a peek inside the fishbowl

29 Oct, 2008

Pizza dough recipe – the best thus far

Posted by andrea tomkins in: - iKnead

I have to admit, I always feel a ping of excitment when this happens:

pizza dough rising

I used to buy my own pre-made pizza crust, but you know what? It was, meh, okay, not great, just okay. Sometimes it was stale. Sometimes it would crack and break on the way home. And I was annoyed by how much sodium was in it. Does pizza crust really need so much sodium?

I’ve been experimenting with recipes for homemade pizza dough for weeks. I think I finally have it figured out. This recipe is from my old Joy of Cooking. It’s probably my favourite standby cookbook. If you like DIY pizza, I recommend trying this one. It’s really easy to make your own pizza. This ones doesn’t take that long to prepare and makes a lovely crust too.

Recipe for Pizza Dough!

You will need:

1 package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
1 1/3 cups warm water
3 1/2 – 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour* (unbleached bread flour worked well for this recipe)
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs salt (Optional. I add a pinch of sea salt.)
1 tbs sugar (Optional. I usually make it without. Use sugar if you like a puffier crust.)

* I normally use 1 cup Robin Hood multigrain flour and 2 cups (plus a bit) unbleached stone ground white flour.

Combine the yeast and the warm water in a large bowl. Let stand for 5 – 10 minutes until yeast is dissolved and is starting to foam up.

Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Mix until it’s all holding together. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. Don’t skimp on the kneading! The dough should be smooth and elastic, tacky, not sticky, when you’re done.

Transfer it over to a bowl that you’ve lightly coated with additional olive oil. Turn the dough over to coat completely. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean and floured dishtowel and let rise in a warm place. I like to put mine in the oven, which has been preheated for about a minute (then turned off). Keep it in there for about 90 minutes until it’s about doubled in volume. (See pic at the top of this post. Wee! Who knew baking could be this exciting?)

Punch the dough down and divide it in half. At this point you can use all the dough to make one large thick-crust pizza, two smaller pizzas, or just use the one half to make one large thin crust pizza. (And freeze the other half for next time! This is my preference.)

Regardless of the path you have chosen, roll your dough into a ball and let it rest, loosely covered, for about 10-15 minutes. While it’s resting, preheat the oven to 450F. Dust your baking stone or baking sheet with cornmeal (don’t skip this step!), flatten the dough and roll it out flat. Brave? Let your kids have a go. They might surprise you by not dropping it on the floor.

The dough will be fairly elastic, so you’ll have to stretch it out with your rolling pin. Place the dough on your baking sheet. To prevent the toppings from making the crust soggy, brush the top of the dough with a bit of additional olive oil. Use your fingers to push dents into the surface of the dough. This will prevent air holes bubbling up as it bakes. Let it rest for 10 minutes while you prep your toppings.

Now add the toppings – whatever you like. Sometimes I do the tomato sauce thing as a base, sometimes I’ll use BBQ sauce or pesto or just plain olive oil. Meat and veggies go on top, then the cheese.

Our faves topping combinations include:

  • fresh pineapple and bacon (chop it in small pieces and fry before adding to the pizza), mozzarella
  • pepperoni and cheese
  • BBQ sauce, chicken, red onion rings, feta cheese.

When you’re ready, pop it in the oven. Depending on the thickness of your crust, it’ll take about 12 minutes (give or take) to bake. Broiling it for a couple minutes at the end will make your cheese nice and brown.

Let me know if you decide to try this recipe! I hope you do, because it beats everything else out there.


148 Responses to "Pizza dough recipe – the best thus far"

1 | Javamom

October 29th, 2008 at 1:32 pm

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I’m so happy to hear about your yeast experiments. Me and yeast have issues but frankly, store bought yeasty products (bread) are just, well, meh. There are exceptions…but I like the idea of baking my own bread, dough, stuff. So I’m definitely going to try this one and let you know how it turns out.

2 | Tosca

October 29th, 2008 at 2:41 pm

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Oh, do I know this recipe well- I’ve been making this particular JOC recipe for at least 10 years. It’s our weekly Friday night dinner, without fail. The sugar I find is indeed optional, unless your yeast is a bit on the tired side, in which case it gives it a little boost.

I’ve also improvised and used half whole wheat, half white flour, and it turns out just as well- better, in fact.

The other thing I like to do is divide this recipe and half, just because we’re thin crust lovers around here. The full quantity in one pizza is just a bit too much bread for us.

3 | porter

October 29th, 2008 at 2:50 pm

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Hey my Mom used to make the JOC pizza dough for our Sunday pizzas every Sunday growing up! Nothing beats my Mom’s pizza. I love homemade pizza (I usually buy the store brand fresh whole wheat dough…not as good as my Moms homemade) and when I make it I always make two or three extra pizzas for the freezer. I think it’s time to make some.
PS-can’t believe how much snow you got already???

4 | Mom On The Go

October 30th, 2008 at 10:40 am

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Homemade pizza dough is a bit like Rice Krispie squares – people think it is much more difficult than it is (but it’s way more healthy than Rice Krispie squaresm of course ;+). My recipe calls for 1 tsp of sugar for the yeast to eat. If your yeast is a bit old or doesn’t get foamy the way you want it to, you might want to trying adding the sugar. I love the kneading and squeezing of the dough, especially after a stressful day at work and I can get the cheese and toppings ready while the dough rises.

5 | andrea

October 30th, 2008 at 10:46 am

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You’re right. It does seem like an overwhelming idea if you’ve never done it, but the more often you do it the easier it is. Now I don’t even think twice about it. Oh, and I love kneading. That’s the best part!

