Vegan Pizza Dough with Olive Oil

Name: Vegan Pizza Dough with Olive Oil
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 58 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 4 cups (500 g) bread flour, spooned into the cup and leveled, plus a little extra for dusting; 1⅓ cups (320 ml) water, warm, about 105°F (40°C); 1¼ tsp (4 g) instant yeast; 1 tsp (4 g) granulated sugar; 1¾ tsp (10 g) fine sea salt; 2 tbsp (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil; 1 tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, for greasing the rising bowl; 2 tbsp (16 g) semolina flour or fine cornmeal, for dusting the work surface and peel; 1 tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing the crust edges; ¾ cup (180 ml) pizza sauce or crushed tomatoes, seasoned to taste; use any vegan toppings you like in addition (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A reliable, chewy-crisp Italian-style pizza dough made with just flour, water, yeast, salt and olive oil. It's naturally vegan, easy to knead by hand or mixer, and makes two 12-inch pizzas with a golden, blistered crust.

Prep: 40 min
Cook: 18 min
Wait: 2 hr 8 min
Total: 3 hr 6 min
Makes: 2 dough balls (two 12-inch / 30 cm pizzas, 4 servings)

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the dough
4 cups (500 g) bread flour, spooned into the cup and leveled, plus a little extra for dusting
1⅓ cups (320 ml) water, warm, about 105°F (40°C)
1¼ tsp (4 g) instant yeast
1 tsp (4 g) granulated sugar
1¾ tsp (10 g) fine sea salt
2 tbsp (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, for greasing the rising bowl
To shape and bake
2 tbsp (16 g) semolina flour or fine cornmeal, for dusting the work surface and peel
1 tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing the crust edges
¾ cup (180 ml) pizza sauce or crushed tomatoes, seasoned to taste; use any vegan toppings you like in addition (optional)

Equipment (8)

Large mixing bowl (4-quart / 4-liter)
Kitchen scale (optional but recommended)
Stand mixer with dough hook (optional)
Pizza stone, pizza steel or heavy rimless baking sheet
2 sheets of parchment paper, about 14 inches (35 cm) square
Plastic wrap or a damp clean kitchen towel
Bench scraper or sharp knife
Pizza peel or flat baking sheet for transferring

Steps

Before you start

Plan on about 3 hours from start to finish; most of that is hands-off rising and resting.
Weigh the flour and water on a kitchen scale if you can. It's the most reliable way to get the right dough texture.
Use water that feels comfortably warm on your wrist, about 105°F (40°C). Hot water above 120°F (49°C) can kill the yeast.
Place a pizza stone, pizza steel or an inverted heavy baking sheet on the oven's upper-middle rack before you preheat.

