Yeast is a living organism that acts as a leavening agent. In the correct environment it will grow and multiply, releasing bubbles of carbon dioxide as it ferments and causing the dough to increase in volume as it rises. As well as giving the pizza a light, airy texture, the fermentation process also adds deeper, more complex flavours to your dough, giving your base that authentic pizzeria style tang. 

Before you start making your dough, it is always worth checking if your yeast is still active, as if it isn’t, your pizza dough may not rise. Firstly, check your yeast’s expiration date and discard it if it is past its use by date. Even if it is in date you should still make a habit of proofing, or testing, your yeast before adding it to the rest of your ingredients.  To do this, add the yeast to a small bowl of lukewarm water, along with a pinch of sugar and stir until combined. Leave for five to ten minutes. If the yeast is active the mixture will begin to bubble and foam, which it’s fine to use. If the mixture does nothing your yeast is stale and you shouldn’t use it. 

When using yeast make sure you follow the recipe closely and add as much as is specified. Too little yeast and your dough won’t rise enough, and the pizza base will taste bland. Use too much yeast and your dough may over-ferment. Tell-tale signs are your dough expanding too much or tasting and smelling a bit sour, with an almost alcoholic aftertaste (the yeast produces alcohol as it ferments).
 

Proving your pizza dough is when you allow it to rest and rise before baking it, letting the yeast work its magic. This stage is vital for developing not only a fuller-flavoured base, but also a better interior structure.

Ideally, your dough should be left to prove in a bowl covered with a clean tea towel at room temperature, in a draught- free spot. If the room is very warm the yeast will work quicker and the dough will take less time to rise, while if the room is cooler you may need to give the dough more time than the recipe suggests- you’re looking for it to double in size. But be careful not to leave your dough to prove for too long. Not only will the flavour be affected (the yeast will convert all the sugar in the dough into alcohol, and it will taste sour), but the structure will be compromised, leaving it more likely to collapse and resulting in a really dense and floppy end product. 

If you have a Titanium Chef Patissier XL or Cooking Chef XL, the dough proving preset function will warm the bowl to the optimum temperature for proving your dough and even tell you when it’s ready.
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Kneading your dough builds up the gluten, releasing proteins in the flour to create a strong, stretchy structure. 

If you’re doing it by hand, turn your dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Using the heel of your hand, begin to press and roll the dough out across the surface. Then gather up the dough and start again, repeating the process until the dough feels smooth and stretchy and holds its shape without sagging. Be careful not to handle your dough for too long- around 5 minutes of kneading should do it. Any longer and you will risk overworking your dough, leaving it crumbly and tough.  

Your Kenwood stand mixer can also be used to knead your pizza dough, leaving your hands free to get on with something else while it does all the hard work. All our stand mixers come with a dough tool as standard, which is specially designed to mimic the act of kneading by hand and handle heavy loads. The Cooking Chef XL even has a dough kneading preset function. Simply add your ingredients to the mixing bowl and let your machine take care of the rest. 

To check whether your dough is kneaded enough press your finger into it- the dough should spring back quickly. Or you can try the windowpane test. Break off a small bit of dough and gently pinch and stretch it between your fingers. If it stretches thinly enough so you can almost see through it without breaking it’s ready to be rolled out. 

This is where you can really get creative and experiment with different flavour combinations- from a classic margherita with tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil, to sausage and caramelised onion, or burrata and anchovy - or maybe a veggie special topped with roasted aubergine and black olives. With plenty of plant-based cheeses available there are lots of vegan options too, or you can try using pesto, roasted butternut squash or guacamole as a base layer instead. 

For a classic tomato based pizza, start by spreading some homemade tomato sauce evenly over the dough using a flat-bottomed ladle. Then sprinkle with cheese and your chosen toppings. Try to resist overloading your base and stick to just two or three toppings; too many more will create excess moisture, weighing the pizza down and preventing the crust from getting crispy. Keep it simple- in this case, less is more!
 

Ready to turn your kitchen into your very own pizzeria? Our step by step recipe for a classic Neapolitan-style thin crust pizza shows you just how easy it is to make the dough, using only a handful of basic store cupboard ingredients and your stand mixers. Buon appetito!