6 | Chantal

October 31st, 2008 at 9:40 pm

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OK so I made it. It turned out good but it didn’t rise as much as your did. I was reading over the comments. Should I have added the sugar to the water with the yeast? Let me know. I will most definitely do this again. Very soon.

7 | andrea

November 1st, 2008 at 7:24 am

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The yeast and water are combined, it sits for five minutes, and then everything else is added. If your dough isn’t rising you should add the sugar. Your yeast might be off.

What I’ve done is added the sugar as the FIRST ingredient (after the yeast/water have sat for five minutes) to check to see if the yeast is viable. It’ll start to bubble up if it is.

8 | Amy

November 1st, 2008 at 10:48 am

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I use a recipe very similar, but it only calls for 1 tsp. of salt. I also generally add about 1 Tbsp. of spices (Italian seasoning, oregano, etc.) to the flour, it adds some extra flavour.

9 | Lynn

November 5th, 2008 at 1:02 pm

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We made this for dinner last night, and it worked out great — everyone loved being able to customize their pizza and everyone ate tons of it. It was just in time to save us — we needed something new on the menu! I’ve added it to our regular rotation.

Thanks for the great instructions, too. They were exactly the way I like them — “while this is happening, do this” — a perfect cooking plan!

10 | Pizza « The Small Moments

January 20th, 2009 at 8:50 pm

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[…] I used Andrea’s recipe. […]

11 | Tania

January 24th, 2009 at 4:14 pm

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This is for Chantal,
The reason it’s not rising doesn’t necessarily indicate that your yeast is old. I make this recipe all the time and there is just one thing I don’t like about it…the method isn’t quite right. You should always poor the liquid (yeast + water once proofed) onto the dry ingredients (flour, salt, oil and sugar combined already) and not the opposite. The reason is that the yeast will suffocate and basically die if you dump it all on them. The oil especially should never be dumped in the “yeast water” as it will kill them. This is what I was taught when I was in culinary school anyway. Also I let my yeast proof for 10 minutes and make sure your water is around 110′ F. As for the sugar, I don’t find it makes a difference adding it to the water. I just toss it in with all the dry ingredients. I make mine in my Kitchenaid stand mixer, does a really great job.

Hope this helps!

12 | andrea

January 24th, 2009 at 4:32 pm

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Interesting technique! Makes sense! But I have to say that I’ve made this recipe dozens and dozens of times using the directions as listed and it’s always risen perfectly! ??

Last week I made a batch (of which I only use half, and put the other half in the freezer now) and topped it with BBQ sauce, grilled chicken, mozzarella cheese, pineapple and red onion. Oh, it was soo good! I’ve also started using a pizza stone. It takes the crust to the next level.

13 | Tania

January 26th, 2009 at 8:31 pm

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Well I guess if it’s working for you then that’s great! I also use a pizza stone, I think it makes an amazing crust.

14 | Jennifer

January 31st, 2009 at 6:12 pm

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Just wondering if you bake the crust first and then add the toppings and re-heat it to melt the cheese. Or do you put all the toppings on and bake it at the same time?

15 | andrea

January 31st, 2009 at 8:11 pm

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Whoops. I guess I didn’t make that clear in the recipe. I will make the correction… but yes, you prep the crust, add the toppings, and bake it with the toppings on.

16 | Noel

February 27th, 2009 at 8:38 pm

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The sugar can’t be optional. Sugar is needed for the yeast to fully activate. It’s not for taste.

17 | andrea

February 27th, 2009 at 9:30 pm

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This is actually a question of chemistry, but you don’t really need the sugar. I’ve made it dozens of times without it. I am guessing that there’s enough natural sugar in the flour to keep the yeasties happy and growing.

18 | DEMORIE GIESBRECHT

March 7th, 2009 at 8:03 pm

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I just tried your recipe. It is the best pizza dough I have tried I added 3/4 tbs of sugar and it tastes perfect to me. My kids and my husband loved even the baby…I will never buy another store bought pizza or order it again. Thank you for you recipe…I will pass it along…..

19 | pizzadoughgirl

May 6th, 2009 at 11:32 am

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Hi, its my first time baking and i dont understand this part “3 1/2 – 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour”. Does it mean i use 3 cups of 1/2 flour and another 3 cups of 3/4. Thanks

20 | andrea

May 6th, 2009 at 11:43 am

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Hi there –
I guess I should have made it clearer!

It means you should start with three and a half cups of flour, but you might need a quarter cup more depending on how wet your dough feels to you.

Good luck! Let us know how it turned out!

21 | Michele

May 8th, 2009 at 8:55 pm

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Just tried it tonight for some homemade pizza with my sons and my nephews….HUGE success! Best recipe for pizza dough I’ve tried to date…will be an entry in my recipe book:)

22 | Kristy

May 19th, 2009 at 5:01 pm

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The crust is wonderful! It tastes as if was made by a real pizzeria! Next time I will try using whole wheat flour and adding flax seed.

A little tip for perfect cheese….use room temperature cheese and you won’t have to broil to get perfectly melted and slightly browned cheese.

23 | Coldprairie

June 2nd, 2009 at 9:26 pm

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I am making this as we speak, I’ll keep ya posted on the results.

Thanks for the recipe.

24 | Coldprairie

June 3rd, 2009 at 4:43 pm

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I totally made a great pizza with it. Except for I used beer instead of water. Otherwise exactly as posted, salt sugar and all. It’s pretty darn good, and very easy.

25 | Anne

June 9th, 2009 at 12:55 pm

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For those who use a pizza stone, do you preheat it first?

26 | andrea

June 9th, 2009 at 2:29 pm

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Hi Anne,
I use a pizza stone religiously! It produces an amazing crust. And yes, I preheat it. Some say it should go in for a full 45-minutes, but the instructions which came with mine called for 20.

