It is back to basics this month and I am exploring the beauty of a simple recipe, well done. No frills, no fuss, just plain old favourites prepared with the utmost simplicity. After some simple brownies and an old fashioned crumble, I wanted to share a savoury classic. Pizza. It is fast, cheap and convenient to order. So, most of us never bother making it at home. But if you do make it at home and realise how easy it really is to have pizza dough stocked up in your fridge and pizza sauce sitting in a jar, you might never order pizza from the store again. And the crust, oh the crust!
The recipe I am going to share with you today is a Jamie Oliver recipe. It is absolutely his recipe, pure and unadulterated. As much as I like to tinker with most recipes, his recipes I have found hardly ever need tinkering. This pizza dough recipe produces the most stunning crust I have ever had. Rolled and stretched out thin, it makes a crispy base pizza. Rolled and laid out thick and deep, it produces a fluffy deep dish pizza. The edges always crisp out and turn golden, the centre is always fluffy and perfectly cooked. There is no stodginess or heavy uncooked batter ever. It is quick to put together and forget about. It takes 15 minutes tops and is just gorgeous. Do give it a try and let me know how it went. I have included some lovely variations in my notes, something to get your creative juices in the kitchen flowing.
Recipe
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BASIC 30 MINUTE PIZZA DOUGH
A quick to make, beautifully textured pizza dough recipe by Jamie Oliver. The dough encrusted with semolina makes a gorgeous crispy crust.
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Servings: 4
Calories: 985kcal
Ingredients
- 800 g strong white bread flour
- 200 g fine semolina or semolina flour
- 1 tablespoon fine sea salt, or 2 teaspoons sea salt flakes
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
- 14 g dried yeast
- 650 ml lukewarm water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil , + extra for oiling bowl
- extra flour for dusting
Instructions
- Pile the flour and salt on to a clean surface (or inside a large bowl) and make a well in the centre. Add your yeast, olive oil and sugar to the tepid water, mix up with a fork and leave for a few minutes until it froths. Then pour into the well.
- Using a fork and a circular movement, slowly bring in the flour from the inner edge of the well and mix with the water. The flour will look like stodgy porridge at this point of time. Continue mixing the dry flour with the water till it comes together into a roughly formed dough ball.
- Dust a clean surface with flour. Place the dough ball on the flour. Now use your flour dusted hands to knead the dough. Roll the dough backward and forwards, using your left hand to stretch the dough towards you and your right hand to push it away from you. Repeat this for 10 minutes until you have a smooth springy soft dough.
- Brush the inside of a large clean bowl with olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl and cover with a tea towel. Place the bowl in a warm spot in your kitchen and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes to 2 hours (ideal). When the dough has risen and doubled in size, it is ready to use (if it is a warm day at 25°C, this will happen in just 30 minutes otherwise it may take longer. Turning the oven on and leaving the bowl of dough on a stool near the closed oven door also helps speed up the rising of the dough).
Nutrition
Calories: 985kcal | Carbohydrates: 188g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 1788mg | Potassium: 328mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 4IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 4mg
Did you make my recipe?I'd love to hear how you went! Tag me on Instagram @cookrepublic
Hi Sneh, I’m wondering about the salt. Is 1 tablespoon of fine sea salt the same as 2 teaspoons sea salt flakes? It seems like it should be the other way around. Jamie Oliver pizza dough
Hi Jennifer, you are right in the sense, it probably needs more of the sea salt flakes in this case. It depends on the sea salt flakes and the size of the salt granules. The quantities are pretty interchangeable. You could even add 2.5 - 3 teaspoons of sea salt flakes if the flakes are quite big. Or you could crush them beforehand and add 2 teaspoons. I usually just add by feel. Slight variations in the salt content won't affect the pizza at the end, you just don't want it to be bland. Hope that helps x
Really appreciate the way you made this easy pizza dough. Nicely described everything that helped me to make a good pizza at home. Looking for more such recipes in future too.
Thanks for a great recipe! This makes a really nice thin crust. Prosciutto and Gorgonzola for the hubby and chicken and corn for the kids (their fave combo... don't ask). I also liked your tip with the stacking... makes logistics much easier. I enjoy your blog and its beautiful photography... keep it up!
