This Pizza Dough Recipe Is a Weekly Staple in Jennifer Garner’s Kitchen

Foodie fans, our imaginary best friend Jennifer Garner is back once again with another clever recipe for you to try out. This time, we’re learning how to make pizza crust or pizza dough, just designed to be enjoyed as a simple snack. Garner explained that this recipe is one of her family’s favourites and that her kids will specifically request it as a snack when they’re home sick from school.

Heads up: in this recipe, Garner uses a pizza stone for her oven along with a KitchenAid — but you can whip the recipe up without those things, too. Here’s how to make her pizza dough.

Jennifer Garner’s favourite pizza dough recipe

The below is sourced from Jennifer Garner’s Instagram profile.

This recipe for pizza crust (dough) originally comes from JG of Cooks Illustrated but has been adapted by Garner. You can watch the full video of the process below:

What you’ll need:

• 1 1/4 cups warm water
• 1/2 cup beer
• 1 envelope active dry yeast
• 2 Tbsp EVOO
• 4 cups bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 1/2 tsps salt
• Oil for bowl
• Thyme and Rosemary (fresh or dry, to taste)
• Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Combine warm water and beer in a large liquid measuring cup. Add about 1/2 cup of the beer and water mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and add yeast. Gently combine and let stand until yeast dissolves and swells, ~5 mins.
2. Add the rest of the liquid, oil and 2 cups flour to the yeast mix and start combining with the paddle attachment. Once that gets going, add salt. Then add the third cup of flour.
3. When it’s well combined, switch to the dough hook and keep mixing. Slowly add in flour until dough comes together or you reach 4 cups, whichever comes first. A little sticky is good, though, remember it’s ok not to use all the flour.
4. Mix until dough is smooth and has cleaned most of the sides of the bowl. Add in a sprinkle of herbs and let it knead for a final few mins.
5. Preheat pizza stone to 500° (260C), or as close as your oven gets.
6. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface; knead by hand with a few strokes to form a smooth, round ball.
7. Put dough into a deep oiled bowl and cover for an hour.
8. Turn out dough on a floured work surface. Divide and let rest for 10 mins, then shape into whatever size and shape….happens. In pizza cracker—thinner is better!
9. Place dough, one at a time, onto the pizza stone and parbake until it puffs up a bit, ~1-2 mins.
10. Remove from oven. Sprinkle herbs, oil, salt, pepper on top. Return to oven and watch closely for a few more minutes. You want some crisp, but it can go from perfect to burned quickly, so!
11. Use leftover dough for, well, pizza.
12. Yum.

If this recipe has you feeling inspired to start your pizza-making journey at home, check out this list of ovens that will help you do just that.