I just stick it in the oven at the same time I’m turning it on and they preheat together. It probably adds up to 20 minutes or so, depending on how many toppings I need to prep!

Good luck!

ETA: sprinkle cornmeal on the stone before you put on the dough. It’ll prevent it from sticking and will add a really good flavour to your crust.

27 | jennifer

June 13th, 2009 at 11:44 pm

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i think my yeast was old cuz my dough did not rise but then I thought I could have a thin crust. It turns out the crust is really taking a long time to cook…i was surprise too that the recipes called for 1TBSP of salt, that is alot insn’t it?

28 | andrea

June 14th, 2009 at 8:11 am

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re: salt
It’s what the original recipe called for so I left it in when I reproduced it here. I use sea salt, which I find doesn’t taste as salty as regular table salt and I don’t use quite as much as 1 TB.

This dough can be made without as much salt, so tinker with the amounts and see what you like best.

29 | Samantha James

July 27th, 2009 at 11:03 am

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I hope it can work, I’m really hungry :) x

30 | Jennifer

September 18th, 2009 at 1:20 pm

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Hey Andrea, I’m thinking of making this for dinner tonight, but don’t know if the timing will work. Do you know if the dough will be ruined if you let it rise longer then 90 minutes or bigger then twice the size ? I looked in the joy of cooking and it says to let rise for 2 hrs. So I should be safe, right? Have you let it rise longer? Thx

31 | Pam

October 9th, 2009 at 6:14 pm

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Well first time I have cook with yeast and I am impress. The crust of this pizza was very, very good. I would recommend this receipe to anyone.

32 | Rebecca

October 15th, 2009 at 5:21 pm

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its resting right now! i cant wait to see how it turns out!:) hopefullly super yummy! i got some really fresh ingredients spinich fresh chopped basl, chicken, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, fresh mozz cheese ,fennel, diced tomatoes and i thought i would mix a little marinera and pesto sauce together!:)

these are just the toppings i like and to be healthier i did half whole wheat flour!
thanks for the recipe!:)

33 | Natalie

October 24th, 2009 at 6:30 pm

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Our pizza is in the oven…we can’t wait to taste it. After I saw how smooth and elastic the dough was after kneading it in my stand mixer for 10 minutes, I made a second batch right away! I have 3 hungry boys and a husband waiting to take their first bite. Only 6 minutes to go! They’re all staring at it through the oven door…so cute!

34 | matt latreille

November 9th, 2009 at 9:41 pm

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i used the rercipe and added a tbs of sour cream. it turned out delicious with the crust having a nice taste

35 | Rhonda

December 9th, 2009 at 8:43 pm

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Hi there,

I used this recipe for my pizza potluck birthday party, which went off with a smash! They brought their favourite toppings and I provided the dough.

However, I saw very little rising of the dough. It tasted wonderful, but like I said no rising, and it seemed to take a lot longer to cook, more than 15 minutes and still was quite doughy. So, I tried again tonight, and again, not a lot of rising. The yeast was quite bubbly, more than last time, and I found the dough to be much more pliable this time, but again, hardly rose, and is more dense and doughy as opposed to light, fluffy and crisp.

I’ve tried making bread before, and I have the same rising problem in four different provinces (I’m in Canada), so I suspect it’s something I’m doing wrong. Please help!

36 | andrea

December 17th, 2009 at 3:35 pm

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Hi Rhonda –
How was your yeast? If it’s getting old it doesn’t work as well.

Make sure the water you dissolve it in is warm to the touch. Sprinkle your yeast on top, stir, and wait for it to start foaming up. This takes about 5 minutes, but if your water isn’t warm enough it might take 10.

If there is no foaming action it means your yeast is dead. Buy fresh stuff and see if you have better luck. Also, if you use sugar you’ll get poofier dough. I use sugar when I’m making a thick crust pizza. Let me know how it works out!

37 | karen

December 17th, 2009 at 9:41 pm

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I like this recipe, the dough was nice and spongy. I also love the flavor that you get from the olive oil. Unfortunately the first time that I made it, it was way too salty. It would be much better if the recipe called for 1tsp instead of 1tbs. Overall very simple and quick to make!!!

38 | Rhonda

December 24th, 2009 at 5:21 pm

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Thanks Andrea!

My yeast is alive at least – it got foamy, but maybe I didn’t use warm enough water. I did use sugar. But the one thing I noticed from reading your comments is I didn’t precook the dough before putting on the ingredients.

So, I’m trying again for a Christmas Eve treat. I’ll let you know if it goes better this time and if I notice something I do differently brings the desired affect! :)

Either way, it’s a really tasty recipe!

39 | Brie

December 28th, 2009 at 3:44 pm

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I typed pizza dough recipe into Google and this page came up second so I figured I better try it. We are having pizza tonight for dinner!

40 | andrea

December 29th, 2009 at 6:13 pm

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Rhonda: there’s no precooking, only rolling and resting!

41 | Laura

December 30th, 2009 at 2:30 pm

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Well, hello all. I made thisdough and I thought that it was fantastic. I have never eaten a dough so magnificent!! I think that if I were to make it again I would be in absoloute awh!!!! I served it to my friends, who are vampires
as well, and they don’t usually like things like this, but I was ultimately surprised! I can my believe
how much they enjoyed it. After we finished eating we allfeasted together on each other’s blood. Overall it was a fantastic night that I will never forgot!!

