Best Master Dough Recipes

MASTER PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, undissolved yeast, and salt. Stir very warm water and olive oil into flour mixture. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4 to 6 minutes. Cover; let rest on floured surface 10 minutes.
• Lightly oil 1 (14-inch) or 2 (12-inch) round pizza pan(s).** Sprinkle with cornmeal. Shape dough into smooth ball. Divide and roll dough to fit desired pan(s). Top pizza as desired.
• Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes or until done. Baking time depends on size and thickness of crust and selected toppings.

MASTER BREAD DOUGH

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 2-1/2 cups of flour, sugar, undissolved yeast and salt. Heat water, milk, and butter until very warm (120°-130°). Gradually add mixture to dry ingredients; beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. With spoon, stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Place kneaded dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30-60 minutes. (With RapidRise Yeast, cover kneaded dough and let rest on floured surface 10 minutes.) Shape, let rise and bake according to options below:, LOAF: (use half of dough): Roll dough into a 12x7-in. rectangle. Beginning at short end, roll up tightly as for jelly roll. Pinch seam and ends to seal. Place, seam side down, in greased 8x4-in. loaf pan. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until done. Remove from pan; let cool on wire rack. Yield: 1 loaf., ONION ROLLS: (use half of dough): Divide dough into 10 equal pieces; shape into smooth balls. Place in a greased 8-in. round baking pan. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30-60 minutes. Beat 1 egg with 1 tablespoon water; brush over rolls. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons dried minced onion. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until done, covering with foil during the last 5 minutes of baking to prevent excess browning. Remove from pan; let cool on wire rack. Yield: 10 rolls., SOFT HERB BREADSTICKS: (use half of dough): Divide dough into 12 equal pieces; roll each into a 15-in. rope. Twist each rope several times if desired. Place on two greased baking sheets. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until risen slightly, about 10-20 minutes. Lightly beat 1 egg white; brush over breadsticks. Sprinkle with herbs or herb blends such as oregano, dill weed or Italian herb seasoning. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until done. Remove from sheets; let cool on wire rack.

MASTER DOUGH WITH STARTER

Steps:

• Put the yeast in a small bowl, add the warm water, and whisk vigorously for 30 seconds. The yeast should dissolve in the water and the mixture should foam. If it doesn't and the yeast granules float, the yeast is "dead" and should be discarded. Begin again with a fresh amount of yeast and water.
• Combine the flour and malt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
• With the mixer running on the lowest speed, pour in most of the icewater, reserving about 2 tablespoons, followed by the yeast-water mixture. Pour the reserved water into the yeast bowl, swirl it around to dislodge any bits of yeast stuck to the bowl, and add to the mixer. Mix for about 15 seconds, stop the mixer, and add the poolish or tiga.
• Continue to mix the dough at the lowest speed for about 1 minute, until most of the dough comes together around the hook. Stop the mixer. Use your fingers to pull away any dough clinging to the hook, and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a bowl scraper or rubber spatula. Check the bottom of the bowl for any unincorporated flour. Turn the dough over and press it into the bottom of the bowl to pick up any stray pieces. If the dough isn't holding together, add small amounts of water (about 1/2 teaspoon to start) and mix until the dough is no longer dry and holds together.
• Add the salt and mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute to combine.
• Stop the mixer, pull the dough off the hook, and add the oil. Mix the dough for 1 to 2 minutes, stopping the mixer from time to time to pull the dough off the hook and scrape down the sides of the bowl, until all of the oil is absorbed. The dough won't look completely smooth.
• Use a bowl scraper to transfer the dough to an unfloured work surface, then knead it for 2 to 3 minutes, until smooth. Cover the dough with a damp dish towel and let rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. Use the dough cutter to loosen the dough and to cut it in half. Weigh the dough, adjusting the quantity as necessary to give you two 13-ounce pieces. Form each piece into a ball. Any remaining dough can be discarded.
• Form the dough into balls. Set the balls on a half sheet pan, spacing them about 3 inches apart. Or, if you will be baking the balls on different days, place each ball on a quarter sheet pan. Wrap the pan(s) airtight with a double layer of plastic wrap, sealing the wrap well under the pan(s). Put the pan(s) in a level spot in the refrigerator and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.

