The Perfect Pizza Dough

Easy dough recipe that yields 2 large pizzas.

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Serves: 8
• Yields: 2 large pizzas

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups warm water (105-110F deg)
• 1  teaspoon sugar
• 2 1⁄4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 pkg) or 2 1⁄4 teaspoons fast rising yeast (1 pkg)
• 4  cups all-purpose flour or 4  cups bread flour
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1⁄3 cup olive oil
•  cornmeal flour
•  cooking spray

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk the water, sugar and active yeast together. Let it sit until it's frothy, for about 10 minutes. If using the fast rising yeast, you do not need to wait for it to froth, you can just add all of the ingredients to your bowl and mix.
2. In the bowl of your mixer, add the flour, salt, olive oil and yeast mixture. Mix everything together using a dough hook for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is soft and elastic and pulls away from the bowl.
3. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large oiled bowl, rubbing the dough with oil as well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The dough can also be frozen at this stage.
4. When ready to make the pizza, remove the dough from the fridge and leave it at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before trying to roll it out. Stretch the dough with both hands using hand pulling and gravity, or roll it to form an even crust to fit the pan. Put the pizza on parchment paper to make it easy to slide on and off the stone.
5. Preheat the oven to 500F degrees. You can use a pizza stone or baking sheet. If using a pizza stone, heat it first, then slide the pizza, with the toppings of your choice on and bake for 8 - 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden. If using a baking pan, either spray with cooking spray or use cornmeal to prevent sticking.
6. Any leftover dough can either be kept tightly wrapped in the fridge for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to use the frozen dough, just allow it to thaw at room temperature.