Mr Fare Sage missed his calling as a baker. He has a real flair for bread. This is his pizza dough recipe, perfected over the course of the last few years. Using wholemeal flour is a relatively new tweak but we’ll never go back. It gives the end result so much more flavour, and makes it a much more substantial meal.
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This recipe works equally well if you make it by hand, or using a stand mixer. I’ve included instructions for both options in the recipe. Making bread by hand is a very satisfying experience – but it can be time consuming, and quite frankly, a bit of a workout! Using a stand mixer isn’t quite as romantic, but it does give very good results. With minimal effort too!
This is a fantastic pizza dough – flavourful, light and fluffy, and with a wonderful crisp edge. And using my tip for achieving a crispy base means you can now make the perfect pizza at home.
When we make this dough by hand, we usually make the dough mid-morning on pizza day and let it spend the day happily proving away in the hot-water cupboard. If using a mixer, this lovely pizza dough could be ready for the oven in as little as 90 minutes. As with any bread making, air temperature and humidity have an impact on proving time/speed, so allow more time if making this in colder climates or winter months.
Once you’ve made it once, you’ll never buy bases again.
Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp active dried yeast granules
- 1 1/2 cups warm water approximately
- 1½ cups plain flour
- 1 cup wholemeal flour. If you don't wish to use wholemeal, just use 2½ cups plain flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp oil
Instructions
To make this dough by hand:
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Dissolve the sugar in about ¼ cup of the water, then sprinkle the yeast granules over. Leave them to froth for about 15 minutes.
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Mix the flours and salt in a large bowl, then mix through the oil. Pour on the yeast mixture and stir through.
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Add the rest of the water a little at a time, mixing with your hands after each addition, until a soft dough forms. The exact amount of water you use will vary every time. I believe the outside temperature, humidity and age of your flour all have something to do with how much water it will absorb - who knew!
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Turn the dough out on to a floured surface and start to knead it. It should feel quite sticky to start with but it will gradually start to feel softer and easier to knead. Knead for 10-15 minutes until the dough is soft and springs back when you touch it with your finger. Form the dough into a ball.
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Lightly grease a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and place in a warm area, like your hot water cupboard, to prove for at least two hours or until the dough has at least doubled in size.
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Once the dough has proved, pull it out of the bowl onto a floured surface and form it in to a ball again. Gently pat it down and shape it into a round, then lightly flour the top and roll it out to your desired shape and thickness.
To make this dough with a stand mixer:
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Add one cup of warm water, the sugar and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached. Stir on low speed for a minute to dissolve the sugar. Let sit for 10 minutes to let the yeast froth.
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Once the yeast is frothy, sift on the flours and salt, and pour in the oil. Mix on low speed for a minute to combine, then increase the speed one notch. Knead the dough at this speed for 5-7 minutes. Remove from the mixer and form the dough into a ball.
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Lightly grease a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and place in a warm area, like your hot water cupboard, to prove for at least an hour or until the dough has at least doubled in size.
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Once the dough has proved, pull it out of the bowl onto a floured surface and form it in to a ball again. Gently pat it down and shape it into a round, then lightly flour the top and roll it out to your desired shape and thickness.
Recipe Notes
To bake the perfect pizza base:
Place a flat baking tray in your oven and turn it up as hot as possible - I usually crank mine up to about 240C Fan Bake. Let the oven and tray heat for at least 10 minutes. Take a sheet of greaseproof paper as big as your rolled out pizza base and lay it on the bench. You may need to use two sheets of paper laid in a X to get it big enough. Gently roll your base around your rolling pin, then carefully lift it up and unroll it on to your greaseproof paper. Now top it with your chosen topping (some of our favourites are noted below). Very very carefully using a thick tea towel or oven mitt, take the heated baking tray out of the oven and take it over to your prepared pizza. Carefully lift the edge of the baking paper and pull the pizza and the paper on to the hot baking tray (the first few times we did this it took two of us). Place the pizza in to the oven. After its been cooking for a couple of minutes, use a spatula to lift the edge of the pizza and carefully slide the greaseproof paper out from underneath it so the pizza is now directly on the baking tray. Cook for around 8-10 minutes until the pizza is golden and the edges are crisp.
Suggested toppings: I prefer to spread my bases thinly with mayonnaise rather than tomato because I think it allows the toppings to shine and not be overpowered by the sauce. I also like to be fairly stally with the cheese on top, adding just enough to make the topping stick. Pizza toppings really are only limited by your imagination so put whatever takes your fancy on it. Some of our favourites include:
- Pepperoni (who doesn’t love a pepperoni pizza!)
- Smoked salmon, red onion and capers with dollop of herbed sour cream mixed with chives after cooking
- Smoked chicken, brie and cranberry sauce
- Cumin rubbed lamb rump (roasted, cooled, then sliced) with finely chopped rosemary, cubes of feta, red onion and slivers of garlic
- Prawns with crushed garlic and parsley
- Thick-cut bone ham, cut into cubes, with fresh pineapple and smoked cheese
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