Kitchen Project: Homemade Pizza Dough

If it were up for a vote, pizza would definitely take a spot in the top 5 of our favorite foods. It’s easy to make, it’s delicious to eat, and it begs for seasonal flourishes. Of course, we love a good pizza margherita, but often can’t resist the addition of in-season produce when the mood strikes. Wild mushrooms in the winter, asparagus in the spring, tomatoes in the summer, winter squash in the fall—pizza adapts readily to all kinds of in-season produce, meats and charcuterie.

Now as all pizza aficionados will tell you, a seriously good pizza starts with a first-rate crust. If making dough from scratch seems like a hassle, it doesn’t have to be — the dough is surprisingly simple and ideal for making ahead. Just let it rise slowly in the refrigerator overnight, and you’ll be ready to roll out, top off and bake in no time.

Basic Pizza Dough

• 2 packages (5 tsp.) active dry yeast
• 2 1/2 cups (18 fl. oz./560 ml.) warm water (105-155˚F/40-46˚C)
• 2 tsp. granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml.) olive oil
• 5 cups (25 oz./780 g.) bread flour, plus extra as needed
• 1 Tbs. sea salt
• All-purpose flour for rolling and shaping

Toppings

Our pizzas featured at the top of this page — Salumi and Cheese, Potato and Rosemary, and Prosciutto and Fig — won’t disappoint, but you can also experiment with more of your favorite ingredients. Our recommendations:

• Sauces: tomato sauce, pesto, bechamel
• Cheeses: mozzarella, creamy Gorgonzola, fresh ricotta, Parmesan, fontina, fresh goat cheese
• Protein: sausage, pancetta, bresaola, anchovies, sardines, toasted chopped walnuts
• Vegetables & Fruits: tomatoes of all shapes and sizes; braised fennel; sauteed onions; sliced figs; halved grapes; potato slices; zucchini slices; eggplant slices; roasted garlic
• Fresh Finishes: arugula, spinach, chopped fresh herbs, prosciutto

Need more inspiration? Check out the more than 100 pizza recipes on our site.