WHITE FLOUR MASTER DOUGH

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and yeast. Add all of the water and mix on slow speed for 30 seconds or stir with a large spoon to form a coarse, shaggy dough. Add the 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, increase the speed to medium (or continue mixing with the spoon or with wet hands), and mix for another 30 to 60 seconds to make a wet, coarse, sticky dough. It may seem too wet to form a cohesive dough at this stage. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes to fully hydrate.
• Increase the mixer speed to medium-high (or continue mixing by hand) and mix for another 30 to 60 seconds to make a smooth, sticky dough. It should be soft, supple and sticky to the touch, and offer a little resistance when pressed with a wet finger.
• Use 1 teaspoon of the extra oil to make a 15-inch-diameter oil slick on the work surface. Rub some oil on a plastic bowl scraper and on your hands and use the scraper to transfer the dough to the oil slick. Stretch and fold the dough. Cover the dough with a bowl and let it rest for 2 to 5 minutes. Repeat the stretch and fold (rub more oil on the work surface as needed), cover the dough, and let it rest for 2 to 5 minutes. Then repeat the stretch and fold, cover with the bowl, and again let it rest for 2 to 5 minutes. Perform a fourth and final stretch and fold to make a smooth ball of dough. The dough will have firmed up after each stretch and fold and will now be soft, smooth, supple, and somewhat sticky but firm enough to hold together when lifted. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 12 to 72 hours.

MASTER RECIPE FOR PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Pulse flour in workbowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade to evenly distribute.
• Add eggs; process until dough forms a rough ball.
• (about 30 seconds.
• If dough resembles small pebbles, add water, ½ teaspoon at a time.
• If dough sticks to side of workbowl, add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, and process until dough forms a rough ball.).
• Turn dough ball and small bits out onto a dry work surface.
• knead until dough is smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until you're ready to run through pasta machine.

MASTER DOUGH FOR BREAD

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast with the water and sugar. Add the corn oil and blend.
• Add the flour and salt and mix thoroughly. If using a stand mixer, mix for 4 minutes at medium speed, until the dough is smooth and pliable. If kneading by hand, knead for 7 to 8 minutes.
• Turn the dough out of the bowl and knead by hand for two additional minutes. Add olive oil to a deep bowl.
• Place the dough ball into the bowl and turn it twice to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise for two hours.
• Do not punch it down. Spread and push the dough ball across the bottom of the pan. At this stage the dough can be put in the refrigerator and allowed to rise slowly over night. Take the dough out of the refrigerator at least an hour before you are ready to use it.

MASTER RECIPE: EGG NOODLE DOUGH

Steps:

