Homemade pizza dough

• Serves: 4 medium pizzas

• Start to table: 2 1/2 hours

Ingredients

• 500g (1.1lbs) all purpose flour

• Handful of semolina flour

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp sugar

• 1 packet of active dry yeast (8g)

• 325ml (1 1/3 cups) warm water

Method

Add the sugar to to the warm water and stir to dissolve. Then add the yeast and give a gentle stir. Allow the yeast to sit for 5-10 minutes until it begins to produce small bubbles.

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl then combine the salt.

Pour the yeast liquid into the bowl with flour and combine with wet hands. Form a single large dough ball by gentle folding the mixture together.

Tip the dough ball onto a floured countertop and continue kneading by stretching the dough ball and folding it back on itself. Then turn 90 degrees and stretch and fold. Do this approximately four times until the dough ball has a consistent texture and is a long sausage shape.

Cut the dough sausage into four equal pieces.

Stretch each dough piece to form a mushroom cap shape them fold the sides up underneath into a ball until a nice ball shape is formed.

Sprinkle semolina flour on a dry baking tray. Place the dough balls on the tray and sprinkle flour on top then cover with a clean, slightly damp kitchen towel. Leave at room temperature to rise for two hours.

Step by Step: Making the dough

Add the sugar to to the warm water and stir to dissolve. Then add the yeast and give a gentle stir. Allow the yeast to sit for 5-10 minutes until it begins to produce small bubbles.

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl then combine the salt.

Pour the yeast liquid into the bowl with flour and combine with wet hands.

Form a single large dough ball by gentle folding the mixture together.

Tip the dough ball onto a floured countertop and continue kneading by stretching the dough ball and folding it back on itself.

Then turn 90 degrees and stretch and fold. Do this approximately four times until the dough ball has a consistent texture and is a long sausage shape.

Cut the dough sausage into four equal pieces.

Stretch each dough piece to form a mushroom cap shape them fold the sides up underneath into a ball until a nice ball shape is formed.

Sprinkle semolina flour on a dry baking tray. Place the dough balls on the tray and sprinkle flour on top then cover with a clean, slightly damp kitchen towel. Leave at room temperature to rise for two hours.