Don't Call For Delivery!

Ever since I’ve found the perfect pizza dough recipe I’ve never called to order another pie! This recipe is so great because I can keep it on hand in the refrigerator or even the freezer to have whenever I’m ready to have a little flatbread snack or fun dinner for the family. Top this pizza with any pasta sauce you like to suit your taste, and put whatever toppings you want to with it..

Of course pizza is the classic example of a blank canvas ready for anything your imagination can conceive! I LOVE the crispy pieces of crackly melty cheese smothering pepperoni and bacon and maybe a bit of red onion and olive with fresh tomato sauce.

Top with Ease

Once you see how easy it is to make your own crust, the sky is the limit! It's so simple and so satisfying. Make extra dough and wrap it well - it'll keep in your freezer and will be readily available next time you want pizza or flatbread or even a calzone.

Give the delivery guy the night off! Give your family the freedom of options to top their own personalized pies as they want. It's so much more fun and extra special when the whole family can get involved and make dinner together.

Getting Started

4 cups flour

2 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp yeast

2 tsp salt

1 ½ cup warm water (between 105 and 115 degrees)

3 ½ Tbsp Olive oil, divided

Making Dough

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and yeast and mix well. Add 2 Tbsp olive oil and water and mix well until it forms a sticky dough and comes together. If dough is a little too sticky, add just a little flour 1 Tbsp at a time.

Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a well-floured surface and knead it for about 5 minutes, until it becomes smooth and elastic.

In the bowl you were just working in, pour the remaining 1 ½ Tbsp of olive oil in and spread well all over the bottom and up the sides of the bowl. Return kneaded dough to the bowl, turning over so that all sides of the dough have been coated with oil. Cover and let it rise for about 45 minutes to an hour, until doubled in size.

Once dough has gone through its proofing, turn it out onto a well-floured surface and divide into the number of pizzas you want to make. Keep the parts you’re not working with covered until you’re ready to use them. Roll it out to your desired thickness and top with your choice of toppings. Bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes until toppings are cooked and cheese is melted. This dough can also be refrigerated or frozen for later use.

Make it a Pan Pizza

If a thicker crust is what you like that's not a problem at all! You can certainly have your crust and eat it too. In an oven-safe pan, preferably a cast iron pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot place the stretched and shaped disc of dough in the pan. Making a crispy-exterior crust should take just under 5 minutes. Working fairly quickly, dock your crust with a fork and top it with your preferred toppings. Turn off the heat and put the pan into a 425 degree oven and bake until cheese is melted, about 12 to 18 minutes depending on how many layers of toppings there are.