Pizza Dough (also Garlic Bread or Pita Bread Dough)
These are the ingredients and directions for pizza dough. Depending on your tastes, you can sub in and sub out a different oil than olive oil, but a recommendation is to keep the same ratio. You can also sub out any of the added spices. This dough can also be hydrated less and cook different to make pita bread, there will be information on that at the end.
Ingredients
Oil
Olive Oil - 1/2 cup
Olive Oil (for completed dough) - 1 teaspoon
Olive Oil (for container) - 1 teaspoon
Water
Water (cool) - 2 cups
Water (slightly warmer than room temperature) - 3 Tablespoons
Yeast
Active Dry Yeast - 2 teaspoons
Flour
Bread Flour - 2.5 lbs
Spices
Garlic Powder - 4 Tablespoons
Oregano - 3 Tablespoons
Sugar - 1 teaspoon
Cayenne Powder - 1 teaspoon (will NOT make bread spicy)
Tumeric Powder - 1 teaspoon
Cumin Powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Pepper - 1 teaspoon
Cooking Instructions
Blooming the Yeast
In a bowl, add the following:
Water (slightly warmer than room temperature) - 3 Tablespoons
Active Dry Yeast - 2 teaspoons
Allow to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes
The yeast will look puffy or have grown when it has bloomed
Combining Dry Ingredients
In a stand mixer with the dough hook attached (or a large mixing bowl), add the following:
Bread Flour - 2.5 lbs
Garlic Powder - 4 Tablespoons
Oregano - 3 Tablespoons
Sugar - 1 teaspoon
Cayenne Powder - 1 teaspoon (will NOT make bread spicy)
Tumeric Powder - 1 teaspoon
Cumin Powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Pepper - 1 teaspoon
Use a whisk or fork to combine
Combining Wet and Dry Ingredients
Once the yeast has bloomed add it to the dry ingredients in the stand mixer (or large mixing bowl).
Add Water (cool) - 1 cup and Olive Oil - 1/2 cup to the stand mixer (or large mixing bowl).
Place remaining Water (cool) - 1 cup to the side
Mixing
If using a stand mixer:
Start mixing on low while all of the ingredients begin incorporating
Add a little water at a time from remaining Water (cool) - 1 cup, as needed, to combine all the ingredients
Once all of the dry ingredients are incorporated and no longer on the sides or bottom of the mixing bowl, add a teaspoon of water and then let the mixer run on medium to knead the dough for 3-4 minutes
If using a large mixing bowl:
Start mixing with two forks or hands while all of the ingredients begin incorporating
Add a little water at a time from remaining Water (cool) - 1 cup, as needed, to combine all the ingredients
Once all of the dry ingredients are incorporated and no longer on the sides or bottom of the mixing bowl, add a teaspoon of water
Now it’s time to knead the dough. This is accomplished by:
Pull a handful of dough away from the center (do not separate it)
Put it on top of the dough
Press into the dough
Rotate the bowl 90 degrees
Repeat for 5-10 minutes
Proofing
Once the dough is a combined and kneaded you can proof the dough
On top of the dough add Olive Oil (for completed dough) - 1 teaspoon, rub it across the dough
You can cover the mixing bowl with a clean dish towel or place it in the container in which it will live in the refrigerator later. If you place it in the container, add Olive Oil (for the container) - 1 teaspoon to it and use a paper towel to spread it around the entire container.
Whichever container is being used to proof the dough, needs to have the space for the dough to expand at least to double its size.
Allow to sit at room temperature for 1-3 hours depending on the time you have at hand.
If you proofed it in the mixing bowl, you will need to move the dough to a container, add Olive Oil (for the container) - 1 teaspoon to it and use a paper towel to spread it around the entire container. Now move the dough from the mixing bowl to the container.
If you are using it now, take the needed amount for cooking below and then place it in the refrigerator. If using later, place it in refrigerator. We usually use the batch across a week. Before using the refrigerated dough, remove it and place on counter to come to room temperature inside of container 1 hour before use.
Cooking
Set oven to 500-degrees Fahrenheit, let pre-heat while assembling pizza
If you do not have a 500-degree safe baking sheet or an oven that can hit 500-degrees, then you will want to use what you have safely and just adjust the cooking time
Take a 500-degree safe baking sheet and begin assembling the pizza
For a thin crust, you will want 1 cm or less on the height of the spread out dough.
Cheat: You can spread the dough out on parchment paper to help you spread it out. But you will want to take pizza out 1/2 through cooking, take the parchment paper out, and place pizza directly onto pan, and then place it back into over to finish cooking
Once your pizza is assembled you will place it into the oven. Depending on the size of pizza, it will vary on how long it will need to stay in there. But what you are looking for is that the crust around the outside is turning brown or even dark brown. Depending on your taste. The size and temperature I cook them at usually means that I start checking them at 8 minutes or so. But you will want to watch it closely the first couple of times to dial it in to your temperature, altitude, size, and taste.
Remove from oven
Turn oven off
Remove pizza from pan and place on a cooling rack for 5 minutes
Enjoy
Serving
Let it rest on a cooling rack for 5 minutes before cutting and serving after removing it from the oven.
Garlic Bread
To adjust this recipe to make Garlic Bread, follow these steps:
Follow all of the steps up until assembling the pizza
Then instead of spreading it out to a pizza size, make a 1 inch thick shape of your choice
On top of your shape add:
melted butter or vegan butter
garlic powder and/or cut up pieces of garlic
Cook like the pizza until it begins to brown
Remove from oven
Turn oven off
Let rest on cooling rack for about 5 minutes
Enjoy
Pita Bread
To adjust this recipe to make Pita Bread, follow these steps:
during the creation of the dough, you will want to hydrate it slightly less, around 1/2 cup less of water
Create the dough the same way
Once you are ready to cook it, it will follow a different process
On parchment paper, place about a handful ball of dough down, place another parchment paper on top, now roll it out to about a centimeter of thickness and to the size of pita that you want
Set aside to rest for about 10 minutes
Repeat to desired amount of Pitas
Take a skillet or pan and heat it to medium high, once skillet is hot proceed
Place a pita in the skillet, it will take 1-2 minutes to cook on that side. You should see bubbles start to form
Flip and let that side cook 1-2 minutes.
Remove from heat
Turn stove/range off
Let it rest for 1-2 minutes
Cut in half and if needed cut to middle to open the pita up
Enjoy
