Pizza dough. Help me make it

My first time. I make pizza all the time, but buy the dough. After being told 100 times “it’s so easy to make.” I want to try it. It seems like a lot of work. Any recipes you use? Any tips?

Years ago I used the Joy of Cooking (1975 ed.) recipe quite often. It’s a soft focaccia-like dough, doesn’t require as much kneading that thin crust does.

The “Chez Panisse Pasta, Pizza, Calzone” recipe is good.

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Basic dough - yield 1 pizza. Make dough in large bowl to minimize mess.
1 cup ap flour. Pinch active dry yeast (scant 1/8 tsp). 1 tsp salt. 1 tbsp olive oil. About 2/3 cup tap water. Mix and knead for about 5 min. Dough should be somewhat soft and sticky. It will firm up while it rises. Place in greased plastic bag. Leave in fridge for anywhere from 1-2 days.
When ready to bake, take out of fridge about 1 hr before. Light form ball on well floured counter top and leave for an hour with tea towel over it.
Pat or roll into pizza shape and proceed with recipe.
The key is to make the dough at least one day before or at minimum the morning of. You can vary the flour by substituting whole wheat for a part of it (I like to use about 1/4 cup whole wheat, 3/4 cup white).
Recipe easily scaled up.

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The key for me was a thermometer for the yeast water. I use Active Dry.

Also letting it rise for at least 3 hrs is important as is using bread flour ideally. More gluten.

I use coarse ground corn meal on the peel and a baking stone. Use the highest temp.

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I have that book! Somewhere.

Great suggestions! They make sense to me. What temp does the water need to be? What Is bread flour? Thanks.

Bread flour has more gluten than All Purpose flour. Cake flour has the least.

The water temp to activate yeast is between 95 and 105℉.

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Hi luluthemagnificient,

I use the no knead recipe from Smitten Kitchen. It couldn’t be easier. Here’s a link to the recipe.

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