Easy Homemade Pizza Dough

1 In a stand mixer with dough hook, add flour, yeast and salt and mix on low speed until combined. Slowly add water until combined, then knead with dough hook for 2 more minutes, or until dough starts to pull away from bowl and form a big ball on hook. If the mixture seems too dry, add a bit more water. Sometimes I need to do this, other times I do not.

2 Put this mixture in a large clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap or silicone cover, (I cover it with a towel too, not sure if that makes any difference, but it makes me feel better) and place in a draft free area for 18-24 hours.

3 The next day, turn mixture out onto a floured work surface. Shape into a long oval shape and cut into 6 even sections, or 3 if you like your pizza thicker. Next, take each section and fold the ends towards the middle, flip over, shape into a ball and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Do this with all pieces. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and a towel and let sit for one hour.

4 After one hour, take each ball and roll out on a floured surface until it is the thickness you like your pizza. You can also roll the dough out very thinly with a rolling pin or stretch it out with your fingertips, if you prefer. I like to use a large wooden pizza spatula with parchment paper on it, then a sprinkling of cornmeal, then crust. Next, I top the pizza with various and just place the crust (including the parchment paper) on a preheated pizza stone on our outdoor gas grill that has been preheated to the highest temperature, close the cover and it’s ready in about 8 minutes. If you don’t have a BBQ, preheat your oven to 500, with a pizza stone inside and cook for 8 minutes.

Some of our favorite pizzas: Mexican: “refried” beans, black olives, onions; topped with lettuce, tomatoes and salsa after cooking.

Thai: peanut sauce, red peppers, baked tofu, onions; topped with cilantro and/or greens after cooking.

Veggie: tomato sauce, red peppers, mushrooms, black and green olives, onions, pepperoncinis.

Note: If you don’t want to use the dough right away, simply place in ziplock bags and place in the freezer. May be kept frozen for up to 6 months. To thaw, remove from freezer and let rest on counter until thawed, about 2 hours.