Homemade Pizza Dough & Sauce

 

This easy to make homemade pizza dough turns out thin and crispy yet sturdy enough to load it full of your favorite  toppings. 

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 package active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup warm water

1 Tbsp kosher salt

3 cups flour

Directions:

For dough:

In a bowl of a stan mixer fitted with a dough hook, ( or if need be, the old school way, by hand ) combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water; Let the mixture stand until the yeast comes alive and starts to foam, about 4 minutes.

Turn the mixer on low and add the salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the flour, a little at a time, mixing at the lowest speed until all the flour has been incorporated. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium; stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Get a feel for the dough by squeezing a small amount together: if it’s crumbly, add more water; if it’s sticky, add more flour – 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix until the dough gathers into a ball, this should take about 5 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over itself a few times; kneading until it’s smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a round and place in a lightly oiled bowl, turn it over to coat. Cover with a damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Pizza Sauce ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 (10 oz) can tomato puree

1/2 tsp dried marjoram

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Over medium heat, heat oil in a saucepan until hot. Add all ingredients, cover and bring to a boil. Uncover, lower heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface to about a 12in circle. Top with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and toppings of your choice. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until crust is crisp. 

Enjoy!