Chewy Artisan Pizza Dough Recipe
This Chewy Artisan Pizza Dough recipe creates a deliciously tender yet chewy base perfect for homemade pizza. Made with simple ingredients and a long fermentation process, the dough develops great flavor and texture. The high-temperature baking on a pizza stone or steel produces a crisp, golden crust that is ideal for a range of toppings.
- Author: Marco
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10-25 minutes
- Total Time: 7 hours
- Yield: 2 medium pizzas (12-inch each) 1x
- Category: Pizza Dough
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Dry Ingredients
- 500g (3 ¾ cups plus 2 tbsp) all-purpose flour
- 1g (¼ tsp) active dry yeast
- 10g (1 ½ tsp) fine salt
Wet Ingredients
- 375g (1 ½ cups plus 2 tbsp) warm water, divided
- Mix Dough: In a large bowl, combine the flour and all but 1 tablespoon of the warm water. Stir until just combined to form a rough mixture, then cover and let it rest for 20 minutes to hydrate the flour.
- Activate Yeast: In a separate small bowl, dissolve the active dry yeast in the remaining warm water. Let it sit for a few minutes until bubbling to activate the yeast.
- Combine Yeast and Salt: Sprinkle the salt evenly over the surface of the dough. Stir in the yeast mixture, then fold the dough repeatedly using wet hands to incorporate everything evenly. Continue pinching and folding until a shaggy dough forms.
- First Rest: Cover the bowl with a clean towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature for 1 hour to begin fermentation.
- Develop Gluten: After resting, wet your hands and perform a series of stretch-and-folds by stretching a section of the dough and folding it over the center. Rotate the bowl and repeat 4-5 times until the dough forms a cohesive ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl seam-side down, cover, and allow it to rise for 5-6 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Shape Dough Balls: Turn the dough onto a floured surface and divide it into two equal portions. Shape each portion into a tight ball by folding edges toward the center, cupping it, and pulling the dough towards you to tighten the surface. Place dough balls on a greased plate, lightly oil the tops, cover, and let rest for 1 hour.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 500°F (or the highest temperature your oven allows). Place a pizza stone, baking steel, or inverted baking sheet on the middle rack and allow it to heat for at least 45 minutes to ensure a very hot baking surface.
- Shape and Bake: On a floured surface, gently stretch and flatten each dough ball into a 12-inch diameter circle. Transfer the shaped dough to a floured pizza peel or lightly greased cast iron pan. Add your desired toppings.
- Bake: Slide the pizza onto the preheated stone or steel and bake for 5 minutes. For a crispier crust, broil the pizza for an additional 2-4 minutes until the crust is golden and toppings bubbly. If using a cast iron pan, bake for 15-20 minutes, then broil for the final few minutes for a crispy finish.
- Enjoy: Remove the pizza from the oven, slice, and serve your delicious chewy artisan pizza fresh and hot.
Notes
- Use warm water around 95°F (35°C) to properly activate the yeast without killing it.
- Resting and folding the dough helps develop gluten structure for a chewy texture.
- Preheating the baking surface is critical for a crisp crust and artisan-like texture.
- Experiment with toppings but avoid overloading the pizza to ensure even cooking.
- For best results, allow dough to ferment slowly at room temperature for a fuller flavor.
Keywords: artisan pizza dough, chewy pizza crust, homemade pizza dough, easy pizza dough, Italian pizza crust