Bread Machine Pizza Dough
Let cool a little if you can stand to wait. I couldnt, so I got out my large pizza cutter and had myself a feast.
Let cool a little if you can stand to wait. I couldnt, so I got out my large pizza cutter and had myself a feast.
- Carbohydrate 54.22220625 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 3.0288375 g
- Fiber 2.5640625667572 g
- Protein 9.78809375 g
- Saturated Fat 0.4301475 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (137g)
- Sodium 5.20725 mg
- Sugar 51.6581436832428 g
- Trans Fat 0.48094 g
- Calories 286 calories
Step-by-step
- Add ingredients to your machine in the order listed.
- Set mode for dough cycle.
- While the dough was kneading, I threw in about 1/8 tsp dried minced garlic . Set the machine for the dough cycle if you have it.
- After the machine gets through doing it's thing, take the dough out of the machine. My recipe says to have lightly floured hands, but I used a light coating of olive oil instead. Shape the dough into a ball. Now, depending on the amount of dough you make, and the size of the pizza pan, you could divide the dough into two pieces. I did that, and had to put them back together, because my pan was too large and the dough wouldn't stretch enough to fit.
- Press the dough into a lightly greased pan.
- Brush the crust with oil (I think I used garlic oil for this part, but you could use any oil). Cover (I used a lightly oiled piece of saran wrap) and let stand for 15 minutes. ** see change below. This instruction is for if you want to put the toppings on and bake immediately, which I didn't).
- Here's where I made the changes:
- Instead of the 15 minutes listed above, I put the dough into the oven (oven is off, but I turned on the light bulb in there) and I let the dough rise again. Instead of pressing the dough into the pizza pan as above, I had it in a lightly oiled, stainless steel mixing bowl). This step should take about 40 or 45 minutes.
- Once the dough has risen, that's when I patted it (again, use lightly oiled hands) into my pizza pan, and I again covered the dough with the lightly oiled saran wrap.
- Put in the refrigerator for 4 to 36 hours.
- Remove from fridge, and let rest on the counter top for about 30 minutes.
- Bake in a pre-heated 425 degree oven on the lowest rack, for about five minutes. You just want to get it crisp enough at this point so that it won't get soggy when you put on your toppings. I had forgotten, but it might be a good idea to prick the crust with a fork before placing in the oven, otherwise, it tends to swell while baking, not that that affects the taste.
- Now you add whatever toppings you like. I used just enough bottled Chunky (mushroom and green pepper) to barely cover the crust, because I'm not much for a lot of red sauces, but use as much as you like. I then put on some Monterray Jack and Colby cheese (cuz that's what I had), and added some pre-sliced pepperoni.
- I then added a little olive oil to the edge of the crust.......... I just put some on my hands and gently rubbed it on.
- Place back in the 425 degree oven as before, until the cheese is melted, and the crust edge is nice and golden brown.
Why does homemade pizza crust often turn out soggy in the middle despite a hot oven? The culprit is usually raw dough meeting wet sauce and heavy cheese before the starches have set. Controlling moisture absorption requires par-baking the naked crust at 425 degrees Fahrenheit on the lowest oven rack for precisely five minutes before adding any toppings. Pricking the raw disk with a fork beforehand prevents large air bubbles from distorting the flat surface during this initial heat exposure.
Bread flour contains a higher protein content than all-purpose flour, yielding approximately eleven to fourteen percent gluten that develops strong elastic networks during the machine kneading phase. Adding fats like olive oil interferes with gluten formation if introduced too early, which is why standard bread machine sequencing requires liquids at the base, dry ingredients in the middle, and yeast resting safely in a dry well on top. Oiling hands instead of dusting with excess flour prevents the sticky hydration mass from tearing while being pressed into a round pan.
Extended cold fermentation fundamentally alters gluten structure and flavor development through slow enzymatic activity during a four to thirty-six hour refrigerator rest. Transferring the shaped pan into a chilled environment slows yeast metabolism while organic acids accumulate, resulting in a more complex profile after baking. Bringing the chilled dough back to room temperature for thirty minutes prior to the oven ensures uniform heat penetration and proper rise along the cornicione.
Portions of unbaked dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic and frozen for up to one month, provided they are thawed entirely in the refrigerator overnight before shaping. Reheating leftover baked slices directly on a preheated baking stone at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for six minutes restores crispness to the bottom without overcooking the melted cheese.
