Homemade Pizza Crust

My husband absolutely loves pizza and to be honest so do I.  The best part is that pizza is fairly simple to make and it's easy to get kids to help as they generally love to help put toppings on and roll out dough.

So, without further ado here is my tried and trusted recipe for a perfect pizza crust anytime.



INGREDIENTS:

1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup cold water
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups bread flour
olive oil

Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a large bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes to proof.

Stir in salt and cold water, then stir in the flour about 1 cup at a time. When the dough is together enough to remove from the bowl, knead on a floured surface until smooth, about 10 minutes.

Divide into two pieces, and form each one into a tight ball.

Coat the dough balls with olive oil, and refrigerate in a sealed container overnight or 12 hours. You can use the dough right away but it's even better when it's been left refrigerating.  Be sure to use a container that has room for the dough to rise. Remove the dough from the refrigerator one hour prior to using.

The best way to cook the pizza dough:

Preheat oven to 260 degrees Celsius (500 Fahrenheit).  It's preferable to use either a pizza stone or a perforated pizza pan as these will allow the pizza crust to get nice and crispy.  Roll out the dough as thin or thick as you want.  Place it on the pan, add sauce, and toppings as desired and pop it in the oven.  The pizza will cook in 6-10 minutes depending on how cripsy you want it.

If you have a regular pizza pan then let the pizza cook for 5 minutes on the very bottom of the oven, then add your pizza sauce, cheese and toppings and move the pan to the middle rack and cook until brown on top which will probably be another 5 minutes.