Jay's Signature Pizza Crust

A couple years ago, when I lived in Los Angeles, my cute friend Katie (who I miss and love) introduced me to the best pizza crust. It is so easy to make and really is perfect every time I make it. I've made it a couple times in the past two weeks (when my parents were here and this past Monday) so I thought I'd share. I've had pizze for lunch all week. (:

NOTE: I like to exchange 2 of the cups of all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour. You can split the dough and have 2 thin crusts or just use all the dough for a thicker crust. My husband likes this pizza with thicker crust. It is delicious. I usually top it with marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, pineapple, pepperoni, mushrooms, black olives, green bell peppers...and anything else I have in the fridge.





INGREDIENTS:

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour



DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes. Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky.

Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out. Use for your favorite pizza recipe.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough, and bake immediately. If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before topping and baking it. Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.