Pizza is a frequently requested meal in our household. When we lived in Belgium, we ordered weekly from Pizza La Regina, a little hole-in-the-wall joint minutes from our house. Belgium has a huge Italian population, and this restaurant was run by an Italian family. They knew pizza!
After moving back to the states, we shopped around a lot, trying to find a suitable substitute. We settled on Papa Murphy’s, a chain that prepares the pizza for you to take home and bake. Not quite as good as Pizza La Regina, but far better than the other options we found locally.
Since moving to Washington, however, we’ve been on a quest to spend less and make more. Dropping thirty plus bucks weekly on pizza just doesn’t fit in our pared-down budget. So I set out on a quest to find the perfect pizza dough. And, boy, did I!
This dough is simple and straightforward, and absolute perfection. I use the same recipe to make breadsticks to accompany soups throughout the week.
Perfect Pizza Dough
This dough will provide the perfect crust for your weekly pizza ritual.
- 1 1/3 cups warm water
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
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In a large bowl combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand 5 minutes, until the yeast is dissolved and beginning to foam.
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Add salt and olive oil to the yeast mixture, followed by all the flour. Mix with a rubber spatula until all flour is combined and you have a sticky, uniform dough. Cover and let rise in a warm area, 1-2 hours.
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Dust a large cutting board liberally with flour and turn your dough out onto the surface. Divide dough in half. Form each half into a ball. Cover and let rest 30 minutes while preheating the oven to 450°F.
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If your baking sheets are not non-stick, prepare them with a light coating of olive oil.
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Stretch dough to the rough size of your baking sheet. Place on sheet and use your fingers to spread the dough evenly. Top as desired.
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Bake until crust is golden, about 12-14 minutes.
This recipe makes two 12-inch round or two 11X15-inch rectangular crusts.
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