Pizza! I love love love pizza! I used to be pretty nervous about using yeast, so I tried a few pizza dough recipes without it. I am so happy I conquered my nerves. This crust is similar to hand-tossed crust. It is thick, soft, and chewy…perfect!

Once we started making this pizza, my daughter fell in love! She is 6, and not only does she love the taste, but she loves helping me put on the toppings. In fact, she has become a master pizza maker! Honestly, I can’t feed her frozen pizzas anymore. Which brings me to my next topic…

Freezing: I am a working Mom of two (my youngest is just 4 months old), and I don’t have time on weekdays to let yeast rise, lol. So, I like to make this recipe on the weekend, and put the two balls of prepared dough into separate freezer bags. Then on the morning that I plan to make it, I will put one of the bags in the fridge to defrost. About 20 minutes before I want to make it, I will take it out of the fridge to help it get to room temp.

Two Crusts: This recipe makes two pizza crusts. If you are not planning to make both pizzas at the same time, you could use the freezing instructions above. Another option is to take one of the pizza crusts, drizzle it with olive oil, add mozzarella cheese, and garlic powder. It makes a great cheesy garlic bread!

I mentioned above that my daughter loves to help me add toppings. Well we had my Nieces over, and they all wanted to help! We were able to take one of the balls of dough, and divide it into three. It was perfect, because all three girls were able to make their own pizzas. Then my Hubby and I split a full-size pizza ourselves. Here are two of the pizzas the girls made (I baked them for a few minutes less).

Kneading: You can definitely knead the dough by hand. However, I prefer to have my mixer do the work for me 🙂

Baking: I use a round pizza pan with non-stick spray. If you don’t have one, you could always use a silicone baking mat.

Toppings: This pizza crust is really a blank canvas, go nuts! Here are my favorites:

• Red Pizza Sauce
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• Pepperoni
• Mushrooms

Pizza Crust

• 1 1/3 cups of warm water
• 1 packet of instant yeast
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 2 T olive oil, more for drizzling on dough
• 1 T sugar
• Non-stick Spray

Toppings of your choice!

WARNING- Lots of step-by-step photos below!!!

1. In a glass measuring cup, dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir for about a minute, until most of the yeast is dissolved. There may still be some small clusters.
2. Pour yeast mixture into a mixing bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook. Add flour, olive oil, and sugar. Slowly mix until combined. If the dough is too sticky, add up to 1/4 cup of flour.
3. Turn the mixer onto a medium-low setting, and allow it to knead the dough for about 5-7 minutes, or until the dough bounces back at you.
4. Place the dough in a large mixing bowl that coated with olive oil. Turn the dough to allow it to be coated on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rise. It is recommended that you place it in a warm environment. My house is usually around 70 degrees, and my dough rises in about an hour. It could take up to 2 hours.

5. Punch the dough to release the excess air.

6. Divide the dough into two balls. If you are planning to freeze the dough, now is the time to do so. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes.

7. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Spray pan with non-stick spray, and stretch one of the balls of dough onto the pan.

8. Pinch the dough around the edge to create a crust. Drizzle olive oil on the dough and spread. This will help prevent the crust from becoming soggy.

9. Spread the sauce to your liking.

10. Add shredded cheese.

11. Add additional toppings.

12. Sprinkle a light layer of cheese over the toppings.

13. Bake for 10-14 minutes, or until the crust is light brown and the cheese is melted. If you prefer a crisper pizza, you can move it to the top rack for the last minute.

Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

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