The Best Pizza Dough

We love pizza in this house. We (I) call it nature's perfect food. When we lived in Chico I had my favorite pizza dough recipe. I loved it. It was perfect. When we moved to a higher elevation, it never turned out right. I tried and tried and sometimes it came out close. But it was never the same. I finally gave up and tried something new. This is my new favorite. My old favorite will always have a special place in my heart.


Ingredients:
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup warm water
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/4 cups flour

1. Mix salt and yeast together. Add honey and water. Stir for a few minutes. You can also use a mixer for this. 

2. Add oil and 1 cup of the flour. Mix until the flour is completely incorporated. Add another cup of flour and mix again. Once that flour is incorporated, add the last 1/4 cup and mix.

3.  Continue to mix until it becomes more dough-like. It should be tacky but not too sticky. Place on a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes or until dough is smooth.

4. Place dough in an oiled bowl. I like to swirl the dough around in the bowl so it is also covered in oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Set it somewhere warm and leave it alone for an hour. When you come back, it should have doubled in size. Punch it. Dump it back onto a floured surface and knead it for about a minute. It should feel more like dough. Place it back in the bowl, cover, and go away for another hour or so. 

5. Get your toppings ready. I'm usually happy with plain cheese pizza but I got a little crazy tonight and I used onions and bell peppers. 

6. Set your dough on a floured surface and begin stretching it. I just use my fingers to press all the edges into a circle. My pizzas are never really round. It's more important that it's the same thickness everywhere. I also like to hold it up and turn it in my hands so the weight of the dough stretches it. It's not difficult. It just takes a little bit of practice. She explains it better than I do.

7. Once you're happy with the shape, put your dough on a pizza pan and start adding toppings. Tempeh sausage is one of my favorites. After your pizza is all assembled, brush the edges of the crust with olive oil to prevent it from browning too much.

8. Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes.