Pizza Dough
- 3/4 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
- 1 envelope active dry yeast
- 2 cups (or more) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Pour the warm water into a small bowl and stir in the yeast. Let stand until the yeast dissolves, about 5 minutes.
Brush a large bowl lightly with olive oil. Mix the flour, sugar and salt together in a food processor or mixer.
Add the yeast mixture and olive oil. Process until the dough forms a sticky ball. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead it until it’s smooth, about 1 minute. Adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if the dough is especially sticky.
Transfer the dough to the prepared bowl and turn the dough in the bowl to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free area until it doubles in size, about 1 hour. Punch down dough.
Makes 1 12-inch round of pizza dough, stretched. Can be made 1 day ahead. Store in an airtight container in your refrigerator until you’re ready to build your pizza.
When ready to build your pizza, roll out the dough on a hard surface dusted with flour. Start in the center, working outward toward edges but not rolling over them, until the dough is spread thin and evenly.
No-Cook Pizza Sauce
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1⁄2 cup tomato paste
- 1⁄4 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon oregano
- 3⁄4 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon sugar.
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 ¾ ounces fresh mozzarella
- 4 to 5 basil leaves, roughly torn
Mix pizza sauce ingredients together in a bowl and stir until well-mixed.
Place a pizza stone on the middle rack of your oven and turn heat to its highest setting. Let it heat for at least 30 minutes.
Put about 3 tablespoons of the pizza sauce in the center of the stretched dough and use the back of a spoon to spread it evenly across the surface, stopping approximately 1/2 inch from the edges.
Drizzle a little olive oil over the pie. Break the cheese into large pieces and place them gently on the sauce. Scatter basil leaves over the top. You can basically put whatever toppings you want on the pizza. I also put some pepperoni on.
Using a pizza peel, pick up the pie and slide it onto the heated stone in the oven. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling, approximately 4 to 8 minutes.
