Hi!
It’s been awhile, over two years to be exact.
I don’t even know if anyone is still around that used to read this blog, but I guess I’m back. Nothing like a global pandemic and a travel ban to give me the time to dust off this old blog and get back on the proverbial horse.
I will spare you the details of what I have been doing for the past few years…for now. Today’s post is a recipe post, so I will save the explanations for another day.
Almost twelve years ago, I shared my pizza crust recipe on this blog. It is a tried and true recipe that has never failed me. Today, I want to share that recipe along with some updates.
With the time to do more baking, I decided to see how many ways I could use this simple yeast dough recipe. I have made bread, pizzas, cinnamon rolls, breadsticks, and even yeast rolls.
There are only 6 ingredients needed to make this recipe, and I promise you it is easy. You definitely don’t have to be a baking expert to have success.
Now, before I share the recipe, I wanted to share a video I made. First, let me say that I am not a professional. This video makes me cringe when I watch it, but hopefully it isn’t too bad for a first attempt at a cooking video.
I did learn how to do some editing, but there are still some laughable moments. For example, why did I hold a fork while adding ingredients at the beginning of the video?
Not only that, but this video was filmed in several locations of my home. I used our breezeway and dining room for some of the filming because our kitchen has terrible lighting. Also, I used a tripod for some of the filming, but I also utilized my short kids standing right in front of me for some of the shots. Like I said, I’m not a professional. 🙂
So, with that kind of awesome intro, I am sure you are super excited to watch the video. 🙂 All kidding aside, if you are a visual person like me, I do hope it helps you understand the steps.
The bread is very simple to make, and this recipe makes two loaves. I usually use unbleached flour, but you can use all-purpose flour or even whole wheat flour as well (I haven’t tried the bread with whole wheat flour, but I have made pizza crust with whole wheat.). I recommend greasing the loaf pans with shortening. This will make it easy to remove the bread from the pan.
I set my oven to 400 degrees for this recipe. I recommend baking the bread until a thermometer reads between 190 and 210 degrees. For my oven, this takes 30 minutes. To easily slice homemade bread, I recommend using an electric knife if you have one. If you don’t, use a serrated knife.
Pizza is a family favorite, and I have used this recipe for many, many years. I recommend baking the pizza on parchment paper or silicone baking mats. I also recommend poking holes in the crust with a fork to help prevent air bubbles and to help the crust bake evenly. Baking the crusts for 10 minutes before adding sauce and toppings ensures that the crust is thoroughly baked and that it will be fully baked.
The cinnamon rolls I make from this dough are not as sweet as many recipes. If you want a super sweet cinnamon roll, I recommend the Pioneer Woman’s recipe. However, if you don’t want to spend a lot of time baking, are diary free like me, or if milk and butter are in short supply, this recipe might better suit your needs.
In the video, you will see my trick for easily cutting cinnamon rolls before baking. Just be sure not to get the mint flavored kind. 🙂
I have even used this recipe to make breadsticks and yeast rolls. As you can see, this is a very versatile dough.
Please let me know if you have any questions or if something just doesn’t make sense. Happy baking!
Simple Yeast Dough Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Very Warm Water
- 1 Tbsp. Instant Yeast
- 1 Tbsp. Sugar
- 3 Tbsp. Olive Oil (Extra Virgin)
- 4 1/2-5 Cups Flour (Unbleached or All-Purpose)
- 1 tsp. Salt
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the water, yeast, sugar and olive oil.
- Allow the yeast mixture to "proof" for 10-15 minutes. The mixture should be "bubbly".
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 2 cups of flour, the salt and the wet ingredients together.
- Gradually, add the remaining flour.
- Knead the dough until it forms a "ball" in the mixer.
- Remove the dough hook and cover with plastic wrap.
- Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes to an hour until it has doubled in size.
Bread Instructions
- Divide the dough into two sections. Use additional flour to prevent sticking.
- Shape each section into a loaf and place in a greased loaf pan.
- Cover the loaf pans with plastic wrap and allow to rise for another 30 minutes.
- Remove the plastic wrap and bake in a 400 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the bread is between 190-210 degrees (You can use a meat thermometer.).
Pizza Crust
- Divide the dough into sections based on the sizes of pizzas you want to make. (10-12 sections for personal pizzas; 2 for large pizzas; 3 or 4 for medium pizzas)
- Use additional flour and a rolling pin to roll out the dough.
- Place the pizza crusts on parchment paper lined baking pans (silicone baking mats can be used instead of parchment paper). If you don't have either, you can use oil or shortening to grease the baking pan.
- Use a fork to poke holes in the crust.
- Bake the crusts for 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven.
- Add sauce, cheese, and toppings and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
Cinnamon Rolls
- Divide the dough into two sections.
- Use additional flour and a rolling pin to roll out the dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick.
- Spread a couple of tablespoons of melted butter over the dough.
- Then add brown sugar and cinnamon over the melted butter.
- Roll the dough into itself so the cinnamon sugar mixture is inside.
- Cut the dough into equal sized rolls using dental floss or a knife.
- Place the cinnamon rolls in a greased baking dish and cover with plastic wrap.
- Allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes.
- Remove the plastic wrap and bake the cinnamon rolls in a 400 degree oven for 15+ minutes.
- Make a glaze of powdered sugar and a little bit of milk and drizzle over the cinnamon rolls when they have cooled a little.
Breadsticks
- Follow the instructions for bread except shape the dough into breadsticks.
- Allow to rise for 30 minutes on a parchment paper lined, or greased, baking pan.
- Bake for about 15 minutes in a 400 degree oven.
- Optional: Use a pastry brush to add melted butter and garlic powder to the tops of the breadsticks.
Notes
Here are the links to some of my other posts using this recipe.
