In this video, I’m sharing my go-to guide for first-time pizza makers to create the best homemade pizza crust using a simple four-ingredient dough recipe. You don’t need a commercial pizza oven or fancy equipment. I’ll show you how to handle common beginner challenges, like using a pizza peel and getting the right bake in a home oven, by using a pizza screen. This method ensures your crust is perfectly chewy and crunchy while preventing toppings from getting overcooked. I’ll walk you through the entire process, from preparing the dough with high-protein flour to shaping the crust and adding delicious, fresh toppings, like the ones for the Margherita and Mediterranean pizzas I made in this video. Join me to learn how to make amazing, restaurant-quality pizza right in your own kitchen!
Special Equipment:
Pizza Peel, 14″ pizza screen, oven pizza stone, stand mixer with dough hook attachment (optional)
Ingredients:
- 500 grams high-protein flour (at least 12%, preferably closer to 13% protein). The recipe specifically recommends Double 0 pizza flour for its protein content.
- 1 teaspoon of salt.
- 300 milliliters of water, heated to 110-115°F. (If your environment is cool or dry, use 325 milliliters of water) .
- Yeast packet (the store brand, rapid yeast is perfectly fine).
- Nonstick spray for the bowls.
- Flour for the work surface.
Directions:
Measure and Combine Dry Ingredients: Measure out 500 grams of high-protein flour. Add one teaspoon of salt to the flour. Stir the flour and salt together to prevent the salt from killing the yeast microbes later on.
Prepare the Yeast and Water: Heat water to 110-115°F. Measure out 300 milliliters of the warm water and stir in the yeast.
Mix the Dough: Add the water/yeast mixture to the flour and salt mixture. Mix until the dough comes together. The dough can be kneaded by hand for 10-15 minutes or mixed in a stand mixer on a low setting for 10 minutes.
Form Dough Balls: Once the dough is mixed and feels “rubbery,” remove it from the mixer. Portion the dough into three roughly equal parts. Fashion each piece into a dough ball by folding the ends in on themselves and turning it until it forms a sealed ball.
First Rise: Lightly spray three bowls with nonstick spray and place one dough ball in each. Cover the bowls with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature for two hours.
Prepare for Baking: Place a pizza stone in your oven and preheat the oven to its highest setting for at least half an hour. Place the risen dough on a well-floured work surface.
Shape the Dough: Press down on the dough with your fingertips, working from the inside out and leaving a “proud” edge for the crust. Use your hands to gently stretch the periphery of the dough until it reaches about 14 inches. Avoid pressing down on the center, as this can create holes. Place the shaped dough on a pizza screen.
Pre-bake the Crust: Place the pizza screen with the shaped dough on the hot pizza stone in the oven. Pre-bake the crust for 3-5 minutes, until bubbles just begin to form.
Add Toppings and Bake: Remove the pre-baked crust from the oven and add your desired toppings. Use a peel to slide the pizza off the screen and directly onto the pizza stone in the oven. The stone will help the crust get nice and crispy.
Final Cook: Bake for several more minutes until the crust is golden brown and the toppings are cooked to your liking
Yields: Three 14-inch thin-crust pizzas or two 16-inch slightly thicker-crust pizzas
