Instructions

Whisk the warm water, yeast, and granulated sugar together in a large bowl. Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Add the olive oil, salt, and flour. Mix with a spatula (or your standmixer’s dough hook on low speed) 2 minutes, until it starts coming together. It won’t totally come together until you start kneading. You can knead in the bowl or turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, knead the dough for 3-4 minutes. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft, and it will be pretty sticky. Poke it with your finger – if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading.

Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray– just use the same bowl you used for the dough. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature (or on top of a slightly preheated oven for a warm environment) for 60-90 minutes or until double in size. 

While it’s rising, prepare your toppings – chop vegetables, cook meats, shred cheese. I chose to saute some chopped garlic cloves and diced onions. I also chopped up a red pepper. I used pesto and artichokes from jars because I like to pretend to be fancy in the easiest way possible.

Preheat oven to 475°F. Allow it to heat for at least 15-20 minutes as you shape the pizza. Lightly grease baking sheet or pizza pan with nonstick spray or olive oil, or cover with parchment paper.

Shape the dough: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Place on prepared pan and, using lightly floured hands, stretch and flatten the disc into a 12-inch circle. Lift the edge of the dough up to create a lip around the edges.

Cover dough lightly with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for a few minutes as you prepare your pizza toppings. 

Top & bake the pizza: Using your fingers, push dents into the surface of the dough to prevent bubbling. Spread your sauce, top with your favorite toppings, and cover with cheese. If you really want to feel fancy, you can brush the crust with olive oil and sprinkle the whole pizza with course sea salt. Bake the pizza for 12-15 minutes, covering it with aluminum foil if the cheese starts to get too brown for your liking.

Slice hot pizza and serve immediately. Cover leftover pizza tightly and store in the refrigerator. Reheat as you prefer. Baked pizza slices can be frozen up to 3 months.