42 | Tom

December 30th, 2009 at 7:49 pm

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Sounds great. We are having a few friends for a New Years Eve card night and I have been looking for a dough mix that was not from the store. Thanks

43 | Marjean

January 7th, 2010 at 5:43 pm

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Hey Andrea, I am just allowing this pizza dough to rise right now in the oven that I preheated for 2 minutes. Then I opened the door for 2 minutes so it is perfect temp in there. I found that this recipe was dryer than most I have tried it was tougher. I only added 3 1/2 cups of flour so I will let you know how it all turns out.

44 | Marjean

January 7th, 2010 at 7:38 pm

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I like to stuff my crust with a little cheese and add some sundried tomato pesto in there. This made a beautiful dough in the end. It is baking in the oven right now and it’s rising wonderfully.

45 | andrea

January 7th, 2010 at 9:30 pm

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Marjean: I usually use 3 1/2 cups, maybe a smidge less. I love the idea of stuffing the crust. I might have to try that too!

46 | Samantha Sakkit

January 11th, 2010 at 7:13 pm

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I used this pizza doh to make super for my husbands work mates and they all loved it the only problem is that i could not make it fast enough and next time i will make more doh for pizza , we live in the north of Saskatchewan and we have no pizza place, so this was a very nice treat!

thanks the

Sakkit’s and the boys

47 | charissa

January 12th, 2010 at 7:43 pm

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My dough is rising! I have tried many recipes and it never seems like there is enough water and I am always adding water and my dough will never rise and it’s heavy, well this recipe has the perfect water amount. It kneaded beautifully! I am so happy. Thank you for sharing your recipe! I am anxious to add my toppings.

Oh and if anyone likes cauliflower with cheese sauce try adding cauliflower to your pizza with cheese sprinkled on top, I love this!

48 | charissa

January 12th, 2010 at 9:24 pm

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So the pizza was delicious it reminded me of pizza hut crust. so amazing, my husband loved it!! I will use this recipe for the rest of time

49 | andrea

January 12th, 2010 at 10:37 pm

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Thanks for your comments! I’m so glad to hear the recipe is working out for so many people!

50 | Alllllly 101

February 1st, 2010 at 2:18 pm

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Hello, thank you for the recipe i am making it as we speak it smells delisiouse ill send a nother comment after its done coooking!!! I am 14 and this recipe is a gooder thanks again :D

51 | Foxxbabee

February 4th, 2010 at 1:16 pm

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I Just made a batch of dough from your recipe.. i was doing AWESOME… until I got to the part about cornmeal…I don’t have any! :(

But overall great recipe :) *Two thumbs up*

52 | MrsSmith

February 28th, 2010 at 7:01 pm

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Thank you for this recipe – I tried it today and it turned out fantastic, the dough rose like magic. I’ve linked you from my blog. Thanks!

53 | anastasia

March 8th, 2010 at 4:57 pm

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Ill try this tonight. One thing is to put a bit of cheese down after sauce to hold the toppings on better, plus more cheese the better!

54 | naomi Clement

March 23rd, 2010 at 2:44 pm

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Andrea, I made this last night. It’s an awesome pizza dough. I as well used sea salt, and also used sugar, just not quite so much as 1 TBSP. Ours was simple – topping was just a brushing of extra virgin olive oil, diced roma tomatoes tossed in a balsamic reduction, feta (had left over from another meal), a sprinkling of parmesan, fresh basil finely sliced. Once baked I added more fresh basil to make it look pretty. Really delicious!

55 | Ten things to do with a roast chicken >> a peek inside the fishbowl

April 1st, 2010 at 9:39 am

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[…] it up and use it as a topping for your DIY pizza (along with BBQ sauce, Monterey Jack cheese and a sprinkle of red […]

56 | Janine

April 18th, 2010 at 9:42 am

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This was a really good recipe. I am going to make it again soon. Thank you for posting it!

57 | Pentland

May 10th, 2010 at 4:42 pm

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Andrea, this is the best recipe for pizza dough I’ve ever tried! With a couple adjustments (just a pinch of sea salt like you did, and half the sugar) it turns out fantastically. I’ve made both pizza and calzone and they were wonderful! My family and I loved it, and I appreciate you posting this… two years ago. Haha :)
Thanks!

N. Pentland

58 | Holly

May 15th, 2010 at 7:28 pm

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This was my first time making dough; I found the recipe by typig “best pizza dough recipe” into google and this was the first option lol!! The dough baked up really nicely, it rose really well, my only complaint was that it was very sticky and i had to keep adding flour as i was kneading it, luckily it didn’t seem to hurt!! Thanks so much for a great recipe :D

59 | Diana

May 24th, 2010 at 8:25 pm

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Sorry, my family did not like this crust….will have to find another.

60 | Cee

June 9th, 2010 at 6:43 pm

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THANK YOU! This was fabulous! I used half spelt flour and half wheat flour and it was INCREDIBLE. A little more salt helped for my personal preference, but this was the best recipe, easy and tasty!

61 | noveen

June 9th, 2010 at 9:19 pm

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Hello,
I just gave your recipe a try today but it didnot work for me. I usually make it with another one but thought would give it a try. The only difference in this one and that one is addition of liquids to water AFTER yeast has been in the warm water for 10 mins and addition of salt and pepper and sugar to the flour. Quantities are almost the same too. But with recipe, somehow the finished product that is the pizza crust came out to be elastic- as in soft and chewy not what i expected at all.
Any suggestions on what might have gone wrong?
Thanks :)

62 | Patrick

June 14th, 2010 at 7:02 pm

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Just made my own pizza for the first time using your dough recipe and it turned out fantastic. As a university student learning to cook, I appreciate and love when things turn out on the first try! I cut down the salt and sugar to a teaspoon each, and it was great. Cheers!

