Pizza Perfect

Pizza is always a good idea. I tackled my mom's pizza recipe the other night. Of course, I can't really eat three pizzas by myself. So I halved the recipe and made just one pizza with a fluffier-than-expected crust. But really, is fluffy crust a bad thing?

I was surprised at how easy and quick this recipe really was. The end result was terribly satisfying. Bonus: leftovers for a substantial portion of the week.

Pizza

5 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tbl. salt
2 tbl. sugar
1/4 tsp sugar
1 3/4 cups water
1 1/2 tbl yeast
1 tbl olive oil

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup or very warm water. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp. sugar over the yeast mixture to proof it. Let it sit until the mixture foams and increases to 3/4-1 cup.

Combine flour, salt and the 2 tbls. of sugar in a mixer. Add yeast mixture. Mix on low speed. Add remaining water and oil and mix again. I often add an extra 1/4 cup of water at this point.

When flour and liquid are acceptably combined, knead dough for 15 minutes. Place dough in a large greased bowl and cover. Allow it to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled.


Grease a cookie sheet. Now, lightly sprinkle the pan with flour. Roll the dough into a rectangle just slightly larger than the pan. Place the dough into the pan, stretching and reshaping as necessary. Avoid tearing.

Add sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, and vegetables as desired. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or until the bottom of the pizza is golden brown.

Enjoy!