Pizza Dough

(Makes enough for 1-2 pizzas. Recipe tweaked from Crazy for Crust)

Ingredients

3 cups bread flour, plus more for rolling

2 ¼ teaspoons fast-acting yeast (1 packet) 
½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

1 cup warm water (120°-130°F)
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for skillet if using

Instructions 

Preheat oven to 500°F (or grill to high). Place pizza pan/stone in the oven while the oven is preheating.

Mix 1 cup of the flour with yeast, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.  

Measure warm water in a measuring cup. Add the oil. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with dough hook, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, until a wet mixture forms. Add a second cup of flour and continue mixing, then add as much flour as you need for the dough to come together in a ball (about 3/4 cup – 1 cup). 

Turn out dough onto a floured surface. Knead for just a few minutes, or until the dough comes together and springs back when pressed with two fingers. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

When you’re ready to bake:

Note: this pizza dough can make 1 thick crust or 2 thin crust 10-12” pizzas, or 4 small personal-sized pizzas.

When ready to make pizza: turn out dough onto a lightly floured cutting board or a sheet of parchment paper. Sprinkle with more flour if needed so you can stretch and flatten the dough into your desired size.

Cut parchment paper to fit the pan you’re using, hanging over just about an inch on all sides. Trim corners. Place your pizza dough on the parchment paper and top as desired. Once the oven is up to temperature, carefully transfer the pizza and paper to the hot pan (be careful). Cook until the cheese is melted and crust is slightly browned, 10-20 minutes depending on thickness, size, and toppings.

Cast Iron Skillet method: Add 1tablespoon olive oil to cold skillet. Stretch/press dough into skillet. Place this in the oven before topping so crust can bake partway without overcooking the cheese. Pull it out and top after 8-10 minutes, then return to oven to finish cooking.

Grill method: Roll out dough, transfer to pizza peel or cutting board lined with cornmeal or extra flour to help dough to slide. Transfer to hot grill. Once that side is cooked, flip onto cutting board and top cooked side with toppings. Transfer back to grill to finish (or to oven with the broiler on to crisp up the pepperoni while finishing cooking).