1
Bloom the yeast
- Pour the 320 ml (1⅓ cups) warm water into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Whisk in the sugar and instant yeast.
- Let it sit for 5 minutes.
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Ready when: The surface looks creamy with small bubbles or a thin foam layer.
Tip: If nothing foams after 10 minutes, the yeast is likely old or the water was too hot or cold. Start over with fresh yeast.
2
Mix the dough
- Add the flour, salt and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil to the yeast water.
- Stir with a wooden spoon, or mix on low speed with the dough hook, for about 2 minutes until no dry flour remains and a rough, shaggy dough forms.
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Ready when: No dry flour is visible and the dough is shaggy and sticky.
Tip: Keep the salt away from direct contact with the yeast before mixing by adding it with the flour, as written.
3
Knead until smooth
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, or 6 to 7 minutes on medium-low speed with the dough hook.
- Add flour 1 tablespoon at a time only if the dough sticks heavily to your hands.
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Ready when: The dough is smooth, elastic and slightly tacky, and springs back slowly when poked. A small piece stretches thin enough to see light through without tearing.
Tip: Resist adding too much flour. A slightly tacky dough bakes into a lighter, chewier crust.
4
First rise
- Grease a clean large bowl with the 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil.
- Place the dough in the bowl and turn it once to coat.
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot (75–80°F / 24–27°C) for 60 to 75 minutes.
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Ready when: The dough has doubled in volume and a floured finger leaves an indent that fills in slowly.
Tip: In a cool kitchen, allow up to 90 minutes. Judge by the dough's size, not just the clock.
5
Divide and shape balls
- Gently press the dough down and turn it onto a lightly floured counter.
- Cut into 2 equal pieces (about 430 g each).
- Fold the edges of each piece underneath and roll against the counter with a cupped hand into a tight, smooth ball.
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Ready when: Each ball is smooth on top with a taut surface.
6
Rest and preheatOven 500°F / 260°C
- Place the dough balls on a lightly floured tray, 3 inches (8 cm) apart, and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap.
- Place the pizza stone or steel on the upper-middle oven rack and preheat the oven to its highest setting, up to 500°F (260°C), for at least 45 minutes while the dough rests.
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Ready when: Dough balls look puffy and relaxed, and the oven has preheated for a full 45 minutes.
Tip: A fully heated stone or steel is the secret to a crisp bottom crust. Don't shorten the preheat.
7
Stretch and top
- Dust a piece of parchment with semolina.
- Place one dough ball on it and press from the center outward with your fingertips, leaving a ½-inch (1.25 cm) rim.
- Lift and gently stretch to a 12-inch (30 cm) round, letting gravity help.
- Repeat with the second ball on another parchment sheet.
- Brush the rims with the 1 tablespoon olive oil, then spread on the sauce, if using, and add toppings.
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Ready when: The dough is an even, thin round with a slightly thicker rim and no tears.
Tip: If the dough springs back, cover it and rest 5 minutes, then try again. Keep toppings light so the center bakes through.
8
Bake first pizzaOven 500°F / 260°C
- Slide the first pizza, still on its parchment, onto the hot stone using the peel or an upside-down baking sheet.
- Bake at 500°F (260°C) for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Keep the second pizza covered loosely while you wait.
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Ready when: The crust is deep golden with browned, blistered spots, and the underside is crisp when lifted with a spatula.
Tip: Open the oven door as briefly as possible to keep the heat in.
9
Bake second pizzaOven 500°F / 260°C
- Remove the first pizza to a rack.
- Let the oven return to temperature for 2 minutes, then slide the second pizza onto the stone and bake at 500°F (260°C) for 8 to 10 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and blistered.
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Ready when: The crust is deep golden with browned, blistered spots, and the base is crisp.
10
Rest and serve
- Let each pizza rest on a wire rack for 3 minutes, then slice into 6 to 8 wedges with a pizza wheel and serve hot.
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Ready when: The crust feels firm and the toppings have stopped bubbling.
Tip: Cooling on a rack instead of a flat board keeps the bottom from steaming and turning soft.

Good to know

Tips

Don't skip the long preheat. A stone or steel that's fully heated gives the crust its crisp base and oven spring.
For a more flavorful crust, give the dough a cold rise in the fridge for 24 to 72 hours.
Stretch dough by hand rather than rolling it with a pin, which squashes out air bubbles and makes the crust dense.
If you don't have a stone, preheat an upside-down heavy baking sheet and slide the pizza on its parchment on top.

Make ahead

"After kneading, oil the dough lightly, cover tightly and refrigerate for 24 to 72 hours for deeper flavor, skipping the first room-temperature rise. When ready, divide into balls and let them rest at room temperature for 60 minutes before shaping. Or shape the balls (step 5) and freeze, as described under storage."

Storage & reheating

"Unbaked dough: refrigerate in oiled, covered containers for up to 3 days, or freeze the shaped balls in individual freezer bags for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge, then rest 60 minutes at room temperature. Baked pizza: keep at room temperature up to 2 hours, refrigerate up to 4 days, or freeze slices up to 2 months. Reheat slices in a 400°F (200°C) oven or a covered skillet over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes until the crust is crisp and the toppings hot."

Substitutions

bread flour → all-purpose flour. Gives a slightly softer, less chewy crust. Reduce water to 300 ml (1¼ cups) if the dough feels too wet.
instant yeast → active dry yeast. Use the same amount, but let it bloom in the warm water for 10 minutes before adding the flour.
semolina flour or fine cornmeal → cornmeal or extra flour. Cornmeal adds crunch; plain flour works but can scorch on the hot stone.
granulated sugar → maple syrup or agave. Use 1 teaspoon. It feeds the yeast the same way.