Howdy folks! I’m back with some new material I’m done with the semester now and I have a month off, so I plan to post here pretty frequently as well as save up some pages for me to add once my crazy schedule resumes next month. (12/26 NOTE: I have now uploaded pictures!).

I’ve never found a recipe for pizza dough that I liked, so I tinkered and made my own instead. This is a softer crust–more like a deep dish or pan pizza than a thin crust. I’m okay with thin crust on pizza once in awhile, but I prefer thicker doughs. I really like this dough because it’s foolproof and tastes great too.

Here’s the full ingredient list:
1 cups hot water, approx. 110 degrees
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 tsp white sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp each basil, oregano, garlic powder
2- 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Let the yeast bloom in the sugar and water for about ten minutes, then add the salt, oil, and spices. Add the flour slowly and knead with the dough hook until it becomes a nice ball. You might have to scrape the sides of the bowl once or twice, depending on the humidity of your kitchen.

When the dough comes together and forms a ball, take it out of the bowl and knead it on your (ridiculously clean) counter with a good dusting of flour underneath and on top of the dough to keep it from sticking to everything. Knead for 2-3 minutes or until the dough is no longer sticky.

First kneading in the Kitchenaid. The dough is sticky, but that’s normal.

Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil into a large bowl and spread the oil around the sides with your hand. Place the dough into the bowl, cover it, and put it in a warmish place so that it can rise. Let the dough rise for an hour if you plan to use it the same day, otherwise let it rise for 30 minutes and sit in the fridge overnight (my preferred method) to allow for better flavor development. After the dough has risen, go back to your floured countertop and punch out the dough bubbles. Spread the dough to your desired thickness on a greased baking sheet, and add whatever toppings you desire. I did BLT pizza and BBQ chicken pizza this weekend, and I’ll be posting those in the coming days. Bake the pizzas at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, depending on how many toppings you’ve added and the degree of golden brown-ness that you prefer for your crust.

This dough is really versatile. It makes excellent pizza (duh), but it makes kickass Italian cheesy bread as well. I’ve used it for several applications, including a slight adaptation of focaccia that I may post soon as well