Super easy pizza dough | Vegan pizza dough recipe

Last updated on February 13th, 2021 at 08:24 am

Super easy pizza dough – easy recipe to make Italian Style, perfect pizza base from scratch!

This has got to be the most easiest pizza dough recipe that there is. I adapted this from a chef’s cookbook which involves using pure fresh yeast. Which obviously is a long process ranging from 8-10 hours. Of course a purist would prefer that method over any other method.

However, first and foremost issue with that method is the availability of fresh yeast (at least to me). Whereas Instant Yeast is easily available and using it cuts down the time by 7 hours. So yeah, this pizza dough comes together in 1 hour and the cooked pizza will be on your plate in 1.5 hours.

This recipe has always worked for me since I don’t have to plan ahead and store the dough in the refrigerator or anything. Plus, this recipe uses only a few ingredients and all of those are already in my pantry so this is my go-to pizza dough recipe. If you’re still in a dilemma whether to go for it, check out these reasons to make homemade pizza dough.

What goes in this pizza dough?

Authentic Italian Pizza Dough is made with Italian style ’00’ flour or semolina flour. I have tried making pizza dough with both of these flours, there is a bit of difference in terms of flavor. I mean like very little difference.

And considering and comparing to store-bought pizzas, you would still prefer homemade pizza dough made with all-purpose flour. That being said, if ’00’ flour and/or semolina flour are available in your house, you can use that instead. Otherwise, I wouldn’t worry; this pizza dough is the bomb! You can make thin crust, thick crust, or calzones with it; this dough will give perfect results!!

Yeast: Yeast is an important ingredient in this super easy pizza dough recipe. Always go with your favorite or some brand which you’ve used a number of times and it has given good results. Also, make sure to check the expiry date and if the yeast has been stored properly.

Olive oil: It goes without saying, olive oil adds authenticity to Italian dishes. It goes the same way with this super easy pizza dough as well. The flavor of olive oil is important to pizzas. However, if you don’t have olive oil at home, use any flavorless vegetable oil or melted butter. Because, flavorful oils like coconut oil, peanut oil or sesame oil disrupts the Italian flavor.

Salt and sugar: Both salt and sugar are an important addition to this super easy pizza dough. At the same time, it is important that you don’t go overboard with these two ingredients. This is because too much salt diminishes the effectiveness of yeast, in simple words too much salt kills yeast. On the other hand, too much sugar aids in the yeasts’ growth which will cause the dough to rise too fast and that’s not ideal.

What consistency of the dough should you look for?

The consistency of this super easy pizza dough is somewhere in between dry-to-touch and sticky consistency which is the tacky consistency. If you’re new to bread making, you wanna know what tacky is. A tacky dough would stick to your hand but unlike a sticky dough, this dough will let go off from your hand easily. So that’s how your pizza dough should be.

Storing Pizza Dough:

Homemade pizza dough can be stored in two ways. The first method is to punch the dough down after the second proof and immediately wrap it with cling film, tightly. And then store it in an airtight container like a Tupperware and refrigerate for up to a week.

The second method is rolling and cooking the pizza dough until half cooked and store it for later. This is not my favorite method though, I like to make pizzas directly from homemade pizza dough.

Special diets:

Considering the fact that this super easy pizza dough is made of all-purpose flour, it is obviously not gluten-free. However, it is lactose-free and completely vegan/vegetarian. Also not a GI friendly one either, sorry. But Pizza right? Maybe for cheat days then.

How to use this pizza dough:

You can use this pizza dough to make pizzas and calzones. Topped with homemade pizza sauce and toppings, you will not miss that store-bought pizza. My favorite way is to use this super easy pizza dough is to make Chicken Pizza, Mushroom Pizza, and Chocolate Pizza (just add 4 more tbsp of sugar after the dough has risen)!

How to make super easy pizza dough?

Making this pizza dough is really simple, so simple that it has only a few steps. Let’s see how to make it.

To make this super easy pizza dough, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• All-purpose flour – 4 cups
• Water – 1 to 1.5 cups
• Instant Yeast – 1 teaspoon
• Sugar – 1 tsp
• Salt – a pinch
• Olive Oil – 2 tbsp

Moving on to the steps involved in this vegan pizza dough recipe:

• Gather all the ingredients and a clean bowl large enough to give the dough space to rise. I like to use a glass bowl so that I can check if everything is on track.
• Add 1 cup of all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, the Instant Yeast, olive oil, and water to the bowl. Mix using a spatula. Cover with an airtight lid or a cling film. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
• At the end of 10 minutes, you might see some bubbling. It is okay if you don’t see any considerably big bubbles, this proofing isn’t like the one you do with active dry yeast. This step is just to make the yeast comfy and the add to that comfort, lol.
• Add 3 more cups of the all-purpose flour to the wet yeast mixture in the bowl. Begin by mixing it with a spatula and then move on to kneading with your hands to bring it all together into a ball of dough. If you find it dry, add 1/4 cup – 1/2 cups of water, by the spoonfuls to get the dough to a TACKY consistency. Also, ensure not to knead it too much you just have to mix until it comes together.
• Temporarily lift the dough from the bowl, brush some olive oil onto the bowl, place the pizza dough back into the bowl. Cover with an airtight lid or cling film. Set it aside for 1 hour.
• After an hour, open the lid and gently punch down the dough to release the air pockets. Divide into 4-6 portions and roll into balls. This is the point where you decide if you wanna store it for later or use it right away.
• If you’re going to store it, cover the dough in a cling film and transfer the pizza dough balls to an airtight container. Store in refrigerator.
• If you’re going to cook it right away, cover the divided dough balls with a moist cloth and leave them on an oiled tray for another 20-30 minutes. The pizza dough will continue to rise. That’s it, your super easy pizza dough recipe is ready!

To cook it the pizza dough:

• After 20 minutes, you can begin to roll out the dough using a rolling pin to whichever thickness you prefer.
• Add your preferred topping and bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for 20 minutes. Serve immediately!

Notes:

• Flour: Instead of all-purpose flour, you can use Italian ’00’ flour or semolina flour.
• Proofing Time: The time taken will depend on the temperature and climate, if you live in tropical areas, the dough will rise faster. If you live in colder climates, the pizza dough will take some time to rise. Hence, always wait until the dough has doubled.
• Water: The water required will depend on the type and protein content of the flour. So it takes between 1 cup and 1/2 cup of water, but beyond 1 cups, ensure you add it by the spoonful to avoid a sticky dough.

Made this? Got doubts? Let me know what you think in the comments below!