The Best Pizza Crust Recipe

Did I ever tell you the HH and I meet at a pizza place? Yep, we sure did. At the ripe old age of 19 I walked in to a mom and pop pizza place and asked for an application. They were only hiring drivers at the time but desperately in need of a job, I took an application anyway. I walked out to my car, filled out the application and handed it back in.

I think I was hired on the spot, but I don’t really remember that part. All I can remember from that day was the cute guy behind the prep area looking back at me with a smile.

6 weeks later, I gave up going to college in Indiana {and John Mellencamp!} for the guy unbeknownst to me, would turn out to be my husband. Life. It’s funny how it all works out. Some of us walk through those doors, take a leap of faith and win. Other times, we don’t, we turn back because we’re too afraid, we doubt ourselves and our ability to go with our gut. And then we are left wondering what if….

********

Pizza! My husband, he can make a mean pie. Although he hasn’t done much cooking {like, in the last 25 years} 😉 when I asked him to make us a pizza a few months ago, he happily whipped us up a few using this recipe {he slightly modified it} for pizza crust. The result? Mama Mia! Delicious. Like you know, when a moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore kind of good.

Ingredients

3 1/2 to 4 cups bread flour, plus more for rolling {We used all-purpose flour}
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoon instant dry yeast
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups water, 110 degrees F
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons

Directions

Combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and combine. While the mixer is on, add the water and 2 tablespoons of olive oil and beat until the dough forms into a nice ball. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead into a smooth, firm ball.

Using the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil, grease a large bowl and add the dough.  Cover with plastic wrap {I love using shower caps for this!} and place the bowl in a warm area until it doubles in size {about 1 hour}.

Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Cover with with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 10 more minutes. Next, sprinkle a cookie sheet with a little corn meal, roll the dough out to about a  1/4″ thickness, and place the pizza dough on the cookie sheet.

Cover the dough with sauce and desired toppings. Bake at 400 degrees for about 12- 18 minutes, or until the crust is a golden brown. Enjoy!