How to make pizza dough with a stand mixer

Pizza dough recipe

You can use a stand mixer to take most of the heavy lifting out of making homemade pizza dough, as your appliance can mix and knead dough so you don’t have to. Specific instructions for making stand mixer pizza dough can vary by model, but the basic directions are the same. Making pizza dough with your KitchenAid^® stand mixer is a simple and easy process with the help of attachments and accessories like the Dough Hook.

Yields

• 2 (12–14 inch) pizza crusts

Ingredients

While your pizza dough recipe may vary, use these tips as a general guide for how to make a basic pizza crust in a KitchenAid® stand mixer.

• Flour

• Instant yeast

• Olive oil

• Sugar

• Salt

• Warm water

• Cornmeal (for dusting the bottom of the pan)

Tools

• Stand mixer, like this KitchenAid^® Artisan^® Series Tilt-Head Stand Mixer

• Whisk attachment, like this Tilt Head 6-Wire Whip from KitchenAid

• Dough hook, like the KitchenAid^® 3.5 QT Coater Dough Hook

• Aluminum foil, plastic wrap or a clean hand towel (for proofing)

• Large bowl (for proofing)

• Rolling pin (optional)

Prep time

• 1 hour and 30 minutes

Total time

• About 2 hours

Step 1: Prepare the dough

Start by combining yeast, warm water and sugar in your stand mixer bowl. Whisk together with your 6-Wire Whip Attachment and let sit for a few minutes. Then, add flour and salt to your mixing bowl. Attach the beater blade and mix the ingredients on low speed until fully mixed, then add a little olive oil and beat until combined. After you’ve combined the dough, knead it, proof it and then punch the dough to release air bubbles. You can tell when the dough has been properly kneaded when you see small strings of dough appear when pull off a small piece of it. It’s best to start proofing in the refrigerator to allow the dough to rest after kneading.

Step 2: Stretch and shape the pizza dough

Allow the dough to come to room temperature before stretching and shaping. On a lightly oiled work space, gently flatten the dough into a disk with your hands or a rolling pin. Place the dough on a pizza pan, then stretch and shape the dough into a circle.

Step 3: Add toppings and bake

Once your dough has been stretched out to your preferred size, add your favorite pizza toppings. You can use traditional toppings like red sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni or sausage, or get creative with toppings like prosciutto, fig and goat cheese, or barbeque chicken and cheddar. Bake your pizza for 12–15 minutes and let cool before serving. Learn how to bake pizza on a pizza stone.

What are the basic components of pizza dough?

Pizza is made of six basic components: flour, water, oil, yeast, salt and sugar. The dough starts out like all yeast breads do, but the added fat (oil) and sweetness (sugar) help to create a dough that can be stretched and shaped into a flat circle and baked with a slight rise.

What is the best way to form pizza dough so it rises properly?

Get the right rise in your pizza dough by starting with room temperature dough to avoid air bubbles. Then stretch the dough as thin as you can without tearing it, pinching out any bubbles as you go. When you stretch the crust, knead the dough by pushing it slowly with your hands in a clockwise direction to get a consistent thickness. This helps it flatten and form the circular shape of the crust.

How do I roll out pizza dough evenly?

To evenly roll out your pizza dough, start with room temperature dough. Grease your work surface with 2–3 tablespoons of oil. Press the center of the dough to release trapped air, then roll the dough in an outward motion with your rolling pin until it shapes into an oval. Rotate the dough and continue rolling until desired shape and thickness is achieved.

Does the type of flour affect the final texture of the pizza crust?

Yes, the texture of your pizza crust can be affected by the type of flour used to make the dough. When making your own pizza dough at home, you will want to use a type of flour with a high protein content, like type 00, bread, whole wheat or all purpose flour. The protein content helps to create the chewy texture associated with a perfect pizza crust.