Scratch-Made Pizza:
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. active dry yeast
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cups flour
1 tbsp. salt
Measure with your heart: garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasonings / rosemary, basil, oregano, parsley
Pizza toppings of your choice
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Bloom your yeast: Stir the sugar into lukewarm water until dissolved. Add in the active dry yeast and whisk to dissolve. Set aside for ~15 minutes until the yeast becomes foamy and frothy.
While the yeast is resting, in a separate bowl, add together flour, salt, & seasonings. Once the yeast mixture has activated, pour it into the flour mix & add 1 tbsp. of olive oil. Begin combining the ingredients with a fork & mix until incorporated, then work the dough into a ball with your hands. Cover the dough with a warm, damp rag & set aside to rise in a warm place for 1-1.5 hours.
After rising, the dough should be risen & at least doubled in size. Lightly punch down the dough to release the air, then dump your mixture onto a lightly semolina or flour-dusted clean work surface. Oil your hands & coat the dough on all sides. With your hands or a bench scraper, divide the dough into two parts, & begin working one dough ball into desired shape & thickness. (I prefer to work from the inside, out to get the crust to puff a bit more, but you could also roll out the dough the same way if you want).
Once you’ve achieved the ideal shape & thickness, transfer to a lightly oiled or semolina-dusted, lined baking sheet or pizza stone & bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven & add desired toppings. Place pizza back into the oven & cook for 6-8 minutes. (Here, I like to remove my pizza & brush the crust with a garlic butter mixture, & cook for another 4-6 minutes, but you can leave it as is and let your pizza cook another 2-4). Cut, serve, & enjoy!
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