pizza

About twice a month I make homemade pizza. After trying several recipes for dough, I have finally come up with one that I like. It has great flavor and can be rolled really thin, which we like.

I usually make about three pizzas with this recipe and have a different topping on each one. I always have sauce in the freezer and tons of cheese in the fridge, which makes this an easy meal to put together.

Tonight we had one with spinach and ricotta, a plain that was just sauce and mozzarella, and the third had meatballs, sauce, mozzarella and ricotta.

Pizza Dough
3/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
1 envelope active dry yeast

2 cups (or more) all purpose flour
1-1/4 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil

Cornmeal

Pour the warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Stir in yeast. Let stand until yeast begins to foam, about 5 minutes.

Add sugar, salt, and olive oil into the yeast mixture and mix. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until dough forms a ball. Test dough to make sure it is not to sticky. If it is, add more flour by tablespoons until dough is no longer sticky. Mix for a few more minutes until dough is smooth.

Lightly oil a bowl with olive oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl and turn dough in bowl to lightly coat the dough with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then cover with a dish towel. Let the dough rise in a warn draft-free area until doubled in size.

After the dough has risen punch the dough down. Split the dough into 2 or 3 balls. Cover the balls that you are not using. Dust working surface with flour and roll out the dough. Start in the center and work your way out. Make the dough a little smaller then your baking sheet.

Preheat over to 550 degrees.

Sprinkle baking sheet lightly with cornmeal, this will prevent the dough from sticking to the pan. Transfer rolled out dough to pan.

Top with whatever you desire.

Bake pizza until it is browned on the bottom and cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.

Enjoy!