Food is much more satisfying when you make it completely from scratch. Wouldn’t you agree? That’s why I like to make my own pizza dough. Sure, I could just buy it pre-made from the store, but where’s the fun in that?

I use Fine Cooking’s recipe for pizza dough, because that magazine has never steered me in the wrong direction (I highly recommend it!). So, here’s how to do it!

Ingredients:
1 lb (3 ½ cups) unbleached bread flour; more as needed
2 tsp granulated sugar or honey
1 ½ tsp table salt (or 2 ½ tsp kosher salt)
1 ¼ tsp instant yeast
1 ½ tbs extra-virgin olive oil; more as needed

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (Note: All mixing and kneading can be done by hand as well, but using a stand mixer is way easier.) Add 11 fl oz cool water (60° to 65°F) and mix on low speed until the dough comes together (about 1-2 minutes). Let the dough rest, uncovered, for about 5 minutes.

Replace the paddle with the dough hook, and knead the dough for 2-3 minutes. You want the dough to be smooth and elastic. It’ll be a bit tacky, but not sticky. To test if you have the right consistency, just poke the dough with your finger. If it peels off gently, leaving only a slight residue, you’ve got it. If the dough really sticks to your finger, add more flour as you knead until you’ve got it right.

Similarly, if the dough looks too dry, add a little water. The key is to only add a tiny bit of flour or water while you knead. A little bit of either can really change the consistency quickly.

Lightly oil a bowl that’s twice the size of the dough. Remove the dough from the mixer. (It may stick to bottom a little, but it should not stick to the sides; if so, you haven’t used enough flour.) Roll the dough in the bowl to coat it with oil, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 8 hours, or up to 3 days.

While the dough rises, the yeast will give off CO₂. (Sound familiar, fellow homebrewers?) So if the plastic wrap bulges out, just lift it up to burp it.

Now you’re ready to make pizza. Remove the dough from the fridge, and divide it into four pieces. Roll each piece into a tight ball and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet, leaving at least one inch spacing in between. Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap, and let it warm up to room temperature for 1 ½ to 2 hours.

Time to shape it. Transfer the dough to a floured surface. Sprinkle the dough with flour, and gently press each ball into a disk. It’s important to do this gently so you don’t squeeze out all the air.

Now, with floured hands, lift one ball of dough onto your knuckles, with your thumbs on the edge. Rotate the dough around as it stretches, until it’s about 10-12″ in diameter. Only put pressure on the edge of the dough. The edges will be much thicker than the middle, which will be almost paper thin. Make sure you don’t pull on the dough; just rotate it and gravity will take care of the rest. If the dough resists and keeps shrinking back, lay it down to rest for a couple minutes and try again.

Now your dough is ready for topping and baking! The easiest way to cook the pizza is to set it on a baking sheet, top it however you please, and bake it in a really hot oven (as hot as it will go) for 5-7 minutes.

You can also use a pizza stone, though this requires a bit more finesse, since you preheat the stone in the oven. Place the dough on a very well-floured pizza peel, top it, then carefully slide it onto the preheated stone with a quick jerking motion. This is very tricky. I’ve had my fair share of deformed pizzas using this method. But practice does make perfect, and you get a really nice, crispy crust with this method.

My favorite way to cook a pizza is to grill it, partially because it confuses people when I tell them that I grill my pizza! (It’s actually very easy to do!)

If you want to have fresh, homemade pizza dough on hand at any time, you can freeze it. After kneading the dough, divide it into the four pieces right away and place them in four separate freezer bags. The dough will do its rising in the freezer. When you want to use it, thaw it overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for 2-3 hours, then shape it as normal.

Mmmmm, pizza… A quick pairing tip — IPAs are really awesome with pizza, especially if you’ve topped it with lots of cheese. The bitterness cuts right through the fat and scrubs your tongue between bites. And if you happen to use spicy pepperoni or sausage as a topping, it’s even better. Hops and spicy foods are a match made in heaven. That is of course if you ever manage to sip your beer in between bites of pizza. I can’t guarantee you’ll be able to put it down!