(upbeat music)
(grunts)
- Hey, everybody.
It's Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com,
and with everybody
being cooped up at home,
it is a great time to
master your pizza skills.
I'm sharing all of our secrets
to our family's favorite pizza dough.
It takes just a few simple ingredients
to make a restaurant-quality pizza dough
that is chewy and crisp.
And, I'm hungry, so let's get started.
(hands tapping)
(bell chimes)
To make the pizza dough,
you'll need one and a fourth
cups of warm water, not hot.
Make sure it's between 105
to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add half a tablespoon of fine sea salt
and one teaspoon of honey,
then stir those together to dissolve.
Sprinkle the top with half a
teaspoon of active dry yeast,
and set it aside to proof
for about five minutes.
Meanwhile, fill a large mixing bowl
with three and one-third
cups, or 420 grams,
of all-purpose flour.
Create a well in the center
for pouring in the liquids.
Give that yeast mixture a quick stir.
Then pour it over the flour.
(upbeat music)
Use a firm spatula to stir
until the wet and dry
ingredients are combined.
Next, knead the dough together by hand
for about two minutes,
or just until no streaks of flour remain,
and the wet and dry ingredients
are really well-blended.
The dough will feel pretty sticky
to the hand that's kneading,
but when you touch it with
clean and dry fingertips,
it should barely stick.
Next, cover the dough
tightly with plastic wrap
to make sure a film
doesn't form on the dough,
and let it rise at room temperature
for about four to five hours
or until it has doubled in size.
It can rise a little
faster in a warmer spot,
but make sure it never goes
above 110 degrees Fahrenheit
while proofing the dough,
or you can deactivate and kill the yeast.
Once the dough has doubled in size,
generously sprinkle
your worktop with flour
and scrape the dough out
onto the floured surface.
And I love using this
flexible food scraper,
because it makes sure I
get every bit of dough
out of the bowl.
And I will link to this and
all of our favorite tools
for making pizza dough in the notes.
Lightly flour and turn the dough
so it's not sticking to your hands.
Then, divide it equally in half.
This recipe makes two 10-
to 12-inch pizza crusts,
so try to get them as even as you can.
Now we're going to fold each
piece dough eight times.
Wrap your hands around the dough
and fold the edges into the center.
Turn the dough and repeat
until you've folded it eight times.
It's a little bit like closing a book.
And this is a gentle fold.
Make sure you're not squeezing the dough,
and keep your hands lightly floured
so the dough doesn't stick to your hands.
With the last fold, seal
the edges at the bottom
and form a ball of dough.
Place that with the seam side down.
This is really easy, feels therapeutic,
and I think you'll love it.
Also, it's important to
make the gluten threads
in the dough stronger and
to trap the carbon dioxide
that's created by the yeast
to create those beautiful bubbles
that everyone loves in pizza dough.
Transfer each piece of dough
to a lightly oiled bowl.
I'm just using a simple
light olive oil here.
It doesn't add any flavor.
The oil just helps the dough
to release easier later.
Transfer the dough to the
bowl with the seam side down,
and you're gonna cover that
tightly with plastic wrap
and refrigerate for at least
24 hours and up to five days.
This is called the cold fomentation stage,
and it's really important to
create those beautiful bubbles,
and it really develops
the flavor in the dough.
This is how fancy pizza
places make their dough.
It's so easy and truly
a make-ahead recipe.
We have some dough here that
has been proofing overnight.
About an hour before
you're ready to use it,
pull that out of the refrigerator
so it can come to room temperature.
And, a few minutes before
you start making your pizza,
you want to preheat your oven
with the pizza stone in
the center of the oven
to 550 degrees Fahrenheit.
You want to make sure the
oven is fully preheated
before you start forming your pizza.
Transfer that room-temperature dough
onto a well-floured work surface,
lightly dust the top, and
start forming your dough.
Start by gently pushing in
the center of your dough
with your fingertips.
Now lift the dough and make
sure there's enough flour on it
so that it's not sticking to your hands.
