Crispy Artisan Pizza Dough with Gourmet Bubbles Recipe
This artisan pizza dough recipe yields a crispy, chewy, and bubbly crust perfect for homemade pizzas. Using a slow fermentation process and minimal ingredients, the dough develops excellent texture and flavor, making it ideal for baking on a pizza stone, steel, or in a cast iron pan. The recipe includes detailed folding and resting steps to build gluten structure and produce an airy, flavorful crust.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes (includes mixing, resting, shaping)
- Cook Time: 15 minutes (baking and broiling combined)
- Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes (including long rise time)
- Yield: 2 pizzas (12-inch each) 1x
- Category: Bread/Dough
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Scale
Dough Ingredients
- 500g (3 3/4 cups plus 2 tbsp) all-purpose flour
- 375g (1 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp) warm water, divided
- 1g (1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
- 10g (1 1/2 tsp) fine salt
Instructions
- Initial Mixing and Rest: Mix the flour with all but 1 tablespoon of the warm water in a large bowl until just combined, then cover and let rest for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the yeast into the reserved tablespoon of warm water and set aside to dissolve.
- Add Yeast and Salt; Fold Dough: Sprinkle salt over the dough surface. Stir the yeast mixture and pour it over the dough. Using a wet hand, fold the dough repeatedly by stretching sections over the top and pinching off chunks, until a shaggy dough forms incorporating the yeast and salt. Cover and rest for about an hour.
- First Gluten Development Fold and Bulk Fermentation: Wet your hand and fold the dough one time by stretching sections upward and folding over the center, rotating the bowl and repeating 4-5 times to tighten the dough into a ball. Invert the dough ball seam-side down into a greased bowl, cover, and let rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, about 5-6 hours.
- Divide and Shape Dough Balls: Turn the dough onto a floured surface and cut in half. For each half, stretch each edge over the center to form a loose ball, then turn seam-side down and gently pull and drag the dough on the counter while rotating to tighten and create tension, forming a smooth round ball.
- Proof Dough Balls: Transfer dough balls to a greased plate, lightly oil tops, cover, and let rest at room temperature for about one hour. Meanwhile preheat the oven. If not baking immediately, cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Surface: Place a pizza steel, stone, or inverted baking sheet on the middle oven rack and preheat to 500°F (or highest oven temperature) for at least 45 minutes to ensure thorough heating.
- Shape Pizza Dough: Generously flour a pizza peel and flatten one dough ball into a disk with a thick 1-inch lip. Lift by the edge and use gravity to stretch into a 12-inch circle. Place on the floured peel and adjust shape, ensuring it moves easily. Alternatively, shape dough to fit a cast iron pan greased with olive oil.
- Add Toppings and Bake: Add sauce and toppings, leaving the outer 1-inch rim clear. Slide pizza onto the hot steel and bake for 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for 2-4 minutes until cheese melts and crust blisters and turns golden. If using a cast iron pan, bake for 15-20 minutes and broil briefly at the end for charred spots.
- Repeat: Repeat the shaping, topping, and baking process with the remaining dough ball and desired toppings.
Notes
- Using a pizza stone or steel preheated for at least 45 minutes is crucial for a crispy crust.
- If not baking immediately, dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days, but bring back to room temperature before shaping.
- Wet your hands slightly when folding to prevent sticking.
- Adjust oven broiling times to avoid burning the toppings; watch carefully during this stage.
- For gluten development, multiple stretches and folds during resting improve dough elasticity and texture.
Keywords: artisan pizza dough, pizza crust, crispy pizza dough, chewy pizza dough, homemade pizza, bubbly pizza crust, slow rise pizza dough
