One of the ultimate party, get together, movie night, game night, girls night, date night foods on the planet, Pizza! A great pizza starts with a great pizza dough and this one couldn’t be easier. It also freezes well and makes two 12″ pizzas so you can make one tonight and freeze one for your next girls night so you can spend more time laughing and enjoying your girls and less time in the kitchen.

I have tried a number of crust in my days and this one, hands down, is the best one I have made with a 99.9% success rate outside of the one or two times I might have I killed my yeast. It happens. Sometimes twice in the same day, but hey. Live and learn, right?

How to make Pizza Dough

: Proof Yeast

: Mix in flour, salt and oil

: Knead

: Allow to rise

This dough recipe will make 2 nice size doughs.

Once risen, divide into two rounds and allow to rest for 15 minutes before rolling out and topping with your favorite toppings.

Dough can also be frozen before or after rolling it out.

If freezing after rolling, prebake in a 300 degree oven for 6-8 minutes. Just until dough is dry to the touch.

You CAN prebake your crust before topping in general and I often like doing this. While it is totally optional, I find that it adds more stability to the pizza. I still enjoy it either way.

Toppings

Top your pizza however you like. Here is out I like to top mine:

Starting with an even layer of sauce, add shredded white cheddar cheese, toppings of your choice (I like red onions, bell peppers and olives), shredded parmesan cheese and about 2 ounces of smoked salmon. I didn’t have any on hand, but I LOVE goats cheese on my pizza and sometimes use red bell peppers instead of green.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. You can leave it in longer if you like your cheese browned a bit as well.

Enjoy!

Homemade Pizza Dough

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm water 105-115 degrees
1 tablespoon of active dry yeast you can also use instant for a quicker rise
1 tablespoon . sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 and 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus more as needed
Olive oil/coconut oil
Garlic salt
Farina optional

Instructions

In the bowl of your stand mixer, stir in water, sugar and yeast. Let sit for 10 minutes. Yeast should be dissolved and foamy.
Add olive oil, salt, and 1 ½ cups flour and mix until combined with your dough hook attachment.
Gradually mix in 2 more cups of flour until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. I like to add 1/4 cup at a time. You want the dough to barely sticks to your fingers.
Once dough has pulled away from the bowl, knead in mixer on medium-low speed for 5 additional minutes.
Shape the dough into a ball and place back into your large mixing bowl that has been coated lightly with olive oil or coconut oil (I like the sweetness the coconut oil gives). Turn dough over in the bowl to coat all sides. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in size. This can take anywhere from 1-2 hours.
After dough has doubled, remove from bowl and deflate. Divide dough into two equal rounds and cover with a towel or plastic wrap for 15 minutes. You can freeze one of the rounds at this point if you only want to make one 12" pizza or freeze them both for later. I love making dough ahead.
If you are ready to bake your pizza, you can sprinkle the Farina on your baking sheet or pizza stone now.
After dough has been resting 15 minutes, roll each round out onto a lightly floured surface or parchment paper into a 12-inch round circle. (You can go larger for a thinner crust)
Transfer pizza dough to your baking sheet or pizza stone then shape edges to create a rimmed crust. I actually like to bake my pizza on parchment paper, even when I bake it on a pizza stone so you can totally leave it on the same parchment paper that you rolled it out on if you like.
Lightly brush the top of the crust (including the edges) with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt. Prick several holes in the crust using a fork.
Bake for about 12 minutes at 475F degrees with favorite toppings until cheese is golden. If baking both at the same time, just alternate half way so one crust doesn't get crispier than the other. ENJOY!