We love pizza at our house! In all honesty, we could eat it every day! And I’m the mom, and I say…that’s ok LOL! Friday is usually pizza and movie night for us. The kids get so excited when the end of the week comes around. Even before we had kids, my husband and I loved making pizza at home. We hunted for a good dough recipe for an eternity it seems. But after finicking around for years, we did it! We created the perfect pizza dough.
It’s one of those doughs that make you want to eat the crust at the end, instead of leaving it on your plate. Now, I have no Italian blood, so my quick-fix pizza sauce would probably make some cringe. But by all means, if you have a delicious homemade sauce made with your garden tomatoes…use that! I promise after making this recipe, you won’t be ordering out pizza anymore.
The Perfect Pizza Dough
The base of any good pizza is the dough! If your dough is lacking flavor and airiness, you might as well just eat the toppings. In order to achieve that flavor, there are 2 things I’ve added to my dough. Are you ready for secret #1?…7up! Although I’m sure the carbonation dies out quickly, it gives a bubbly boost to the beginning of your dough making. And the sugary drink adds the perfect amount of sweetness.
This next one is optional, if you want to make 2 savory pizzas, go ahead and use them. I add some granulated garlic and onion to the dough. It adds even more flavor and makes the dough irresistible. But on the other hand, if you want to make a sweet pizza, omit it! I made the mistake once LOL, and it was not very tasty. I didn’t realize until we were eating our Nutella strawberry pizza, that it tasted like onions.
What can you add to a sweet pizza? Anything you want! We like either cinnamon sugar with a little glaze or Nutella with any fruit. Unlike its savory peer, you’ll want to bake the dough without toppings. I like to add butter to the top of my dough before baking. I top it as soon as it gets out of the oven. If you opt for the cinnamon one, once out of the oven, brush with more butter and dust with a mixture of white sugar and cinnamon. For the glaze, I mix 1/2 cup icing sugar, 1 Tbsp butter, 1/4 tsp vanilla, and a few Tbsp of milk till you get a consistency that you can drizzle on top.
I usually start my dough at lunch time to make sure it’s risen by 5. Some days I start it in the morning if I know I’ll be busy, and try and leave it somewhere cooler so the yeast takes longer to rise. Most ovens have a proofer option now, so even if you missed your window, you can get it to rise in the oven in less than 2 hours.
You can either use a stand-up mixer for the dough or knead it by hand. I’ve done both with great results. Now to proof your yeast, because you are using something carbonated, don’t make the mistake of adding your yeast to your measuring cup! I’ve also made that mistake LOL. Use a large bowl to add your 7up, yeast, and sugar. Next, give your flour, salt, and spices a little mix before adding your liquids. You’ll want to knead the dough till you get a beautiful smooth ball. Then, place it in an oiled bowl, cover it, and let that baby take a nap.
The Sauce
I whipped up this recipe one day because we just simply didn’t have pizza sauce on hand. I don’t know about you, but I always have tomato paste in the pantry. Nothing magical here. Start off by adding the water to the tomato paste, followed by the oil, and then all the spices, salt, and sugar.
The Perfect Pizza
Ingredients
Dough
- 6 1/2 c. All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1/2 tsp. Granulated Garlic
- 1/2 tsp. Granulated Onion
- 2 c. 7up
- 1/2 c. Warm Water
- 3 tsp. Yeast
- 1 Tbsp. Sugar
Sauce
- 1 Small Can Tomato Paste
- 3/4 c. Water
- 1/4 c. Olive Oil
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. White Sugar
- 1 tsp. Granulated Garlic
- 1 tsp. Granulated Onion
- 1 tsp. Dried Parsley
- 1 tsp. Dried Basil
- 1/2 tsp. Dried Oregano
Garlic, Herb Butter
- 1/4 c. Butter
- 1 tsp. Granulated Garlic
- 1/2 tsp. Dried Basil
- 1/2 tsp. Dried Parsley
Toppings
- Favorite Toppings. Mozzarella, pepperoni, peppers, mushrooms, onions, ect.
Instructions
Dough
- Pour 7UP and warm water into a large bowl
- Add yeast and sugar, set aside.
- In a stand mixer bowl, or large bowl, mix flour, salt granulated garlic, and onion.
- Once the yeast is proofed, add liquid to the flour mixture.
- Knead by hand, or in a stand mixer till dough is smooth.
- Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and set aside to rise for three to five hours.
Sauce
- Mix tomato paste, water, oil, herbs, salt, and sugar until well combined. Set aside.
Garlic, Herb Butter
- Mix butter, granulated garlic, and herbs. Set aside.
Pizza Assembly
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Separate dough into two.
- Ensuring you don't overwork the dough, open up to pant size. Place in pan.
- Spread sauce up until the crust.
- Add toppings and cover with mozzarella cheese.
- Bake until the cheese is golden brown and the dough is cooked underneath.
- Remove from the oven and brush the crust with garlic butter right away.
- Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Pizza Assembly
We’ve played around with oven temperature a lot, and we have found that 450* F is our sweet spot. You want to let your oven heat up before you start putting your pizza together. We use a 15-inch in diameter perforated pizza pan. It fits perfectly in our oven, and gives us 2 pizzas with this dough recipe.
To have a beautiful airy crust, you don’t want to overwork your dough. Deflate and separate your ball into 2. I like to start with the palm of my hand and open the dough from the middle, going around and stretching, leaving a crust on the outside. Next, oil your pan and gently place your opened dough onto it. Lastly, spread your sauce up to the crust.
As for the toppings, add whatever floats your boat! That’s one of the reasons I love pizza so much, you can add all your family’s favorites in quarters, or halves. We’ve found that adding the toppings under the cheese makes for a better texture (aside from bacon). When adding too many on top of the cheese, we were left with a watery, non-golden mess. My husband and I like all dressed, here’s how we build ours…pepperoni, green peppers, mushrooms, onions, mozzarella, and bacon on top of the cheese. The kids prefer just pepperoni and bacon.
I have one last secret! To make the crust even more irresistible, as soon as the pizza comes out of the oven, I brush it with a herb, garlic butter. TO DIE FOR! I simply mix butter, granulated garlic, dried parsley, and basil.
So there you have it, the perfect pizza dough. I hope you enjoy this recipe and have a great pizza night!
