All-Purpose Pizza Dough

This classic homemade pizza dough recipe is one to keep in your back pocket. Your stand mixer will do the heavy lifting here, while an overnight rest in the refrigerator will allow the dough to develop flavor and texture—and let you skip the usual hand-kneading. Using a small amount of whole wheat flour gives the yeast character and texture, leading to a dough with greater personality. All of the ingredients should be room temperature before mixing, including the water. Using tepid water slows the rising of the dough (warm water would cause it to ferment too quickly), giving it more time to develop. The resulting pizza crust has an airy lift and tons of crispy, chewy character and blisters beautifully in a hot oven.

This easy recipe comes from Brandon Gray, the chef behind Los Angeles pizza pop-up Brandoni Pepperoni. After a stint in the Navy and a few fine-dining kitchens, Gray launched Brandoni Pepperoni in April 2020; now his creations—inspired by the farmers market and named after West Coast hip-hop hits—are local favorites. Use this dough as the base for your favorite pizza toppings, or use one of Gray’s combinations: the Steady Mobbin (pesto and zucchini), Earfquake (Sun Gold tomatoes and fennel), and Chin Check (grilled chicken and vodka sauce).