• Add your warm water to a large bowl or a bowl of a stand mixer. Add the sugar and yeast and stir to combine. Let the yeast water mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until it starts to bubble. All you are doing here is checking to see if your yeast is active which is referred to as “proofing the yeast”.*
• Add in the olive oil, salt and 4 cups of flour, whisk to combine. Add in 2 more cups and whisk to combine. At this point you will need to switch to a wooden spoon or the dough hook on your stand mixer.

Stand Mixer Instructions:

• With the mixer on low, add in 2 more cups of flour. If you’re not using a mixer you will need to start kneading it by hand.
• Continue to add in flour half a cup at a time until you have added in 9 cups total, at this point it should be forming a slightly sticky looking ball on the dough hook.
• The dough should be very soft and may a little sticky. I actually always do the last cup of flour by hand to make sure I don’t make my dough too tough. It may require an additional cup of flour. But don’t do much more then that.
• Your dough is ready to make into balls.

Kneading by hand:

• Add in two more cups and start kneading by hand. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic.
• Continue to add in flour half a cup at a time until you have added in about 9 cups total, at this point it should be forming a sticky looking ball. It may require an additional cup of flour. But don’t do much more then that.
• Your dough is now ready to form into dough balls.

Making the Pizza Dough Balls

• Transfer the dough to a floured surface and cut the dough into 4 equal parts. Shape each of them into a nice round ball. Use more flour as necessary to prevent sticking. I try to use as little flour as possible when shaping.
• I like to place my shaped dough balls, seam side up, into greased bowls. Then I let them rise in the fridge. Make sure to cover the bowls with a lid or cling wrap.
• Remember dough can more then double in size. It takes about two hours for them to rise. 24-48 hours of time in the fridge makes amazing pizza dough.

Freezing Instructions

• Place the dough balls on a parchment lined cookie sheet and transfer to the freezer. Let them freeze for about 4 hours until they are hard and then transfer them into freezer bags or airtight containers and freeze until you’re ready to use them.
• When you’re ready to use the dough it’s best to remove it the night before and let it sit in the fridge overnight to thaw. Or I often get mine out of the freezer the morning of. From frozen, They need 4-6 hours to thaw and rise