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Last weekend we went to a local pizza restaurant that supposedly has the “best” deep dish pizza outside of Chicago. I hate deep dish pizza. I like my pizza thin and crisp – the way it should be! But I agreed to go (kicking and screaming all the way). The things I do for the people I love!
The interior was appealing and the staff was friendly, although they may have the most uncomfortable booths that I have ever graced with my rear. Lulled by the well decorated restaurant and free flowing soda, I thought, “Hey – this deep dish adventure might not be half bad”. Of course, I would did not utter this out loud in fear of having my earlier objections rubbed in my face. I opened the menu and was pretty excited because a.) they had flaming cheese and I’m all about cheese and flames b.) they had flatbread pizzas… Score!
I decided on a Mediterranean flatbread because feta cheese makes me a happy girl (see, I told you I have a thing for cheese). Well, I was no longer in anti-deep dish pizza restaurant mode until my flatbread appeared at the table. Although I was suspect from the moment is was placed on the table, I went against my better judgement and actually took a bite. Now, the toppings were fine. You can’t really mess up olive oil, feta and some herbs.
But, oh my goodness, the flatbread was a hot mess! In a blind taste test, I truly don’t think I would’ve been able to tell the difference between that flatbread and a piece of cardboard topped with feta cheese. Not good, not good at all.
When I got home I was determined to find a recipe that was not only simple (I kind of have a minor yeast phobia), but also amazingly delicious! I turned to Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and found a pizza dough recipe that’s so good, it’ll blow your mind.
This olive oil dough recipe is ridiculously easy to make. So easy, I questioned if I had skipped a step! It is rich, full of flavor and perfect for pizza dough and focaccia. It also makes a lot of dough, but the beauty is that you can store the leftover dough in the fridge for up to 12 days and use it as the urge strikes. Trust me, after your first flatbread, you’ll have a new habit and it’ll be used up in no time!
Just FYI, I’m obsessed with flatbread now. Stay tuned for posts that highlight this recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day for pizza dough perfection.
Olive Oil Dough
Ingredients:
- 2-3/4 cups lukewarm water
- 1-1/2 tablespoon granulated yeast (2 packets)
- 1-1/2 tablespoons Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 6-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Directions:
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, or in a large (5 quart) bowl working with a wooden spoon, mix the yeast, salt, sugar, and olive oil with the water.
- Mix in the flour without kneading. I found this process to be incredible simple with my stand mixer, but it will certainly come together the old fashioned way. If you are not using a machine, you may need to wet your hands in order to incorporate the bit of flour.
- Transfer dough to large (5 quart) bowl or lidded food container. Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
- The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 12 days.
Notes:
This recipe can be easily doubled or halved.Follow Jamie on Instagram. We love to see what you're baking from MBA! Be sure to tag @jamiemba and use the hashtag #mbarecipes!
Thanks for the pizza dough recipe to try, nice and simple the way it should be.
I am a total pizza crust snob, and am with you on that deep dish thing. Sometimes flatbread means matzo cracker…I am going to try this recipe with a little whole wheat! The no knead breads have always been fantastic! Also a poster asked about freezing it, I always freeze my dough in balls, and let them thaw in the fridge before rolling them out…sometimes they need a little more flour to absorb the moisture, but no problems.
Susie, thanks for answering the question. I freeze my Challah dough and it works fine. But that stuff contains eggs and butter etc and I wasn’t sure if a plain pizza dough would work. I’ll give that a try! It’s going to save me a lot of time. I’ll make a batch now.
Looks super simple! My family has a ton of food allergies and it’s always hard to find anything simple these days… Can’t wait to give it a try! Thanks for sharing!
Found you on foodgawker and love that you don’t have to knead it! Will definitely have to try this out. My only question… could I use whole wheat pastry flour ?
Oh fun! I came up with a similar recipe of pizza dough wich is similar to this one with a similar technique ! However, Instead of using all white unbleached flour I use 1/3 whole wheat and 2/3 white unbleached flour. Makes it a bit more rustic and chewier. Do you think the dough would freeze well? BTW, I hate deep dish pizza too. Try making a vegetarian pizza and use just a little Italian cheese (enough to hold the veggies down). Then place a few thin slices of Brie (a great way to use up over-ripe Brie) on top. To die for! My husband, who has spent much time working in Italy and eating street food, says my pizza is more Italian than American. What a compliment!
I’ve been holding out on buying that book, and am now hot to get my hands on it! I’m now very looking forward to what you’ll do with this recipe. I’m staying tuned!
Oh I so hear your pizza story…..Having grown up on delicious NY style pizza, I love it when people recommend a pizza place to me and I simply find it inedible! It happens all the time. There is one place a hour away that I go to and they know me there well (I even spent an afternoon in their kitchen :) Other than that, I make my pizza at home. I made five different pizza’s this past week. Here is the last post that include all the photos, since you like cheese, oh yes-me too :) you may like the goat cheese/balsamic pizza I made, or the Asian Pear/Gorgonzola. Would love to hear what you think!
We love pizza nights around here, too!
Awesome – I’ve been on the hunt for an easy, good pizza dough recipe for a while. I’ve tried others which had promises of “awesome results” but wasn’t too impressed. Looking forward to trying this one!
Very Interesting. Medi…Flatbread..I’ll have to try it.