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Last weekend we went to a local pizza restaurant that supposedly has the “best” deep dish pizza outside of Chicago. I hate deep dish pizza. I like my pizza thin and crisp – the way it should be! But I agreed to go (kicking and screaming all the way). The things I do for the people I love!
The interior was appealing and the staff was friendly, although they may have the most uncomfortable booths that I have ever graced with my rear. Lulled by the well decorated restaurant and free flowing soda, I thought, “Hey – this deep dish adventure might not be half bad”. Of course, I would did not utter this out loud in fear of having my earlier objections rubbed in my face. I opened the menu and was pretty excited because a.) they had flaming cheese and I’m all about cheese and flames b.) they had flatbread pizzas… Score!
I decided on a Mediterranean flatbread because feta cheese makes me a happy girl (see, I told you I have a thing for cheese). Well, I was no longer in anti-deep dish pizza restaurant mode until my flatbread appeared at the table. Although I was suspect from the moment is was placed on the table, I went against my better judgement and actually took a bite. Now, the toppings were fine. You can’t really mess up olive oil, feta and some herbs.
But, oh my goodness, the flatbread was a hot mess! In a blind taste test, I truly don’t think I would’ve been able to tell the difference between that flatbread and a piece of cardboard topped with feta cheese. Not good, not good at all.
When I got home I was determined to find a recipe that was not only simple (I kind of have a minor yeast phobia), but also amazingly delicious! I turned to Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and found a pizza dough recipe that’s so good, it’ll blow your mind.
This olive oil dough recipe is ridiculously easy to make. So easy, I questioned if I had skipped a step! It is rich, full of flavor and perfect for pizza dough and focaccia. It also makes a lot of dough, but the beauty is that you can store the leftover dough in the fridge for up to 12 days and use it as the urge strikes. Trust me, after your first flatbread, you’ll have a new habit and it’ll be used up in no time!
Just FYI, I’m obsessed with flatbread now. Stay tuned for posts that highlight this recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day for pizza dough perfection.
Olive Oil Dough
Ingredients:
- 2-3/4 cups lukewarm water
- 1-1/2 tablespoon granulated yeast (2 packets)
- 1-1/2 tablespoons Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 6-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Directions:
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, or in a large (5 quart) bowl working with a wooden spoon, mix the yeast, salt, sugar, and olive oil with the water.
- Mix in the flour without kneading. I found this process to be incredible simple with my stand mixer, but it will certainly come together the old fashioned way. If you are not using a machine, you may need to wet your hands in order to incorporate the bit of flour.
- Transfer dough to large (5 quart) bowl or lidded food container. Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
- The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 12 days.
Notes:
This recipe can be easily doubled or halved.Follow Jamie on Instagram. We love to see what you're baking from MBA! Be sure to tag @jamiemba and use the hashtag #mbarecipes!
I’ve never been disappointed by any of your recipes, but today we had a complete failure with this one. I can’t figure out what we did wrong after going over the recipe several times. Our dough didn’t come together at all in the mixer, and we probably added at the very least 2-3 cups more of flour and it was still a little wet. We managed to get it to a workable point for pizza, but were stressed out by the time we got it in the oven. I know bread can be finicky based on the weather, so could it be Texas weather after some storms? Any idea what went wrong?
Laura-
Hi! Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting. It’s funny because we just used this dough for pizza last week and I actually left out a 1/2 cup of flour from the recipe because my dough was getting too stiff. As much as I hate to blame the weather, I’m thinking that’s the exact cause. Sorry I’m not more of a help.
-Jamie
I found out by accident that pizza dough is a lot easier to handle when it’s cold. Before, I’d be smooshing it all around, and it would be shrinking back straight away! Very annoying! Now I make the dough first thing in the morning, and just stick it straight into the fridge for the day. It’s so much easier shaping cold dough – and the extra time rising in the fridge gives the dough a much better flavour. Everyone’s a winner! Thanks for the recipe! X
Holly-
Thanks for sharing your tips. I appreciate you stopping by.
-Jamie
I am italian and have made a lot of pizza,this is one of the best.sand it gets better as it sits for a day or two!
So glad you had success with the pizza dough. Thanks for stopping by.
-Jamie
Amazing recipe for pizzas =D thank you for sharing!!!
http://www.munchkintime.com/best-knead-olive-oil-pizza-dough/
This looks really good. I’ve read the recipe and all the comments and wondered what temperature and how long do you bake the pizzas? Thanks.
500 degrees 7to 9 min
Seeing how expensive pizza dough is at the store, I knew I needed to find the perfect recipe. I had a nice dough recipe before but it was a bit of work. This recipe was awesome! I halved the ingredients and adjusted ratios accordingly so we were left with enough dough to create one large pizza crust. Perfect for a family with two adults and one toddler. I can’t wait to try adding other ingredients into the crust (perhaps a sun-dried tomato crust or spinach crust.)
What is the temperature and baking time?
Alejandra-
Here is a recipe using the dough..https://www.mybakingaddiction.com/spicy-chicken-and-pepper-jack-pizza-recipe/. I would bake it at 425 for 8 minutes then add sauce and toppings and bake for another 10-12 minutes. Thanks so much for following MBA and have a wonderful day!
-Jamie
hello from Holland!
I made the dough and put garlic in it because I love garlic, and then baked it in a pan on my gas-range. I rolled the dough out before I baked it , it is so very delicious, I think you can do everything with it for instance with herbs of even wit apple and cinnamon!
thanks very much!!
This looks amazing! Will try it this weekend. Do you know if I could add garlic powder and oregano to the dough itself and it still turn out okay? Thanks so much!
Carolann, that will work great! Enjoy your pizza.
– Jamie
I have frozen dough for many years. Just remember when you make it don’t let it rise, weigh the amount you want, form it in a ball, rub olive oil on it and put it in a quart Ziplock freezer bag. The morning when you want to use it, remove it from the freezer and let it rise, then shape it into bread or pizza dough and let it rise again. No one will ever know it was frozen.
Terri-
What a wonderful tip…thank you so much! Have a fantastic day and thank you for following MBA!
-Jamie