This easy tutorial for proofing pizza dough is made in an Instant Pot pressure cooker! It has a quick prep and rise time and is perfect for pizza night with a family.
Turn on the yogurt setting (normal heat) on your Instant Pot.
Pour warm water into your Instant Pot inner pot. Stir in sugar until dissolved. Sprinkle yeast on top of water and let activate for about a minute.
While yeast activates, mix together flour, salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.
Once yeast activates, mix in flour mixture. Form a fairly stiff ball of dough (sprinkle in extra flour if needed). Pour half of the olive oil over the top and rub over ball.
Allow dough to proof in Instant Pot for 30 minutes to an hour. Dough should rise to about double volume; poke down with a fork if needed.
Once dough rises, remove from Instant Pot and kneed in extra oil (and a little extra flour if needed to make the dough more firm - it should not really be sticky). Separate into balls and proof in the Instant Pot for 15-20 extra minutes.
Spread into one very big pizza or 4 personal-sized pizzas and bake dough at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes. Add toppings and bake at 450 degrees for an additional 12-15 minutes to finish pizza.
Notes
Don't over-knead! Just knead enough to make sure the dough is nice and smooth before the second proof.
To spread you pizza dough for baking, place the dough ball in the center of a pan and gently use your fingers (kind of like playing a piano) to spread from the center out. This helps make sure your pizza dough stays nice and airy.
When kneading your dough, you'll probably have to add in some flour, depending on your climate. You want to add in enough to make sure the dough isn't sticky to the touch but is still moldable and stretchy.
In a pinch, you can have this dough ready in under an hour. But, the longer it sits, the more those flavors will develop and groove with each other. You can store this in the fridge (poking down as needed) for 2-3 days. Just put dough in a glass bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap.
This recipe makes 2 larger pizzas or 4 personal size pizzas.