Standard Pizza Dough

Do not punch down this dough. It will collapse on its own and later shrink while it chills in the refrigerator. It will never regain its height, and that’s okay. It’s hard to go wrong with this simple recipe!

Directions

1. Pour the water into a three-quart bowl or a large lidded plastic food container. Using a wooden spoon, mix in the oil, salt, yeast, and sugar. Stir well to combine. Add the flour and mix until uniformly moist. The dough will be quite wet; no kneading is necessary. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap or partially cover the plastic container (leave the lid open a crack to let gases escape).

2. Let the dough rise for two hours at room temperature. The dough will fully expand and may even begin to fall a bit during this time.

3. Refrigerate the dough, loosely covered, for at least three hours before using. After that time, tightly cover the bowl or container to keep the surface of the dough from drying out. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Notes:

You can also freeze the dough in well-wrapped half-pound balls for up to three weeks. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.

Variations:

Substitute 5 ounces (1 cup) whole wheat flour to the same weight of unbleached all-purpose flour and add 2 tablespoons additional water.