What is the difference between active dry yeast and instant yeast?

Active dry yeast is the yeast that needs to be "bloomed" in water. And instant yeast is the yeast that you can add directly to your dry ingredients and requires no blooming.

How long should I knead the dough and how do you know when it's done kneading?

It is difficult to say the exact time. Rather than giving you the exact time of the kneading in the stand mixer, you should look for several signs. There should be no dry ingredient present in the dough. The dough should pull away from the side of the bowl (see the photo below), leave it clean, and collect onto the hook . Also, the feel of the dough is something you should check as well. The dough shouldn't be too sticky (This means it has too much water . Add a little more flour) or too dense (This means the dough is too dry . Add 1/2 tablespoon of water at a time and continue to knead in the stand mixer).

How do you know when the dough has risen enough?

I usually let the dough rise until it doubles in size . During the warm weather, it takes about 45 minutes to an hour but it may take longer during the colder month. The easiest way to test is to gently press the dough with your index finger until your first joint disappears into the dough. If the indentation in the dough remains after you remove your finger , the dough is ready (see photo below) .

Easy Stand Mixer Pizza Dough - My Eclectic Bites

Easy stand mixer pizza dough

flatten circular pizza dough on the parchment paper.

Print Recipe

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5 from 8 reviews

With simple pantry ingredients, you can now whip up a pizza dough in no time using your trusty stand mixer!

Author: George
Prep Time: 75 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: dough enough for 2 large pizza
Category: Main course
Method: Knead
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale

2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
4 and 1/2 cups packed all-purpose flour (Please see NOTE below)
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

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Instructions

In a 2-cup size measuring cup, dissolve 1 tablespoon of sugar in 3/4 cup of boiling water. Once the sugar is dissolved, add cold water to make up a total of 2 cups (this method will yield lukewarm water). Add the active dry yeast. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until they are foamy and bloomed.
While waiting for your yeast to bloom, mix together the flour and salt in a large bowl so the salt will be evenly distributed (Please see the note below for the flour measurement).
Attach the dough hook to a stand mixer.
Add 2 to 3 cups of the flour mixture in a stand mixer bowl and pour in the yeast mixture. Mix at a low speed until they are well incorporated. The mixture will resemble a wet batter.
Add the rest of the flour mixture (1/2 cup of the flour mixture at a time) and continue to knead the dough on a low-speed setting. Make sure to use the lowest setting each time you add the flour. If you were to use the higher speed setting, the flour will go everywhere and make a mess. You may have to scrape the side of the bowl a couple of times to get everything well mixed.
When you no longer see the dry ingredients, increase the speed to medium and continue to knead the dough. It should pull away from the side of the bowl and leaves it clean and collect onto the hook.
Once the dough is ready, grab a large bowl and add about 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl and roll it around so the dough will be completely covered with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it rise until it doubles its size.
When the dough has risen, shape it into a pizza form and enjoy.

Notes

The original recipe was published on November 28, 2018.
If you were to measure flour correctly, the recipe calls for 5 to 5 and 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour. However, I tend to pack my flour when measuring. And I find that 4 and 1/2 cups work perfectly for this recipe.
To check to see whether your dough has risen enough, you should look for a couple of things. Your dough should double in size. And also, you should test it with your finger. When the dough seems to be double in size, gently push your index finger in the middle of the risen dough. If the indentation remains after removing your finger, your dough is ready.
The dough will keep in the fridge for 3 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
If you don't have a stand mixer, check out my other pizza dough recipe (by hand, without a stand mixer).

Find it online: https://www.myeclecticbites.com/5-ingredients-pizza-dough-recipe-with-a-stand-mixer/