Go Back
Print Recipe

Pizza Dough and Sauce

Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Proofing time3 hours
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: pizza
Servings: 8

Equipment

  • pizza or bread stone or baking sheet
  • pizza peel (if usinig baking stone)
  • food processor fitted with steel blade

Ingredients

Pizza Dough

  • 4 cups bread flour or all purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp vital wheat gluten optional, if using AP flour
  • 1½ tsp table salt
  • 2¼ tsp instant yeast
  • 1¾ cup water
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, plus some for bowl and brushing dough

Pizza Sauce

  • 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes in puree
  • 3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp dried oregano optional
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes optional
  • kosher salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Pizza Dough

  • Lightly oil a medium large bowl and dampen a dish towel. Set aside.
  • Measure flour, vital wheat gluten, salt and yeast into food processor. Pulse several times to combine.
  • Combine water and oil and add through feed tube while pulsing dough; when a shaggy dough forms, continue pulsing another 30 seconds or so to completely combine.
  • Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times until it forms a smooth ball. Place dough in oiled bowl, turning dough ball over to coat. Cover with damp towel and allow to rise to double in bulk, approximately 2 hours.
  • Divide dough into desired number of pizzas or portions and form into balls. Place on a sheet pan and cover again with damp towel until ready to use.
  • Place bread/pizza stone in cold oven. Preheat oven and stone to 500° and leave for at least 30 minutes after it reaches temperature.
  • Dust pizza peel or baking sheet with cornmeal or flour to help prevent sticking. Form dough into desired sized/shaped pizzas on peel or baking sheet

Pizza sauce

  • Heat oil in a medium saucepan. Add garlic to heated oil and when garlic begins to sizzle, add tomatoes and other seasonings. Cook 10-15 minutes, until thickened enough to mound on spoon.
  • Spoon sauce and spread over surface of dough to within 3/4 -1" of edge of pizza. Top with desired toppings; don't be too heavy handed or it will lead to soggy pizza. Transfer pizza to hot pizza stone and bake until deeply browned and cheese has melted. Use peel to remove from oven, transfer to cutting board and serve.

Notes

The sauce should not be puddled, but rather spread on the dough - you should still be able to see some crust. Too much sauce will make the pizza soggy. Make sure the pizza isn't sticking to the peel or you can have a transfer disaster...
If you don't have a peel and baking stone, form pizza on the back of a baking sheet lightly dusted with cornmeal or flour. Place baking sheet in oven and bake as instructed.
This dough freezes well - form balls and freeze in ziplock bags (remove as much air as possible) - . Take out of bag, cover with damp towel and thaw at least 30 minutes on counter before using.