Today my sister called and asked if I could make her some pizza dough, she has tried to make her own on several occasions and it never rises. Of course, I will whip up a batch or two or three for her. I enjoy cooking, baking, etc. so I’ll take any opportunity to be in the kitchen.
I asked her what she was doing to rise her yeast and she said she sprinkles it in warm milk and it gets just a little frothy. I asked what type of bowl she was using and she does it in the metal kitchen aid mixer bowl, this is her problem. Yeast does not like to be in metal or plastic, it will not proof appropriately. Yeast needs to be proofed in glass or ceramic. It has something to do with the chemical make up of the container.
Ingredients
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast or 1 package (Not instant)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar
- 3/4 teaspoons garlic salt
- Optional: 3 to 4 shakes of dried basil, oregano, thyme
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + a little extra to put into glass bowl for rise
- 3/4 cups warm water (105 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit)
Process
- In a small ceramic or glass bowl (cereal size) add the warm water and sugar, mix to mostly dissolved sugar, sprinkle yeast on top. Let sit for 7-10 minutes for the yeast to proof (get bubbly/foamy/frothy)
- While the yeast is proofing, to the bowl of an electric mixer, add the flour, garlic salt and spices. Give it a little stir to mix together.
- Once the yeast is proofed, add it to the flour mixture, add the olive oil, using the dough hook on the electric mixer, kneed on a low speed for roughly 5 minutes (kneed long enough for the dough to come together).
- NOTE: If the dough is still sticky, add a teaspoon of flour and keep kneeding, if the dough is to dry add a teaspoon of water. One of these days I am going to weigh out the ingredients versus measuring out so the dough consistency is the same with each batch or as close as I can get it as humidity plays a factor in the consistency.
- While the dough is kneeding add a small amount of olive oil into a medium sized glass bowl
- Once the dough is to the desired consistency, scoop the dough out of the mixer and with hands shape dough into a ball, put in the greased bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, a cover, or a tea towel. Set aside in a warm place (not hot) for 30-45 minutes to allow to rise and double in size.
- When the dough has doubled in size turn out on a lightly floured surface, sprinkle some flour on the top and roll into desired shape.