my best pizza recipe and tips

Pizza Crust

This crust makes a chewy, thick crust that will be the only recipe you’ll need. 

It is amazing.

Take it from friends of mine who’ve had it fresh off the pizza stone in my home.

my dough ready to shape

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt

In a large mixer bowl, combine the water, yeast, and sugar and stir to combine. Let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.

Add 2 cups of the flour, 1/2 cup oil, and the salt, mixing by hand until it is all incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Continue adding the flour, along with herbs and garlic (I use basil, oregano, thyme, and garlic powder–just small palm-fulls of each.) 1/4 cup at a time, working the dough after each addition, until all the flour is incorporated but the dough is still slightly sticky.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth but still slightly tacky., 3-5 minutes. Oil a large mixing bowl with the remaining 2 tsp. oil.

Place the dough in the bowl and turn to oil all sides. Cover the bowl with a towel and set in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Divide into 2 equal portions or depends on your pizza size and thickness, and it’s ready for your sauce and favorite toppings!

Remember you can roll the pizza dough, thin for a thin crust or thicker for a nice fat crust. 

On the stone, the pizza only takes about 5-7 minutes to bake up nice and golden brown. 

For the baking sheet or pizza pan pizza, about 12, or until cheese and crust is golden and bubbly. 

Right before going into the oven, using a pastry brush, brush the outside crust with olive oil, granulated garlic and cracked black pepper. Then sprinkle the top of the pizza with dried parsley. Gives the pizza a pop of color without any added taste the kids will poo-poo:)

When using the pizza stone. Make sure your stone is nice and hot before beginning to make pizzas. This will make the difference between a soggy crust and a nice crispy one. 

I use a peel to toss my pizza into the oven. But it can be tricky. Use a generous amount of cornmeal on the peel before placing your rolled dough onto it. Then work fast! The longer you take, the more chances of the dough will stick to the peel making a transfer to the hot oven a bummer. So have all your toppings ready, cut and in bowls to make this easier.

ready for me to make some pizza!

Enjoy your pizza making and enjoy your pizza!