Beer Pizza Dough

Okay. You need room temperature beer for this. Any beer will do...though a Dogfish brew will give you some unique results! ;)

Put in a packet of bread yeast in a bowl, then pour 1 1/4 cup of beer on top. Let that sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

You can sprinkle a little sugar and/or salt in as well, but the beer will flavor the dough nicely...I like to let the beer to the "spicing".

Add about 3 1/2 to 4 cups of flour to that...kneeding the dough when it gets too hard to stir. You'll want to kneed for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Let the dough sit for as long as you can. Usually...I'm really hungry when I get home from work, so I try to at least let it sit for 15 minutes. But I've found longer will just be better. More fluff, lighter, etc.

That will yield one really thick crust pizza or two, not thin, but not thick crust pizzas. I usually make one, and cut and shape the rest of the dough into breadsticks.

Stretch into a pizza pan that is either oiled or has corn meal on the pan. Get (or make) a pizza sauce that isn't too "busy". Let the dough shine on this. Whatever toppings and cheese you want.

This makes a GREAT pizza...and is really fun to make with IPAs, Stouts, or other crazy brews. I like to make a few for a "release" of one of my new homebrews (with the homebrew in it dough as well!). The beer makes the dough extra fluffy. I've never tried it without bread yeast...though I can imagine you wouldn't need it. I just put it in because that's how I've made the dough (substitute the beer with water, add salt, sugar and whatever spices) forever.

Hope you like it!

-Doug