Our family has been making pizza pretty much once a week for 10+ years now. In that time, I've dabbled with many a recipe---trying homemade Chicago-style or the like---but in all that time, my fail-safe, go-to recipe has remained the same and it is the first recipe I ever tried. Mostly because it's fast. That, and I've got it memorized by now. The necessary ingredients are pantry staples at my house.
Most of the time, I'll make one or two pizzas that the whole family shares, but every now and again, we'll let everyone make their own personal-size pizza by dividing the dough into 5 rounds instead of 1 or 2.
I generally make the super-easy and quick no-cook pizza sauce, but when I don't, our family really likes the Classico Traditional Pizza Sauce you can buy in a 14-oz. jar at the grocery store.
I have tried using pizza stones, but actually prefer a light-colored, non-stick metal pizza pan. I own 2 pans as I usually make 2 pizzas at a time.
PIZZA DOUGH
[Makes 1 thick-crust large, 2 thin-crust larges, 4 thin-crust mediums, or 6 thin-crust individual pizzas]
Recipe halves easily.
1-1/2 cups warm water (about 105 degrees)
1 envelope (2-1/4 teaspoons) rapid-rise dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups bread flour (can use all-purpose flour, but crust is crispier with bread flour; I actually prefer all-purpose)
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1. Set oven to 200 degrees for 10 minutes, then turn oven off. (You'll be putting your dough in there to rise; the warmth helps it rise faster so you can get away with only a 40-minute rise time).
2. Meanwhile, pour water into work bowl of large food processor. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over water and pulse twice. Add oil, 1 cup of flour, and salt, and process until combined. Add remaining flour and process until mixture forms cohesive mass. Dough should be soft and just a bit tacky. (If it is very sticky, add 2 tablespoons flour and pulse briefly. If it is stiff and tight, add 1 tablespoon water and pulse briefly.) Process another 30 seconds.
3. Dough will be a bit tacky, so use rubber spatula to turn out dough onto lightly floured work surface; knead by hand with a few strokes to form smooth, round ball.
4. Put dough into deep, lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in warm oven (that has been turned off). Let rise for 40 minutes or until doubled. Remove from oven, punch dough down, and turn out onto lightly floured work surface. Divide and shape as desired. [Note: the dough stretches further as you work with it. Letting it rest for a few minutes in between rolling it out will allow you to stretch it further.]
5. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Sprinkle pizza pan with light dusting of cornmeal (this keeps the pizza from sticking to the pan). Carefully lift dough round and transfer it to pizza pan. Crimp edges (you know, like you would for a pie).
6. Cook pizza dough (without toppings or sauce) in 500 degree oven for about 3-5 minutes.
7. Remove pizza from oven. Ladle on the sauce (leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges to make it easier to eat later).
8. Sprinkle with cheese and add toppings of choice.
9. Put back in 500 degree oven for about 12 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.
NO-COOK TOMATO SAUCE FOR PIZZA
[Makes about 3 cups, or a little more then you'll need for 2 large pizzas. It freezes well in a Ziploc freezer bag, should you have extra.]
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
salt and ground black pepper
Combine tomatoes, oil, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste in medium bowl. Set aside at room temperature for up to several hours. (Sauce may be refrigerated in airtight container for 3 days).
[Note: After I put the dough in the oven to rise, I toss all the ingredients for the sauce in my food processor. I process the sauce and then let it sit there while the dough rises in the oven.]
For a printable version of the recipe, go here.