To form the pizza crust, roll
the dough over your knuckles.
I've created two fists,
and I'm just working around in a circle,
leaving about a one-inch crust.
You want it thicker at the edges.
This will make a 10- to 12-inch pizza,
and keep in mind, it'll
shrink back slightly,
so make it a little bit
bigger than you think.
Place the dough on a floured pizza peel.
You'll notice the big
bubbles that have formed
in the crust.
Make sure you don't pop them.
You want them there,
and they will make your
pizza look professional.
Give the pizza dough a little
shake on the pizza peel
to make sure it's not sticking.
You don't want it to stick to the peel
while you're transferring
it into the hot oven.
Our pizza crust is formed,
and we're ready for some toppings.
If you love red pizza sauce,
I have a recipe for the best
homemade red sauce on my blog,
and I will link to it in the notes.
I also have a recipe for a
creamy white Alfredo pizza sauce.
This is our kids' favorite
and the one they request the most often.
I'll share links to both of these recipes.
They are so easy, delicious,
and take just five minutes to make.
We're just gonna make a cheese pizza
because that is the one
my kids love the most.
So sprinkle on a generous amount
of shredded mozzarella cheese.
And I would love to hear about
your favorite pizza toppings
in the comments.
Just before the pizza
goes into the hot oven,
I like to give it a quick shake
to make sure it's not sticking.
Then, transfer it to the hot pizza stone
and bake at 550 degrees Fahrenheit
for eight to 10 minutes.
When it's done, the edges will
be puffed and golden-brown
and the cheese will be bubbling.
Transfer the pizza to a cutting board
and let it cool slightly before serving.
If you don't already have one,
a pizza making kit makes
this process so much easier,
and I will link to ours in the notes.
Ho ho ho ho ho ho.
It is pizza time.
Oh, and look at that crust.
It is gorgeous.
Okay, we're gonna jump right into this,
because the cheese is
melty, the crust is crisp,
and I am so hungry. (laughs)
Also, the kids are probably
gonna smell this soon,
and then taste test is over.
So we're gonna jump right into this.
Oh, listen to this crunch.
(pizza crunches)
Of course, the cheese pull.
(giggles)
Okay, I'm excited.
Yum.
And this is the perfect crust.
It's a thin crust in the center,
and then the outside rim
just puffs up so beautifully.
Look at that texture.
I'm telling you guys, it's so good.
Okay, here we go.
Mm.
Mm.
That homemade white pizza
sauce is everything, too.
Make sure you try that recipe.
It is super easy.
Ah, you can really taste
a little bit of garlic
and Parmesan in the sauce.
Delicious.
Now I'm gonna get a bite of this crust,
because look at the texture there.
Look at that.
That is amazing.
Mm.
This seriously tastes
like it just came out
of a high-end pizza place.
It's so good.
It is crisp and chewy, and
then baked to perfection.
Cooking it on high heat like that
crisps up the crust perfectly.
And I love that this
is a make-ahead recipe,
so you can make balls
of dough in the fridge.
It just gets better with time.
It tastes better and better as it rests.
All right, the kids smelled the pizza,
and they want in on this taste test.
I'm gonna cut some big pieces for you.
- Gimme, gimme.
- Who gets the big one?
Okay, ooh, Mary gets the big one.
Okay.
What do you think?
- Good!
- Yeah?
- The best.
- The best.
Who makes the best pizza?
(laughs)
I like it.
Oh, and I think Dad wants
one too, right, Dad?
(laughs)
Hold on.
Watch your fingers, watch your fingers.
- Having two.
- Hold on.
Move those fingers.
There.
That's your cheesy part.
I'll get the crust.
That's my favorite part.
- Look at my beard.
- It seriously tastes like
a baguette, doesn't it?
So good.
- Look at my beard.
- Mm.
- Look at my beard.
- All right.
That's a wrap.
I hope you guys love this.
I hope it becomes a
family favorite for you.
We'll see you in our next video.
Wave.
Wave bye.
- Bye bye.
- Oh, great.