63 | Zara

June 26th, 2010 at 7:00 am

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I just made this pizza dough, its in the oven rising. my roommate and I eat pizza buns all the time from the supermarket so we decided to try our own. I woke up this morning and all the ingredients for them had magically appeared over night…. :D thanks for the quick and painless recipe!

64 | Mama_B

June 29th, 2010 at 6:27 am

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Tried this last night. It’s okay. The crust was crisp enough, and it was sufficiently stretchy to do what I wanted it to. The flavour was lacking, though. But it was a solid 3 stars out of 5.

65 | andrea

June 29th, 2010 at 6:55 am

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Personally I like a “plain” crust, as it makes the toppings stand out.

Mama B – if you need your crust to have an extra kick you can add herb and spices directly to it. How about a sprinkle of dried basil? A dash of oregano?

66 | andrea

June 29th, 2010 at 6:57 am

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noveen – it might have something to do with the flour you used. Did you use the same kind in both recipes?

67 | Amanda

July 6th, 2010 at 8:06 pm

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Hey I just made your pizza dough, it’s great! Best I’ve made so far to. Finger lickin gooood thanks!!!

68 | Karen

July 20th, 2010 at 2:55 pm

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My dough is not rising. help!

69 | andrea

July 20th, 2010 at 3:00 pm

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Might be your yeast. Is it old? Did you let it get foamy before you added the flour and the other ingredients?

70 | Karen

July 20th, 2010 at 3:07 pm

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I made this recipe using bread flour(last week) and it rose. Today, I used unbleached all purpose and it’s not rising. Will probably turn out to be a thin crust pizza which should be ok.

71 | suzibc

July 20th, 2010 at 7:51 pm

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thankyou so much… works wonderful!!!

72 | ralph

July 30th, 2010 at 3:16 pm

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I’m not a cooking scientist so…can I just substitute my quick rise yeast and use it like I usually do?

73 | Captain Awesome

August 3rd, 2010 at 9:10 pm

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I can’t remember if I commented earlier, but this recipe is really nice. I’m just made some for probably the 5th occassion and really enjoy it. Thanks for posting the recipe with the write-up!!!

74 | neil

August 27th, 2010 at 4:14 pm

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Tried this recipe with whole grain spelt flour… was a little concerned that it was browning too fast on the bottom so I dropped the temp to 400, and it worked like a dream. Wonderful recipe, thanks!

75 | Know More Do More: more about dinners and a sugar fast >> a peek inside the fishbowl

August 31st, 2010 at 8:01 am

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[…] night we made calzones. The girls helped with the making of the dough. We used this recipe for the dough and made two fillings for the calzones. One was pepperoni and pineapple (GUESS WHO WAS EATING THAT […]

76 | Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Pizza @ Saver Queen

October 3rd, 2010 at 8:20 pm

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[…] make the crust, follow the instructions for the best ever pizza dough recipe at “A Peek Inside the Fishbowl.” This thin crust recipe is better than any of the others I’ve recommended before. I […]

77 | Lora

October 27th, 2010 at 7:53 pm

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This just like the recipe I’ve always used and I LOVE IT! Naomi, I always use sea salt in mine now, great idea!

Karen, I’ve had the yeast problem and my husband also suggested that the yeast jar had been open too long (but not expired)

I’ve also substitued cornmeal for 1 cup of flour and it’s heavy but still good. More like a latbread, omit the traditional topping and top with olive oil, garlic powder, sesame seeds. serve with baba ganoush or antipasti. YUM.

78 | Sarah

November 2nd, 2010 at 10:31 am

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I was wondering if you could use just multigrain flour with this recipe?

Also, could you use Brown rice flour for persons with celiac disease?

Thanks

79 | andrea

November 2nd, 2010 at 10:33 am

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I haven’t tried it with exclusively multigrain flour or with Brown rice flour, but give it a shot and let us know how it turned out!

80 | Karen

November 18th, 2010 at 2:09 pm

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may i share this on facebook? thanks

81 | Honey

December 1st, 2010 at 3:17 pm

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You reappearing the pizza on the hot stone or you use a pizza peel ?

82 | Honey

December 1st, 2010 at 3:20 pm

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I am sorry preparing !!

83 | andrea

December 1st, 2010 at 3:46 pm

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Karen: yes you may!
Honey: I use a hot stone. Good luck!

84 | Colleen

January 11th, 2011 at 12:08 am

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WOW, tried this pizza dough, it turned out great! To proof the yeast I warmed up my bowl with boiling water, added 1 tsp sugar, pitched the yeast. To my flour (white) I added a pinch of sea salt and a generous tsp of Italian seasoning. Let it rise in oven that I put on for 1 min @ 400F no rising issues. Dough really pliable, stuffed my crusts with mozza. Both pizzas turned out fantastic; both my husband and daughter said crust was excellent. I will definately use this recipe over and over again. Thanks!

85 | Patti

January 28th, 2011 at 3:03 pm

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Well I’m crossing my fingers – trying this recipe for the first time and the dough is in the prewarmed oven. I’m excitedly waiting to see what happens! Hope it works – I used unbleached all-purpose flour. I did let the yeast rise in a separate measuring cup first and then tossed it in to the dry ingredients mainly because i thought it would cool down too quickly in the big bowl and may stay warmer in the measuring cup first. Will let you know how it turns out!

86 | Patti

January 28th, 2011 at 4:17 pm

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didn’t rise nearly as much as I hoped – we’ll see how it goes

87 | Sagune

January 30th, 2011 at 6:18 pm

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I tried this recipe for pizza dough (my first time making it ever!) and I am SO happy that I chose this one!

The dough was so easy to make and it turned out perfectly! I’m never buying frozen pizza again!

88 | julian

February 6th, 2011 at 11:55 am

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I just made this with my 9yo God daughter! It’s great! And so educational!

