PIZZA Dough Recipe
This beginner’s recipe is for first-time pizza dough makers at home.
To save time, you can buy fresh pizza dough by Sugo tu at Woolworths for $3 per dough ball. It’s a convenient and delicious option to kickstart your pizza-making journey.
If you’re ready to make your own dough, keep reading.
This recipe requires a rise time of approximately 24 to 48 hours, meaning you should mix the dough 1-2 nights before you plan to cook.
There are four essential ingredients and two essential attitudes for pizza dough:
The ingredients are flour, water, salt, and yeast.
The two essential attitudes are curiosity and patience. Learning to make pizza from scratch can be challenging and takes time to master. However, like learning to ride a bike, once you know how to do it, you’ll never forget.
Gathering the Equipment
First, let’s gather the essential equipment:
- Electronic scales to weigh your ingredients
- Mixing bowl
- Large airtight container (40x30cm)
- Sharp knife
- Measuring jug
- Baking paper
- ROC Baking Steel
Gathering the Ingredients
This recipe will make 3 medium pizzas. If you want more or fewer pizzas, you can adjust the ingredient quantities using the scaling percentages provided at the end.
Ingredients for the dough:
- Tap water: 300 g
- Salt: 12 g
- 00 Flour (Double Zero): 500 g
- Dried yeast: 2 g
Mixing the Dough (Time required: 15 mins, 5 mins clean up)
Wednesday night (or two nights before):
1. Measure 300 grams (ml) of tap water into a large mixing bowl.
2. Add 12 grams of salt and stir until dissolved.
3. Add about 150 grams of the flour and stir the mixture.
4. Sprinkle 2 grams of dried yeast on top.
5. Add the remaining flour and mix until all the flour from the edges and sides is absorbed.
6. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it becomes slightly elastic. If it’s too sticky, add a small amount of flour (some stickiness is fine).
7. Place the dough in an airtight container and let it sit for 6-12 hours at room temperature.
6-12 hours later (10 mins):
1. Divide the dough into even portions (approximately 250 grams each, depending on the desired pizza size).
2. Form each portion into a ball using a fold-and-tuck method.
3. Place the dough balls back in the airtight container and refrigerate.
Preparing to Bake:
I’m making pizza!
1. At least 45 minutes before you want to cook, preheat your oven and place the ROC Baking Steel inside. Use the pizza or fan-forced setting, and turn the oven to its highest temperature.
2. Shape your dough into a round disc starting from the middle. Avoid using a rolling pin to preserve the air bubbles in the dough. Stretch and push it into shape with your hands, without squeezing the dough.
Baking the Pizza:
1. Use baking paper to help manage your pizza. Dust your hands and the dough with flour and shape the dough on the baking paper.
2. Add your toppings while the dough is on the baking paper.
3. Slide the pizza and baking paper onto a chopping board, then transfer it into the preheated oven, placing it on the ROC Baking Steel.
Enjoy your homemade pizza!
How Long to Cook It
While cooking, keep an eye on your pizza. Use a spatula to turn it if one side is cooking faster than the other. Carefully slide the pizza onto your chopping board or pull it out with the baking paper. Be cautious of hot surfaces!
Let the pizza rest for a few minutes before serving.
Once you’ve started your pizza-making journey, you can experiment with different methods to create subtle variations in your dough. Explore online resources for more pizza-making tips. I recommend the Sourdough Baking Australia Facebook Group. If you have Netflix, check out the “Air” episode of Cooked, which discusses the importance of air bubbles in dough for flavor.
This is a quick introduction, so please let me know if you have any questions.
Peter
Founder of ROC Baking Steel
Further Info Shaping Techniques
Check out Johnny Di Francesco’s videos where he teaches techniques for shaping pizza dough.
How to Adjust the Quantities
Use your flour as the base for measuring the other ingredients, which are proportionate to the amount of flour used.
Water: For 1 kg of flour, use 60% water. That means 1000g of flour x 60% = 600g of water.
Salt: Use 2.2% of the flour’s weight. For 1000g of flour, that’s 22g of salt. Adjust to taste.
Yeast: Measuring 1g of yeast accurately can be tricky with most digital kitchen scales; you might need a micro scale. Using 2g will be close enough.
Download the PizzaApp calculator from the App/Play Store for precise measurements.
Choosing Ingredients
Flour
Use a bread or pizza/pasta style flour. Il Molino 00 Flour is recommended for a great-tasting pizza. Alternatively, you can use brands like Lighthouse or Italian imported 00 flour. Regular plain flour is less suitable for pizza/bread due to different protein content and type. Bread flour is typically a classification of wheat harvested at a particular time of the year. For a deep dive into wheat properties, refer to Jeffrey Hamelman’s “Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes”. Flour texture varies, with some being milled finer than others.
Water
Regular tap water works fine for pizza in most parts of Australia. Filtered water is also a good option.
Salt
The type of salt affects the flavor; some are saltier and have different effects. For beginners, regular table salt or sea salt will do well. Pink salt and Celtic salt are also good choices.
Yeast
Start with commercially made yeast. Lighthouse yeast with Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is recommended as it helps the dough rise and capture air. Yeast can be dried or fresh. Most supermarkets stock dry yeast, while delicatessens and wood-fired pizza shops may supply fresh yeast. Later on, you can experiment with making your own yeast starter.
Customer Service
For inquiries, you can reach us via email, Instagram, or voicemail.
Email: hello@rocbakingsteel.com.au
Instagram: @rocbakingsteel
Phone: 03 8644 2761 (Voicemail only; we recommend emailing for a quicker response)