Description
This recipe recreates the classic Pizza Hut-style homemade pizza dough, perfect for making soft, chewy, and flavorful pizza crusts at home. Using simple ingredients like warm water, yeast, olive oil, and all-purpose flour, this dough is easy to prepare and yields a delicious base ready for your favorite toppings.
Ingredients
Scale
Yeast Mixture
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp active dry yeast
Dough
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Activate the yeast: In a large bowl, combine the warm water, sugar, and active dry yeast. Stir gently and let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes, or until it becomes foamy, indicating the yeast is active.
- Mix the dough: Add the olive oil, salt, and all-purpose flour to the yeast mixture. Mix until a rough dough forms and all the ingredients are combined.
- Knead the dough: Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead it for 5 to 7 minutes until the dough becomes smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but not sticky.
- Let it rise: Place the kneaded dough into a greased bowl, cover it with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and allow it to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until it doubles in size.
- Preheat the oven: About 15 minutes before baking, preheat your oven to 475°F (245°C) to ensure it reaches the ideal temperature for baking the pizza crust.
- Shape and bake the dough: Roll out the risen dough onto a baking sheet or pizza pan to your desired thickness. Add your preferred toppings, then bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and crisp.
Notes
- Make sure the water is warm but not too hot to avoid killing the yeast.
- For a chewier crust, let the dough rise longer, up to 2 hours.
- You can substitute some or all of the all-purpose flour with bread flour for a slightly different texture.
- Letting the dough rest covered prevents it from drying out during the rise.
- Use a pizza stone if available for an even crisper crust.