Would love to try this recipe but does anyone know quantity for just 1 regular large size pizza? And maybe in cups instead of grams 🙂
The directions do not say when to add the olive oil. Should it be added to the yeast & water mixture?
Best recipe from the whole of bunch useless ones. I'm using this one a little bit changed for about 2 years and I'm always happy.
Hi Sneh..i recently used your recipe and made the pizza dough. It came out really well after baking, but it was really difficult to work with. The dough was too sticky and no matter how much I kneaded it or how much flour I put in, it remained sticky. So I thought I ll ask you. when I add the yeast and sugar mixed water to the flour, do I add all the water at once or keep adding as I need it? As I understand, the dough needs to be really soft. I would love to try out the recipe again as I was really happy with the end result, but I want to make it right the next time.
Yes, the dough is meant to be sticky and adding more flour will only dry it out. Make sure your hands and work surface are dusted. Maybe leave out 50ml water from the quantity given here if you would like a slightly stiffer dough to play around with otherwise the entire volume of water is required. When you are at the last stages of kneading, brush ball of dough and palms with olive oil instead of adding more flour, the olive oil helps reduce the stickiness. Hope that helps! 🙂
I was TOTALLY thinking today about how I'm dying to make some pizza and that I need a solid dough recipe. And, look, i now have one. You must have been listening to my thoughts!
You're right - Jamie O's recipes are so eminently practical and usable there is no need to +/- 😀 ! I have never made pizza dough from the beginning: since I'm not much into fast food, don't buy 'em either, BUT I am going to try your/Jamie's version 🙂 ! Love the way you mix tomato and barbecue sauces for base; I think it's variations 2 and 4 for me!! Thanks!
Oh wow, that is perfect.
Oh, I do love a homemade pizza crust! I've found recently that all of my once favorite pizza places just aren't doing the trick for me, so it might be about time I make it myself again.
I have a crust recipe that's tried and true, but Oliver's sounds just perfect - will definitely try this next time! I love your variations, as well. 🙂
I use Jamie's pizza dough recipe too! It's so simple and works every time. Your photos of the process are beautiful 🙂
am a huge fan of jamie and his recipes like u say needs no tinkering whatsoever- good one and great presentation !
Lovely! I've made pizzas at home a few times lately and the results were really tasty. But I can never get the crust to roll out in a nice circle or rectangle. I always end up with wonky shaped pizzas... but they taste nice!
I recently made a "green pizza" (next entry on my blog) and I mixed whole wheat flour with some pureed greens (a mixture of spinach + mustard greens + basil)to make the dough. I will try adding semolina to the dough next time. I love a pizza dough that has some texture to it. Thanks for sharing...love your blog!
Pallavi, that sounds amazing. Might have to try that out myself, I can just imagine the gorgeous green colour of the crust!
Hi Sneh,
I just discovered your blog, but I am already in love. You have amazing recipes and photos! Like this pizza dough, it's something I just must try! I can't believe a pizza dough can be ready in 30 minutes - this is fantastic :-).
I would like to invite you to share this post (and other posts 🙂 ) on a new photo based recipe sharing site that launched only last week. The idea is simple: all recipe photographs are published within minutes of submission. And, of course, the images link back to the author's site.
It's called RecipeNewZ (with Z) - http://recipenewz.com
I hope you get a chance to visit and to share some of your delicious posts with our viewers. It would be a pleasure to have you on board 🙂
No comparison to homemade pizza dough and store bought dough! I have never tried adding sooji to it...will try it next time 🙂 Thanks Sneh!
What perfect pizza dough - can't wait to try this!
Such a beautiful blog! Recipe duly bookmarked for the toddler pizza making session I bravely volunteered to host this Friday *panic*
You will rock it! xx
Looking good! You said you included some variations in the notes but I've looked a few times and I ain't seeing any?
Fixed it 🙂
I like to eat pizza...great recipe!!!
I love making pizza dough... A lovely recipe.
cheers,
Rosa