• 1. PREP/PREPARE
• 2. Gather your ingredients.
• 3. Add the flour and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment.
• 4. Chef's Note: The salt is not a traditional ingredient; however, it helps in the hydration of the flour.
• 5. Chef's Note: When I'm making egg-noodle dumplings, or noodles for chicken soup, I like to add about a 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper. It gives the noodles just a bit of a bite that really enhances the soup. If I were to speculate, I would say that using white pepper in pasta is more of an "American" addition to the recipe.
• 6. Types of Flour The type of flour you use will determine the consistency of the pasta you are making. In this recipe we are using good ole' all-purpose flour, mainly because it makes dang good pasta, and you probably have a bag or two of the stuff sitting in your pantry. My Aunt Josephine used all-purpose, and that's good enough for me. But let's take a minute and reference the three types of flour you are likely to encounter in your pasta-making excursions. 1. All-Purpose: Makes good pasta that is easy to knead, and holds up in a variety of situations. 2. 00-Fine Milled: Makes pasta that is easy to work, and produces a very silky result that can be rolled out very thin without tearing. 3. Semolina: Depending on the type of pasta/sauce combination you're making, you might add a bit of semolina to the flour base. The semolina adds a rough exterior to the pasta and helps thin sauces cling better to the noodles.
• 7. Chef's Tip: When you are separating the egg whites from the yolks, remember to save the egg whites. If your dough is a bit dry, you will use the whites to increase the hydration levels.
• 8. Add the eggs and blend on medium speed until the flour and the eggs begin to come together, about 1 minute.
• 9. Chef's Tip: Some people will add things like milk, baking soda, etc. to their pasta. In a word: Don't. We're trying to make a traditional light Italian pasta.
• 10. Replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook, and knead on medium for an additional 2 minutes.
• 11. Where's the Water? Well those sneaky little chickens hid the water in the egg whites. So save the additional egg whites, and if your dough appears a bit dry, add a bit more egg white (a little at a time), until the dough comes together. Adding just plain water to pasta can make the final results a bit mushy... at least to my tastes.
• 12. Where's the Olive Oil? No olive oil... The oil will only make it harder for the flour to develop good gluten. Save the oil for dressing the pasta after cooking.
• 13. Once the dough is smooth, allow it to rest in the bowl for ten minutes.
• 14. Chef's Tip: Depending on the relative humidity, and the type of flour you are using, you will probably need to add a bit of the reserved egg whites to achieve the desired results.
• 15. After 10 minutes, remove the dough from the bowl, and place on a lightly floured surface.
• 16. Knead the dough until elastic and smooth, about 5 to 10 minutes.
• 17. Chef's Note: There is a lot to be said for experience when kneading dough. It needs to "feel" elastic and springy; plus it should not stick to your hands. At the beginning of the process, it might start out a bit sticky, so you may need to add a bit more flour... but just a small amount at a time. Remember it should be smooth, elastic, springy to the touch, and not stick to your hands.
• 18. After kneading the dough, cover on the board, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
• 19. Chef's Note: Many recipes call for a short 5-minute rest period, or no resting at all. The additional resting time allows the moisture to be fully absorbed into the flour, and will make it easier to roll out.
• 20. After the resting period, cut the dough ball into fourths, and roll out one quarter at at time.
• 21. Cut into thick or thin strips, your choice.
• 22. Place the fresh-cut noodles into "nests" and sprinkle with a bit of semolina to keep the fresh dough from sticking together.
• 23. Chef's Note: If you are cooking the pasta, go for it, no waiting required.
• 24. To cook, add a bit of salt to a large pot of boiling water, and cook until al dente, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• 25. If you are saving, it will keep in the fridge for a day or two, but you can freeze it and it will keep for several months.
• 26. Chef's Note: Do not skip the kneading or resting portion of this recipe, they are essential for a light pasta.
• 27. Cooking Ideas
• 28. Roll out to a thickness of about 1/8 inch (.3cm), and cut into lengths of various widths. Serve thinner width noodles as you would traditional spaghetti, with sauce and meatballs, and thicker cuts with cream or parmesan sauces, and/or soups.
• 29. Roll out slightly thicker than standard noodles (up to 1/4 inch (.6cm)), cut into widths of 1 inch (2.5cm) or more, and serve with a nice chicken soup as egg-noodle dumplings.
• 30. Roll out into thin sheets of 1/8 inch (.3cm), or slightly thinner, and use in making lasagna. If you've never had lasagna with thin homemade noodles, you are in for a treat. The ultra thin noodles allow for the flavors of the meat and cheese to subtlety blend together, in a beautiful way. This is something store-bought noodles cannot accomplish.
• 31. Roll out into thin sheets of 1/8 inch (.3cm), and then use to make nice ravioli, or how about some delicious manicotti?
• 32. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
• 33. If you enjoyed this recipe, and would like to be notified when I post more yummy stuff, just click here to follow me: https://www.justapinch.com/my/favorites/add/id/747894

MASTER SWEET DOUGH

Steps:

• Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat or in a microwave until an instant-read thermometer registers 110°F-115°F. Transfer milk to a 2-cup measuring cup; stir in 1 tablespoon sugar. Sprinkle yeast over milk and whisk to blend. Let sit until yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs; whisk until smooth.
• Combine remaining 4 tablespoons sugar, flour, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add milk mixture. With mixer running, add 1/2 cup room-temperature butter, 1 piece at a time, blending well between additions. Mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Knead on medium-high speed until dough is soft and silky, about 5 minutes.
• Brush a medium bowl with some melted butter; place dough in bowl. Brush top of dough with remaining melted butter; cover with plastic wrap. (If making Sticky Buns , chill dough for 2 hours, then proceed with recipe.) DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic; chill.
• Let dough rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in size, 1-1 1/2 hours (or 2-2 1/2 hours if dough has been refrigerated).

