Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe

Warm a mixing bowl with hot water, then dump it out. Add 3/4 cup of warm water (100-110 degrees - it should feel warm on your finger, not hot). Stir in half a tablespoon of sugar and one packet of active dry yeast.

Cover it and wait about five minutes. When you check back, it should be frothy and bubbly on top. That means the yeast woke up and is ready to work.

In a separate bowl, combine 2 cups (240g) of all-purpose flour with 3/4 teaspoon of salt and the remaining half tablespoon of sugar. Whisk it together.

You can add dried herbs if you want - rosemary, oregano, garlic powder. Not required, but it adds flavor to the crust itself.

Pour the frothy yeast mixture into the flour. Mix with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook on low speed. If you are doing this by hand, use a wooden spoon until it gets too thick, then switch to your hands.

The dough will look like a mess at first. Give it a couple of minutes and it pulls together into a ball. If it seems too dry, add a splash of water. Too sticky, sprinkle in a little more flour.

Dust your counter with flour and turn the dough out. If you used a mixer, knead for a minute or two. By hand, go four to five minutes. You want a smooth ball that springs back when you poke it.

You are building gluten here, which gives the dough its stretch. When you can form it into a tight ball and it bounces back, it is ready.

Coat a large bowl with a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Drop the dough ball in and roll it around so the surface is greased (this keeps it from drying out). Cover with plastic wrap or a towel.

Put it somewhere warm and draft-free. A proofing drawer works, or heat your oven to 120 degrees, turn it off, and set the bowl inside. Wait until the dough doubles in size - roughly 45 minutes to an hour.

Once the dough has doubled, punch it down to deflate it. Turn it out onto a floured surface and roll it out with a rolling pin. Stretch it by hand to get it thin in the middle with a thicker rim for the crust.

Transfer it to a baking sheet or pizza stone. Fold the edge under itself to build up the crust border, then give it one final stretch.

Brush the surface lightly with olive oil, especially the crust. Poke the center a few times with a fork to prevent big bubbles. Spoon on a thin layer of pizza sauce - you do not want it pooling. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella and whatever toppings you like.

Bake at 425 degrees for about 12 minutes. Keep an eye on it - you want the cheese melted and bubbly with the crust golden brown.