Also very cute, I told her that yeast was a living thing and it’s ‘breathing’ is what caused the bubbles in the water, when we were kneeding our dough she kept whispering ‘I am sorry yeast! so sorry to squash you!’

I did find that I needed to add some water aa the dough was dry. I think next time I will try 3 1/4 cup of flour instead of 3 1/2… I am in saskatchewan and I don’t know if it’s the dryness of the air or what but this happens to me with almost every recipe I make!

89 | Natasha

February 6th, 2011 at 7:31 pm

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I’m 13 and is trying to make pizza for the first time so i was just wondering if i could do it on a baking sheet? Oh and, if i don’t have cornmeal, is flour or vegetable oil fine?

90 | andrea

February 6th, 2011 at 8:39 pm

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julian – I think it’s good to start with 3 1/4 cup of flour and work from there, for sure!

Natasha – Yes to all of the above. :) The cornmeal is only for sprinkling on the pan before you put your rolled out dough on it. Good luck!

91 | Iain

February 10th, 2011 at 2:38 pm

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I tried this recipie twice – first time was really dry, second time added another 1/3 cup of water, and was wonderful. I also had the water in a measuring cup, and poured onto the flour mix.

92 | Sarah

February 14th, 2011 at 11:16 am

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I love this recipe!! But I’m wondering if it would work out the same if I used all whole-wheat flour? That’s all I have in the house this time.

93 | andrea

February 14th, 2011 at 11:23 am

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Sarah: I have tried using 100% WW flour and it didn’t work out. The best ratio I found (which is what I use all of the time now is)

1 cup Robin Hood Multigrain flour
2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
+ whatever you need to make it a soft and non-sticky dough (say 1/4 up or so)

94 | ann

February 17th, 2011 at 2:11 pm

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thank you so much for this recipe!! best pizza dough recipe!! my family loved it so much!! my kids ate it all up and we were all stuffed. thanks again!

95 | shane(apprentice chef)

February 23rd, 2011 at 11:32 am

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i gave your recipe a try just using a spaghetti method mixing it and it turned out great! I made a perogi pizza yum yum. cheeers!

96 | cordell

March 9th, 2011 at 5:37 pm

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this pizza was really delicious thank you for sharing the recipe online

97 | Carolyn

March 13th, 2011 at 9:08 pm

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I’ve been using this recipe for almost two years now. I just wanted to say that it’s fantastic and thank you!

98 | getty

March 25th, 2011 at 6:11 pm

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Love this recipe. And thanks for the reminder about the importance of kneading the dough. Now I watch a TEDX video while kneading.

99 | Marc

April 3rd, 2011 at 8:44 pm

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Was going to order out from **** tonight, but thought about using my kitchen aid dough hook mixer and checked out the web for a recipe, yours was the first one I looked at and what a great pizza. I used half whole wheat and half white flour, corn meal was awesome, mozzerella, peperoni, green peppers and fresh mushroom topped it off. Deelicious…No more frozen pizza or ordering out.

Thanks

100 | marilyn

April 16th, 2011 at 4:54 pm

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Wow I didn’t know I was a pizza dough cook! This receipe was awesome! I will never order pizza from a restaurant again!

101 | Sean

April 25th, 2011 at 2:45 pm

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Think I might make this tonight, and after reading the comment thread, I think I already have the bugs worked out before even starting!

102 | Marina

May 15th, 2011 at 6:34 pm

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I didn’t read the comments, and regardless, I only had wholewheat flour on hand, so I tried this recipe with just that and delicious as it was, I think it would’ve been better with more white flour. The WW flour made it too tough and dry.

But, great recipe. I’ll definitely have to try this again. Thanks for sharing! :)

103 | Helen Hodder

July 12th, 2011 at 11:16 am

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this is a delious recipe and i love the fact that you can freeze half for another time

104 | Alex

July 30th, 2011 at 8:26 pm

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just made pizza tonight!!! with your dough recipe and its probably the best i have had…..thus far ;)
really good…. when i make pizza dough it will be with your recipe for sure!!!

105 | Willow

August 20th, 2011 at 12:22 pm

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Andrea, I came across this recipe on you blog about 2 years ago now.My hubby and I both have worked in pizza shops and really think that this is as close as it gets…We tweak it a bit to suit what we are doing,of course,but this remains bookmarked and used on a regular basis…including tonight! Thumbs up! Also,BTW, it got me interested in your blog and I usually take a look (inserting pro-tip..lol)thru after I make the dough and let it chill in the fridge for the afternoon to relax the gluten.

106 | M Carry

October 8th, 2011 at 10:32 pm

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I found your recipe today and tried it. I just tweeted it a bit with italian spice and parmesan cheese added to the dough. Other than that I followed the recipe as it stated. i did divide it in half and made a great pizza for family and friends. One of my friends is Italian and said it was a close as it could get to a true pizza like his mother used to make.
This is a keeper. Thanks

107 | hurricane

November 1st, 2011 at 2:40 pm

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hello out there has anyone doubled or tripled this recipe and if so how does it work out??????

108 | Kristen @ The Endless Meal

November 10th, 2011 at 3:38 am

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I’m going to try making this for a party I’m having this weekend. I’ve never made pizza dough before but I know from eating it elsewhere that it makes a world of difference. Wish me luck!

109 | Kristen @ The Endless Meal

November 12th, 2011 at 4:31 pm

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So I gave it a try and it was really good. For some reason my crust didn’t turn out chewy though. Will have to keep practicing my pizza crust making skills. Thanks for the inspiration to get me started!

110 | Sharon

December 24th, 2011 at 11:28 am

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It is Christmas Eve, and I am using this recipe to make fried pizza dough as part of our traditional Christmas Eve dinner. Appreciate the share, will let you know how it works.