MASTER PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• Place flour, sugar shortening and salt, in a bowl of a mixer. Place water in a separate bowl, add yeast and sugar, let stand for 5 to 6 minutes or until yeast rises to the top of the water. With kneading hook on the mixer, start mixer and add water. Mix for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from bowl and place on floured sheet pan. Knead slightly adding flour if needed and form a large dough ball. Refrigerate for 45 minutes before using in various recipes.
• SPECIAL NOTES: Flour MUST be high gluten. Yeast MUST be granulated (Red Star Granulated Active Dry is preferred). If the room temperature is hotter than normal, and more humid than normal, you may want to adjust your yeast water to accommodate

MASTER RECIPE FOR PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• In a small bowl or cup combine milk with 3/4 cup water that is warm to the touch (about 125 degrees). Sprinkle dry yeast or crumble fresh yeast over. Stir once and let sit in a warm spot until it foams, 10 to 20 minutes.
• In a large bowl combine 3 cups flour with salt. Pour yeast mixture over flour, stirring with a wooden spoon to mix well. Dough will be very wet. Generously flour a work surface and turn out dough. Begin kneading, adding extra cake flour a handful at a time or less, scraping up and turning dough with a dough scraper. You will need about 10 minutes to knead and add flour. Dough is ready when it is smooth, silky and just past stickiness. Do not add too much flour or dough will be very dry. Gather up dough in a ball.
• Lightly oil a large bowl, add dough and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature about 2 hours or until doubled. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 4 even pieces. Shape into rough rounds, about 7 inches in diameter, 1/4-inch thick with a 3/8-inch-thick rim. Transfer to pizza peels or baking sheets sprinkled lightly with cornmeal. Cover loosely with towels and let rise 10 to 60 minutes. Top and bake according to recipe instructions.

MASTER RECIPE # 1 EASY ARTISAN DOUGH

Steps:

• 1. Spoon the flour into a measuring cup, level with a knife then dump into a large bowl. Add the yeast and salt to the flour and mix well. Pour in the water and stir together until just moistened. Beat 40 stokes with a spoon...(I have to admit I got my hands in there...it is quite messy)...scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl. until dough forms a lumpy, sticky mess. NO KNEADING!!!
• 2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put in a warm draft free area . Let rise until doubled and has a sponge like appearance. Now you can use it right away or use only portions or put the whole thing in the fridge and it keeps up to 9 days.
• 3. I used a 1/4 of the dough and made a baguette....it was delicious. The rest is in the fridge. For the baguette: Place a 1/4 of the dough on a floured surface and dust hands with flour...it is quite sticky. Working the dough as little as possible form into 14 inch long cylinder. Pinch each end to a point.Lightly flour any sticky spots on the dough. It should feel smooth and soft all over like a baby's skin and not at all sticky. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of cornmeal on a sideless cookie sheet and place the cylinder on the cornmeal. Cover with a light tea towel and let rise for 40 mins. Meanwhile preheat oven to 450. Put your baking stone in ,if you have one, on the top rack and the bottom half of your broiler pan on the bottom rack. When dough is ready slide the cylinder onto stone. Push in the oven rack and fill your bottom pan with 2 cups of hot water. Slide in rack quickly so steam stays in the oven. Bake approx 25 mins or until medium golden brown. Mine was done in 20 mins and the bread does sound hollow when tapped.

MASTER PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• Combine 2 cups flour, undissolved yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Stir very warm water and olive oil into flour mixture. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4 to 6 minutes. Cover; let rest on floured surface 10 minutes. Shape dough into smooth ball. Divide and roll dough to desired size. Top as desired. For a Pan Pizza: Let the dough rise for 20 to 40 minutes then bake 10 min at 400F. Add toppings and bake another 10 to 20 minutes. For a Thin-Crust Pizza: Add toppings to unrisen dough; OR, for a crispier crust, bake the unrisen dough for 10 minutes at 400F. Add toppings and bake for another 10 to 20 minutes. *To use FLEISCHMANN'S Active Dry Yeast: Use 1 pkg Active Dry Yeast, 1 cup warm water (100 to 110F), and flour, salt, and oil listed above. Place 1/4 cup of warm water in a large warm bowl. Sprinkle in yeast; stir until dissolved. Add remaining water, salt, oil, and 2 cups flour; stir well. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead as directed. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm place until doubled, about 30 to 60 minutes. Punch dough down. Remove dough to lightly floured surface. Shape, top, and bake as desired. GARLIC AND HERB PIZZA DOUGH: Add 2 tsp Italian seasoning and 2 tsp garlic powder along with dry ingredients.

