Bread Machine Pizza Dough

The Aroma of Home: Bread Machine Pizza Dough Adventures

As a busy businesswoman, finding time to cook a wholesome meal can feel like a Herculean task. Takeout menus become dog-eared, and the drive-thru starts to feel like a second home. But something shifted recently. I started craving the simple act of creating something with my own hands, of filling my home with the comforting aroma of baking bread. That's how my bread machine pizza dough adventure began.

I always thought making pizza dough was an intricate, time-consuming process, something best left to professionals. But after stumbling across a simple bread machine recipe, I realized how wrong I was. The beauty of a bread machine is its simplicity. You just toss the ingredients in, press a button, and let the machine work its magic. It's a game-changer for someone like me, constantly juggling meetings, emails, and deadlines. While the machine kneads and rises the dough, I can focus on other tasks, knowing that a delicious, homemade meal is just hours away.

My first attempt was a revelation. The dough was soft, pliable, and smelled heavenly. I couldn't resist sneaking a little taste. I shaped it, let it rise again in a warm oven, and then nestled it into a lightly oiled pan. A simple brush of garlic oil, a sprinkle of mozzarella, and a scattering of pepperoni, and my homemade pizza was ready for the oven. The result? Pure bliss. Crispy crust, gooey cheese, and the satisfying knowledge that I'd created something delicious from scratch. Now, pizza night is a regular occurrence in my household. It’s become a ritual, a moment of calm in my otherwise hectic week, a reminder that even the busiest of us can find joy in the simple act of cooking.

There's something truly special about the smell of baking bread. It transforms a house into a home, filling it with warmth and a sense of comfort. It's a reminder of simpler times, of family gatherings and shared meals. And with my trusty bread machine, I can recreate that feeling anytime I want. So, if you're a busy professional, a time-crunched parent, or simply someone looking for a delicious and easy way to make pizza dough, I urge you to give the bread machine a try. You might be surprised at how much joy it brings.

What are your favorite easy weeknight meals? Share your tips and tricks in the comments below!

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.