back soon with a toppings extravaganza<\/a> and a make-ahead option that you.will.love!<\/p>\n

\"slices<\/a><\/p>\nPrint<\/a>

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