Perfect Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe Little Spice Jar

Are you like me, do you judge a pizza by it’s crust? Some people like a thin and crispy crust, while others like a fluffy, thick and chewy one. My idea of a perfect homemade pizza crust is thick and chewy — after all, I do have to stay true to my Chicago roots, don’t I? 😉 Homemade pizza crust can sound like a very daunting task, I know. I was scared of it for the longest time. Actually, anything bread related I tried to steer clear of completely. But store bought pizza dough, frozen pizza, and delivery have one thing in common, can you figure it out? The crust. It’s terrible! It reminds me of stale cardboard. Yeah, ew. Homemade pizza dough produces perfect pizza parlor quality crust that will have your entire family begging for pizza night, every night! Growing up, my most favorite pizza was gasp Pizza Hut! This was before I became a pizza crust snob, obvi. I was obsessed with the stuffed crust pizza from there. My brother and I took part in the Book It! program where you read books and meet a goal each month to receive free personal pan pizzas. It was probably the best thing about the 90s, hands down. My mom would take us on Friday nights to redeem our pizza. And it was always the best Friday of the month! Anyway back to pizza. Though quantities may differ, the ingredients for a basic pizza dough stay pretty much the same. You’re looking at a little flour, yeast, salt, water, oil, and a sweetener. Usually sugar is used to make pizza dough. I’ve replaced it with honey. I like using honey because in my experience, the crust is slightly crispier on the outside than with sugar. Feel free to use granulated sugar or agave nectar in it’s place. Both will achieve similar results. Over the course of a year, i’ve perfect my homemade pizza dough recipe. After tinkering with it for what seems like an eternity, I am finally happy with the results! I wanted to make sure that I had a fool-proof recipe that would work regardless of humidity issues. Because living in Houston, any day can turn into a day at the sauna. I let the mixer do all the kneading for me, so it’s easy to make and perfect every.single.time. After having this pizza crust, don’t be surprised if you don’t like the delivery stuff anymore. You will seriously crave the taste of this crispy, chewy pizza! I simply mix up a batch in my mixer (though you can knead by hand if you’d like). Let it rise. I LOVE using my dryer (yes, as in washer/dryer… dryer) to let my dough rise. It is the ideal condition — both dark and hot. Just let it heat up on the low setting for a few minutes before turning the dryer off and placing your dough inside. Depending on the type of yeast you used, your dough will take 1-2 hours to rise. Keep in mind that this recipe makes enough for 2 -12 inch pizzas. So if it’s just 1 or 2 of you at home, you can pop the other half of the dough in the freezer for another night. *Notice how the dough doesn’t stick to my finger when I press the dough. This is exactly what you’re looking for. This homemade pizza dough is so easy to whip up at home. Which makes it ideal for those nights when you just need a big pizza to sink your teeth into. The hubby and I love making 2 pizzas at the end of the week and unwinding with a little Netflix action. The leftovers stay fresh for days. And sometimes I like to sneak in a slice of cold pizza around midnight. Even cold, the pizza crust has such a great texture, not like chewing on a rubber band like it is with store-bought or delivery pizza when it cold. Pizza night isn’t suppose to break the bank so stop spending $10 on a pizza and make your own pizza dough — enough to make 2-12 inch pizzas for less than $1. Since sharing this recipe, I’ve gone on to make a lazy pizza dough that requires no kneading at all! As an added bonus, here’s a homemade sauce that pairs perfectly with this pizza dough. (PS – check below the recipe for step-by-step pictures!)

Freeze: you can freeze one or both of the dough. Make sure to freeze them separately. Lightly spray the inside of a zipped-top bag as well as the dough ball. Place dough inside and squeeze out as much air as possible. Can be frozen for up to 2 months.To thaw: simply let it refrigerate overnight or for about 12 hours. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes at room temp. prior to rolling out.