111 | Claire

January 22nd, 2012 at 4:11 am

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OK I am thinking that after reading ALL of the comments about everyone’s experience I can only imagine this is a great pizza dough. And I’ll give it a try tomorrow. My only question is this, When you freeze the un-used portion of dough how do you prepare it when you want to use it? Like how long do you thaw it for? Oh one more Q… Can you make this and refrigerate it until use? Like say make the dough tonight for tomorrows dinner? (its 1am just got home from work and need to knead some dough to relive some stress…)

112 | Patrick McMasters

February 16th, 2019 at 3:10 pm

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Not sure about that recipe, but if you try “6-3-3-13 Artisan bread dough” recipe, the dough will last up to 2 weeks in fridge. With this in mind, i would assume the same for the above recipe. In fact making pizza dough. The day before, let it rise knock it down, and storing it till ready to use. Bring to room temp and use it. It increases flavour!

113 | Sherri

February 4th, 2012 at 6:04 pm

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Love this recipe. I do find however with all bread recipes that I have tried that I use a lot less flour than is called for. With this one the dough only needs 3 cups if that – must be that I’m at sea level in a humid climate or something – But the results are remarkable. And, I put a teaspoon of sugar in with the yeast/water combo rather put any in the flour mixture.

114 | Barry

February 14th, 2012 at 11:08 am

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I would like to try this recipe and have a question requarding the yeast. Is it ok to use quick rise

115 | Yanik

February 26th, 2012 at 4:21 pm

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Sounds like a great recipe! I’m going to try it right now, thanks!

116 | karen

March 1st, 2012 at 7:59 pm

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Thanks for posting this. I decided to try making my own pizza crust for the first time last Christmas, and happened to stumble across this recipe (the picture of the rising dough caught my eye!) I have to say, I love this recipe! Every time I make pizza now, I come back here. I haven’t even bothered to look elsewhere for a different recipe — it’s that good!

117 | Kimberly

March 17th, 2012 at 10:02 pm

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I made this dough yesterday – it was AMAZING! We cut the dough into 4 pieces to make individual pizzas – we made a second batch of dough to make panzarattis. We added garlic and oregano to one batch – delicious! The dough was perfect! I was so proud of the how much it rose! I will never buy dough again!

118 | A visit to foodie heaven >> a peek inside the fishbowl

March 26th, 2012 at 2:38 pm

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[…] the cheese in the gnocchi is mimolette or just a really good cheddar. But get me talking about pizza and burgers and I’m your […]

119 | Crystal

April 28th, 2012 at 8:07 pm

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I’ve been using this recipe for a year now, and it hasn’t failed me yet!

120 | JC

August 3rd, 2012 at 11:56 am

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I have made homemade pizza a few times and tonight I plan to try this recipe. I’m thinking of using the whole crust and making a rectangular pizza. Just wondering if you think I’ll have to cook it at a higher temperature or just longer?

121 | Tina

September 23rd, 2012 at 9:57 pm

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Tonight was the second time I made this recipe. I made it two weeks ago, also on a Sunday so I’d have time for the dough to rise and later sit. Last time I made sauteed mushrooms, zucchini and prawns (each sauteed separately in butter, olive oil and garlic) I used straight all purpose flour which made the crust more tender. This time I doubled the recipe (so I don’t have as much time to wait next week…lol) I also used half all purpose and half nutriflour it rose up beautifully! We used zucchini and mushrooms and crumbled cooked turkey bacon on both pizzas. I also added pepperoni to my pizza. I loved everything about mine, but my daughter thought last times crust was better (the nutriflour makes it crunchier).

QUESTION…I froze the remaining 2 balls of dough wrapped in wax paper then in a plastic bag. How long does it take to go from frozen (do I thaw in fridge or on the counter?) to being rolled out so I know how to time next weeks dinner. Thanks for this great recipe! We plan on trying different ingredients each week so it never gets boring…as if it ever could…lol.

122 | andrea

September 24th, 2012 at 7:05 am

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Tina –
when I freeze the dough I pull it out of the freezer and put it in the fridge the night before I need it. Then I take it out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter about 90 minutes before rolling it out. :)

123 | Tina

September 27th, 2012 at 2:00 am

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Thanks Andrea! Looking forward to my next pizza night :)

124 | Erin

October 24th, 2012 at 2:40 pm

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Thanks for this! I use this recipe all the time. I find it makes two large (rectangular) cookie sheet pizzas, thin crust. I also add some spices to the dough; usually some oregano, garlic and parmesan. But even without those, it is a fantastic dough. Easy and delicious!
I find I can even make it on the pans, load up the toppings, cover with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge until the next night for dinner.
Thanks again for the wonderful recipe!!

126 | Deborah

January 18th, 2013 at 1:33 pm

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Hi, I too am looking for a good pizza dough recipe. Have tried lots, but not happy yet. Will try this one after reading the comments. I have one question… if you put the pizza stone in the oven to heat for 20 min. do you then remove it and roll out the dough on it and add the toppings etc. or what? I don’t understand how that part works! I am new to the stone so please explain .

127 | andrea

January 18th, 2013 at 2:09 pm

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Hi Deborah!
I put the stone in the oven as soon as I turn it on.
You roll out your dough while your stone is heating in the oven and make it into a circle shape to fit your stone. After the oven and stone have heated up you pull it out of the oven, sprinkle the surface with a tsp or so cornmeal, and then place your rolled out dough on top. THEN you add your sauce, cheese and toppings. Make sense? :)

Good luck! Let me know how it turns out!

