Quick Rise Pizza Dough
With growing interest in the science of pizza doughs, I stick to 2 types - a quick rise one that uses a generous amount of rapid rise yeast and one that uses a small amount of traditional yeast. Both take minutes to assemble but the first one requires only 30 minutes to rise while the second one peaks after a couple of days in the fridge. Let me be clear! The flavour and texture from a cold fermentation process are truly worth the wait but when that pizza craving hits, this quick rise dough recipe is perfect. Having said that, I have used both recipes interchangeably, either because I make too much and store my quick rise in the fridge for another day or because I can’t wait 3 days for my pizza dough to be ready. For my overnight dough, check out https://marisamariella.com. Sometimes I make this dough by hand because I need (no pun intended) something tactile to ground me. Other times, I use the mixer and let the dough hook do all the work while I prep the toppings. In either case, while the dough rises, I prepare the sauce and toppings. The other variation is all about how it's cooked. Sure, you can use an oven but have you considered using your BBQ? Grilling pizza can be a fun and delicious way to enjoy this classic dish, offering a unique smoky flavor and crispy crust that can be difficult to achieve in a conventional oven.
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, preferably organic, unbleached
- 1½ - 2 tbsp instant rapid-rise yeast
- 1¼ cup water, very warm to the touch
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp sea salt
- ½ - 1 tsp sugar
Pizza Sauce
- 1 cup pureed or crushed canned unsalted San Marzano tomatoes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- few fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
Toppings
- Vegetables (ex. sauteed mushrooms, thinly sliced red onions, grilled zucchini and eggplants, olives)
- Meat (ex. thinly sliced prosciutto, cooked and crumbled Italian sausage, thinly sliced pancetta)
- Cheese (ex. grated mozzarella or friulano or fresh imported Asiago cheese, ricotta, sliced bocconcini, brie)
- Herbs and spices (ex. fresh basil leaves, dried oregano, rosemary, thyme)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Chocolate hazelnut spread for a sweet pizza (add sliced strawberries and/or banana)
Instructions
Made by Hand
- Preheat baking steel or pizza stone according to package instructions. (Place in a cold oven and set temperature to 450°F - 500°F. Preheat for at least 30 minutes.
- Cut a piece of parchment paper larger than what your pizza size will be. Lay it on a pizza peel or a rimless cookie sheet or a rimmed cookie sheet flipped upside down. Set aside.
- Place flour in large shallow bowl. Sprinkle with yeast and stir.
- Dissolve sugar and yeast in water, ensuring that water is very warm. Add oil to liquid mixture. Pour into flour mixture. Use wooden spoon to combine. Then add salt.
- Place contents of bowl on floured work surface. Dough will look shaggy and lumpy.
- Knead for about 10 minutes, dusting with little flour if too sticky.
- Test the dough by poking it firmly with your finger. If indentation bounces back quickly, dough is kneaded enough. If dimple remains, then continue kneading for a few more minutes.
- Dough should be smooth, pliable, and slightly tacky. Form dough into ball and place on lightly floured counter surface. Cover with bowl (or place in lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic film) and allow to rest and rise, about 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare the pizza toppings.
Made with Electric Mixer
- Place the flour and yeast in mixing bowl and stir. Dissolve sugar and yeast in water, ensuring that water is very warm. Add oil to liquid mixture. Pour into flour mixture. Start with medium-low speed to mix everything. Then add salt.
- Gradually increase speed to high and knead the dough about 6 minutes.
- Continue as above.
Baking Instructions - Oven Method
- Divide dough in half to make 2 10" pizzas. Place one dough ball on lightly floured counter and use fingers to gently stretch and shape. Then carefully transfer dough to parchment paper and continue to spread it out to form a 10-inch circle.
- Spread pizza sauce, leaving a border. Sprinkle with cheese, then rest of toppings. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil.
- Then, pull oven rack with pizza steel or stone out slightly and slide parchment paper with pizza onto steel or stone. You may need to adjust the placement of pizza using the parchment paper. Do not burn yourself. Bake for about 8 minutes or until golden and bubbly. You may wish to turn oven on broil for another minute or two, checking often. Remove from oven and slice into pieces. Serve hot.
Baking Instructions - BBQ Method
- Be sure BBQ grates are clean. Preheat BBQ to 500°F or higher.
- Cut 4 strips of parchment paper, 6” X 12”, one for each pizza. Lightly grease.
- Divide dough into 4 portions and place each portion on parchment strips. Use fingers to create an oblong shape, about ¼” thick. Brush with olive oil.
- To grill, use parchment paper as a guide to flip dough directly on grill, paper side up. Peel off the parchment paper. Work quickly to lay a few doughs on the grill and close the lid to retain the heat. (To work quickly, you can leave paper on, close lid to bring temperature up, and then remove paper.)
- After a few minutes, use tongs to flip the pizza to grill the other side. The dough is ready when it has risen, turned golden with charred grill marks.
- If using immediately, reduce the heat. While still on the grill, dress with sauce, cheese, and toppings. Close lid for a minute or two to heat up toppings.
- Carefully remove and slice.
- Serve with an extra drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
Since the toppings do not have a long time to cook, it is best to use pre-cooked or thinly sliced raw ingredients. Check out https://marisamariella.com/quick-rise-pizza-dough/ for some ideas or check below.
- rapini
- sliced sausage
- ham
- sauteed mushrooms
- peppers
- onion