MASTER SWEET DOUGH

Steps:

• Stand Mixer Method Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat or in a microwave until an instant-read thermometer registers 110°-115°. Transfer milk to a 2-cup measuring cup; stir in 1 Tbsp. sugar. Sprinkle yeast over milk and whisk to blend. Let sit until yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs; whisk until smooth. Combine remaining 4 Tbsp. sugar, flour, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. (If making Vanilla Cloverleaf Sweet Rolls, scrape in seeds from vanilla bean. If making Apricot-Anise Tarts, add aniseed.) Add milk mixture. With mixer running, add 1/2 cup room-temperature butter, 1 piece at a time, blending well between additions. Mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Knead on medium-high speed until dough is soft and silky, about 5 minutes. Brush a medium bowl with some melted butter; place dough in bowl. Brush top of dough with remaining melted butter; cover with plastic wrap. (If making Sticky Buns, page 94, chill dough for 2 hours, then proceed with recipe.) DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic; chill. Let dough rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in size, 1-1 1/2 hours (or 2-2 1/2 hours if dough has been refrigerated).

MASTER DOUGH

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, water, honey, melted butter, yeast and salt. Stir well with a wooden spoon. Add in the flour. STIR, BABY STIR!!! Stir until you don't see any more dry bits of flour (about a minute). Cover (not airtight) and stick it in the refrigerator overnight, or up to 4 days. The longer you let it fart around in the refrigerator (literally!), the better tasting the dough will be. pssst .if you want, you can let it rise for 2 hours on the counter, pinch off the dough that you need to make your rolls. However, I've found that with only a 2-hour rise, the bread isn't very flavorful. Still good, but definitely not as good as if you had let it sit 1-4 days in the refrigerator. NOTE: When you let the dough hang out in the refrigerator, it's not going to "rise" like a normal dough

MASTER RECIPE: PâTE à CHOUX DOUGH

Steps:

• PREP/PREPARE
• Gather your ingredients.
• Place the butter, and the water into a saucepan, over medium heat.
• When the butter is melted and the liquid is simmering, add the salt, and stir to combine.
• Dump in the flour all at once, and begin stirring, using a wooden spoon.
• Chef's Note: You'll be doing a lot of stirring.
• Continue to stir, making sure you incorporate all of the flour into the liquid.
• Keep stirring until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the saucepan, about 3 to 4 minutes.
• Continue to cook and stir for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
• Chef's Tip: Start stirring gently until the liquid and the flour are incorporated. Then get more vigorous and slap the dough against the sides of the pan. Eventually, the dough will pull away from the sides, and leave a film on the bottom of the pan. When that happens... you can stop stirring, and remove the pan from the heat.
• Remove the dough from the pan, and place into a stand mixer bowl, fitted with a paddle attachment, and allow the dough to cool for 5 to 7 minutes.
• Chef's Note: You could perform the next steps by mixing with a wooden spoon; however, life's too short for that, and I've done enough stirring for one day.
• Put the stand mixer on slow speed and add the eggs, one at a time.
• Chef's Tip: Allow each egg to fully incorporate into the dough before adding next.
• At the end of the process, the dough should look nice and creamy.
• A BASIC RECIPE
• Place a rack in the middle position, and preheat the oven to 425f (220c).
• Place heaping tablespoons of the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, and separate each ball by 1 inch (2.5cm).
• Chef's Note: I prefer to use a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
• Place into the preheated oven, and bake for 20 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 375f (190c), and continue to bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until the pâte à choux are nice and golden.
• PLATE/PRESENT
• Dust with some powdered sugar, and serve while still nice and warm. Enjoy.
• Keep the faith, and keep cooking.