Every great pizza begins with a great crust. Some like it thin, some like it crispy, some like it fluffy and thick. My homemade pizza crust recipe is thick and chewy – my favorite way to eat it. Make Pizza homemade as Papa john Homemade pizza crust may sound difficult to you. Why waste the time when you can buy frozen? But trust me – homemade crust is nothing like store-bought, delivery, or what you order at a restaurant. Making pizza crust is a lot like making regular bread, only quicker and well, flatter. Please read the following because knowing the ins and outs before beginning will help you tremendously.
Ingredients. All pizza doughs recipes are different, but they typically all have the same ingredients: flour, yeast, water, salt, oil, and some may have sugar. Here is the breakdown of what I use in my recipe. Yeast. I use Red
Star Platinum yeast.
I have the best results in my
breads when I use their platinum line. Though I am being compensated for sponsoring Red Star Yeast, please know that I’ve been an avid user ever since I began to bake with yeast. Their Platinum line is fantastic; its careful formula strengthens your dough and makes making working with yeast simple. I use only enough yeast to get the job done; I don’t like pizza dough to taste “yeasty.” (Technical terms here, of course.) 1 standard packet (2 and 1/4 teaspoons) is what you need for my pizza crust recipe.
Water. I tested this recipe with many different amounts of water over the past few weeks. I find that 1 and 1/3 cups is the perfect
number. Please use lukewarm water (105F – 115F). Anything over 120F will kill your yeast. Flour. Please use unbleached all-purpose white flour in this recipe. Bleaching the flour strips away some of the protein, which will affect how much water your flour absorbs in this recipe. You may use bread flour instead, but you’ll have to increase the water by a couple Tablespoons since bread flour contains more protein than all-purpose. I do not know how to make this pizza crust gluten free. For the best results, just stick to the recipe as written. Oil. Extra virgin gives this pizza crust the best taste. You’ll also line your bowl with olive oil as the dough rises and brush your dough with olive oil before layering on the toppings. This prevents the crust from getting soggy from the toppings. Salt. Salt gives my pizza crust a little flavor. Pizza dough without salt tastes bland regardless of the toppings. I tested with two different amounts and 3/4 teaspoon is perfect. Sugar. I add a touch of sugar to my pizza dough recipe. Sugar increases the yeast’s activity, while salt can control it. Furthermore, a slight touch of sugar will tenderize your dough, especially when paired with the olive oil.
Cornmeal. Not all pizza dough recipes use cornmeal to dust the pan, but I prefer it. The main reason you sprinkle cornmeal onto the bottom of your pizza pan is so that the pizza won’t stick to the bottom of the pan. It gives the pizza crust a little flavor and crispy texture as well. You could just use regular flour to dust the pan, but you’ll lose the flavor cornmeal provides. Check Papa john’s 50 off code 2014 to experince Papa John taste