ingredients
- 3/4 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
- 1 envelope active dry yeast
- 2 cups (or more) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- optional: use cornmeal while kneading the bread instead of flour, we substituted cornmeal when flour ran out, and enjoyed the result!
preparation
Pour 1/4 cup warm water into small bowl; stir in yeast and sugar. Let stand until yeast puffs up, about 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, mix 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup water, and salt. Add yeast mixture and 3 tablespoons oil; mix until dough forms a sticky ball. Transfer to lightly floured surface. Knead dough until smooth, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is very sticky, about 1 minute. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl; turn dough in bowl to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Punch down dough and roll out, either on a floured surface or in a baking sheet with coarse cornmeal/polenta on the bottom (this is optional). Bake the crust for about 3-4 minutes, until the surface is not sticky and only slightly crusty (to prevent soggy pizza). Remove the pizza crust from the oven, and lightly oil the crust before adding toppings. Bake at approx 375 (experiment with higher temperatures for crispier crust) until cheese is starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Take out of oven, let cool for a few minutes, and enjoy!