Beginner Pizza Dough
Ingredients
Dough
- 500 g bread flour (cake flour works fine too)
- 320 ml lukewarm water
- 7 ml salt
- 5 ml instant yeast
- 10 ml sugar (helps the quick rise)
- 30 ml olive oil
- extra flour for dusting
Instructions
- 1
Whisk yeast, sugar and lukewarm water in a big bowl. Let sit 5 min until foamy on top — this proves the yeast is alive.
- 2
Add flour, salt and olive oil. Mix with a wooden spoon until it comes together into a shaggy dough.
- 3
Knead in the bowl or on the counter for 5 to 7 min until smooth and elastic. Should feel soft and slightly tacky but not stick to your hands. Too wet? Dust in flour a tablespoon at a time.
- 4
Lightly oil the bowl, drop the dough back in, cover with a damp cloth. Leave in a warm spot 60 to 90 min until doubled in size.
- 5
Tip the dough onto a well-floured counter. Cut into 4 equal pieces with a knife. Don't worry about shaping into balls — just keep them in rough rounds.
- 6
Take one piece. Sprinkle flour on top and underneath. Roll out with a rolling pin into a circle about 28 cm across, 3 to 4 mm thick. Push flour underneath as you go so it doesn't stick.
- 7
If the dough fights you and keeps springing back, walk away for 2 min. It needs to relax. Forcing it makes tough pizza.
- 8
Transfer the rolled-out base to a piece of baking paper. Top straight away with your chosen sauce and toppings.
Notes & Tips
Don't roll too thick
Beginners always roll too thick. Aim for 3 to 4 mm — thinner than you think. It puffs up in the oven.
Use baking paper
Baking paper cuts out the whole 'transferring to a hot stone' problem. Paper goes in, paper comes out. Easier and less stress.
Work one at a time
Roll one base, top it, get it in the oven. Then start the next. Trying to roll all 4 at once = sticky mess.
Home oven method
Heat oven to 250°C (max) with a heavy baking tray or pizza stone inside for 30 to 45 min — the tray needs to be properly hot. Slide your topped pizza (still on its baking paper) directly onto the hot tray. Bake 8 to 10 min until the edges are golden and bubbly and the cheese is melted with a few brown spots. Watch the last minute carefully — pizza goes from perfect to burnt fast.
Wood-fired oven method
Get the oven floor to 350 to 400°C. Flames should still be licking the dome. Slide pizza off the peel onto the floor — use plenty of flour or semolina under it. Spin every 20 to 30 seconds so it cooks evenly; the side facing the fire cooks faster. Total bake time: 90 seconds to 2 min. Pull it the moment the crust looks right.
Preheat is non-negotiable
30 to 45 min minimum preheat. A cold or lukewarm tray = soggy pizza, every time.
Top rack for blistering
If your edges aren't browning, switch on the grill for the last 60 seconds to char the crust and bubble the cheese.
One pizza at a time
Two pizzas in the oven at once drops the temperature. Bake them one after the other — first one stays warm in the kitchen while you do the next.