Homemade Pizza Crust

Y'all, I'm such a slacker here on literally, a spoonful. Mia Cupla! It's not because I'm not cooking. And it's definitely not because I'm not eating.

I'm just consumed by my two children. Whom I love so dearly!
But those little babies give me NO TIME to document my culinary successes. They need me constantly. And I need them. We are the three musketeers.

I'm finally carving out the time to share my recipe for homemade pizza crust. I've been intending to share this for months. Not weeks, months. That's how far behind I have fallen.

This recipe is for a thin, crispy crust. One thing I like about this recipe is that you don't have to let it sit and rise for hours and days before. It only calls for 20 minutes of set aside and rise time. That way you can make your crust and have pizza in an hour. It's a recipe for the more spontaneous type that out of the blue says "HEY, LET'S MAKE PIZZA!!!"

Ingredients:

1 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon active dry yeast {or rapid rising}
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup HOT water, a little more if needed

*Water does temperature does not need to be measured. It just needs to feel hot to touch, not enough to burn you, but warmer than warm water. You know what I'm saying? E-mail me if you don't. We'll talk.

Mix all ingredients in a free standing mixer, like a Kitchen Aid using this type of attachment.

First mix the dry ingredients, then the olive oil, then slowly add water until the dough is nice and sticky and dough-like. If you get it too wet, add a little flour. If it's too dry and not sticking together add a little more hot water.



On a pizza stone or large cookie sheet, toss out a small handful of flour and begin rolling out your dough with a rolling pin. There is no need to roll it into a perfect pizza circle. Life is too short for such nonsense. Just go with the flow of the dough and roll it thin.

Now, cover it with a damp paper towel or rag. Place in a warm place for 20 minutes. I usually turn my oven on 200 degrees for a minute, turn it off, and then put it there. Do not expect the crust to rise very much. It's not supposed to.

Once it's done, remove and poke tiny holes all over the crust with a fork. This prevents the crust from bubbling up in the middle of the pizza. It's really not a big deal. You actually could probably skip this step. But no such luck skipping this step at my house. This is a job my husband takes utmost seriousness.

My holes:

His holes:

While you are punching holes, pre heat your oven to 425 degrees. Then cover the entire pizza crust with EVOO. This gives it a lovely flavor.

Now, add sauce, pesto, whatever you like. Then cheese. Then your toppings. The possibilities are endless.

Here's a picture of one of the types of yeast you can use. This or ACTIVE DRY.

Bake pizza at 425 degrees for approximately 20 minutes, give or take. Use your best judgment.

I make homemade pizza every Friday night. I like this for many reasons. 1) We love pizza. 2) I never have to think of what to have for dinner on Friday night. 3) I can use leftover vegetables, spinach, taco meat, chicken, cheese, WHATEVER, etc for my toppings. It decreases the wasting of food. 4) It's just fun!