Description
This Artisan Pizza Dough recipe yields a crispy, chewy, and bubbly crust perfect for homemade pizzas. Using a simple combination of bread flour, water, instant yeast, sea salt, and olive oil, the dough undergoes an autolyse, long cold fermentation, and careful stretch-and-fold technique to develop incredible texture and flavor. The dough is baked at a high temperature on a pizza stone or steel, resulting in an authentic pizzeria-style crust.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough Ingredients
- 500 grams (about 4 cups) bread flour
- 375 grams (1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon) water, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 2 grams (1/2 teaspoon) instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (for coating)
Instructions
- Mix the Dough: In a large bowl, combine the bread flour and instant yeast. Gradually pour in the room temperature water while mixing until the mixture forms a sticky, shaggy dough with no dry flour remaining.
- Autolyse: Cover the dough with a damp towel and let it rest for 30 minutes to hydrate the flour fully and start gluten development.
- Add Salt: Sprinkle the fine sea salt over the dough, then fold the dough over itself repeatedly until the dough becomes smooth and cohesive.
- First Rise: Cover the bowl and let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours until it roughly doubles in size.
- Stretch and Fold: During the first rise, perform stretch and fold techniques every 30 minutes to strengthen the gluten network and improve dough structure.
- Cold Fermentation: After the first rise, cover the dough and refrigerate it for 24 to 72 hours to develop deeper flavor and texture.
- Shape the Dough: Remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature. Divide into desired portions, shape each into a tight ball, and let rest for 30 minutes to relax the gluten.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 500°F (260°C) or higher, placing a pizza stone or steel inside to heat thoroughly.
- Stretch and Bake: Stretch each dough ball into pizza shapes by hand, add your favorite toppings, then transfer to the preheated stone or steel. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes until the crust is bubbly, golden, and crisp.
Notes
- Use bread flour for optimal gluten development and crust texture.
- The long cold fermentation enhances flavor and creates a chewier crust.
- Stretch and folds during the first rise strengthen the dough without kneading.
- Preheating the pizza stone/steel is crucial for a crispy bottom crust.
- Stretch the dough gently by hand to preserve air bubbles for a bubbly texture.
- Adjust topping amount to avoid soggy crust.
- Olive oil can also be brushed on the dough balls before storing to prevent drying out.
- Allow dough balls to rest sufficiently before baking for easier handling.