128 | Recipe: Margherita Pizza | More Than Just Waffles

March 7th, 2013 at 8:32 pm

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[…] the dough recipe I used an blog entry from A Peak Inside the Fishbowl (a blogger from Ottawa) – the recipe is originally from the Joy of […]

129 | Zchamu

November 9th, 2013 at 9:00 pm

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How have I never used this before? Every other time I have tried to make pizza crust it was an epic fail but this turned out beautifully. I took a tip from the pioneer woman and sprinkled a smidge of salt on the crust before fadding the toppings. I had reduced the salt in the recipe so there was room to move and it gave it a much nicer salt kick – more bang for your salt buck. Then I made sauce (WHO AM I) with this recipe http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/basic_tomato_sauce/ and it was top notch. Thank you for posting this on the twittarz yesterday!

130 | Zchamu

November 9th, 2013 at 9:01 pm

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Adding the toppings. Fml.

131 | Thing I Have Learned Recently >> a peek inside the fishbowl

January 13th, 2015 at 10:38 am

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[…] you’re using a stand mixer, making two batches of this pizza dough recipe is ridiculously easy. Divide each in half and you have FOUR thin crust pizzas. Four dinners! I […]

132 | Judith

December 17th, 2015 at 1:32 am

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Definitely the best pizza dough recipe I’ve tried. It kneaded beautifully and was a dream to roll out. Fantastic!

133 | andrea tomkins

December 18th, 2015 at 10:01 am

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Thank you Judith! It’s in regular rotation in our house and it comes out perfectly every time!

134 | Kelly

January 15th, 2016 at 4:04 am

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Can I make this dough in the morning/afternoon, refrigerate it and then roll it out and add toppings in the evening when I’m ready to bake it? Or do I have to time it out exactly to rise then prep and bake?

135 | andrea tomkins

January 15th, 2016 at 10:18 am

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Hmm. I have often frozen the dough but haven’t done what you describe. Are you planning on letting it rise before putting it in the fridge? Regardless, I would give it about 3 hours to come back to room temperature and rise before you roll it and add toppings. Let me know how it works out!

136 | Elizabeth Peters

July 4th, 2021 at 9:43 pm

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I make it a day ahead and refrigerate. This way I can pull it out after work and let it come to room temperature.

137 | andrea tomkins

July 8th, 2021 at 8:14 am

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That’s a great idea! I do that too sometimes, but it takes awhile to come back to room temperature so I have to factor in a few hours for that… :)

138 | Michael

November 23rd, 2021 at 3:55 pm

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You could mix up all your ingredients and form the dough, cover the put it in the fridge. This will cause the dough to perform a slow rise, so if done say the evening before you need to make your pizza hopefully the dough will have risen nicely and ready for the remaining short steps in the method.

139 | Brenda

February 6th, 2019 at 10:52 am

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I made this dough made pineapple and ham it was really good and the time you take to make the dough is worth it.

140 | Judy

March 10th, 2019 at 8:24 pm

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What temperature for oven for pizza dough. Should I cook dough before adding toppings or not

141 | Judy

March 10th, 2019 at 8:29 pm

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What temperature for oven for pizza dough, can I cook dough before the toppings

142 | andrea tomkins

March 11th, 2019 at 10:15 am

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Hi Judy! The oven should be at 450 and you don’t cook the dough before the toppings. You put the rolled dough on your pizza stone or baking sheet, add the topics, then bake. Good luck! :)

143 | judi

March 23rd, 2019 at 7:40 pm

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can i use instant yeast

144 | andrea tomkins

March 29th, 2019 at 10:01 am

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I haven’t tried that, but let me know how it turns out!

145 | a peek inside the fishbowl » Blog Archive All the breads I've eaten - a peek inside the fishbowl

April 29th, 2020 at 7:01 pm

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[…] Of course, making our own pizza dough has always been a regular thing around here! I like to make a double batch so I always have extras […]

146 | Wendy Perkins

May 11th, 2021 at 12:57 am

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Can g/f flour be substituted equally?

147 | andrea tomkins

May 21st, 2021 at 3:07 pm

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I haven’t tried it, but I have my doubts!

148 | Elizabeth Peters

July 4th, 2021 at 6:53 pm

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This has been my go to recipe since I discovered it back in 2013!
Sometimes if I’m feeling fancy, I’ll add seasoning to the dough!

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  • Gretchen Humphrey: I had a beautiful bee& birdbath filled with a solar fountain and dozens of antique marbles that were suddenly disappearing. At first I thought my
  • Jinjer: I am sobbing reading this post. And you're right, companion is not enough. Little furry treasured gifts that they are. Thanks for sharing cutie-pi
  • Karen: Dear Andrea, Mark and your daughters I am so very sad for your family xxx Piper was/is my favourite Instagram post. You shared with us so intimately
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  • Carla Slocum: I am sitting here yet again crying at your loss. We have known that loss with Asta the WFT our first pup but now have the enormous gift of Stryker the
  • Janelle Brown: Dear Andrea Thank you for sharing Piper’s story with her followers. I empathise with your grief and emptiness as I lost my 14 year old Westie last
  • Natasha McReynolds-Nicholl: My god reading this is heartbreaking. December 1st was the as you describe longest day of my life, we lost out beautiful WFT hazel. Pipers final momen

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My name is Andrea and I live in the Westboro area of Ottawa with my husband Mark and our dog Piper who is kind of a big deal on Instagram. We also have two human offspring: Emma (24) and Sarah (22). During the day I work as a writer at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. I am a longtime Ottawa blogger and I've occupied this little corner of the WWW since 1999. The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal, all rolled into one. I'm passionate about healthy living, arts and culture, travel, great gear, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa. I also love vegetables, photography, gadgets, and great design.

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