Ingredients:
1/2 cup warm water ( 110 F)
1 (2 1/4 teaspoon) packets dry yeast
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 3/4 cups flour
cornmeal ( for sprinkling)
1 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
0.5 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste ( other half may be frozen for another pizza later)
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram or 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 dash garlic powder
low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated
cheddar cheese, grated
pepperoni ( also your choice of Canadian bacon, cooked sausage, sliced black olives, mushrooms, etc)
Directions:
Combine warm water, yeast, and honey; let sit 5 minutes to dissolve and activate yeast.
Stir together yeast mixture, water, olive oil, salt, and 1 cup flour; gradually add remaining flour, stirring, until dough comes together; knead (I use a KitchenAid stand mixer) for 10 minutes until soft, smooth, and elastic.
Turn dough into a large oiled bowl; cover and allow to rise at room temperature for about 1 hour until doubled.
Preheat oven to 450F; (to make an extra-large thick-crust pizza) spray a 12×17″ baking sheet with no-stick cooking spray then sprinkle the sheet lightly with cornmeal; set aside.
Punch down dough; turn out on a lightly floured surface and press dough out thinly into a fairly large rectangular shape; lift and transfer dough onto prepared baking sheet; press dough outward until it covers the baking sheet; form a ridge around the outer edge.
Parbake pizza crust for 3-4 minutes (This is a good time to make your pizza sauce – Just stir the sauce ingredients together and it’s done!).
Remove parbaked pizza crust from oven and pat down any overly-puffed-up spots using with the palm of your hand or a clean kitchen towel; spread sauce evenly over surface of pizza crust; top pizza with layers of low-moisture part-skim Mozzarella cheese and your choice of pepperoni, canadian bacon, cooked sausage, sliced black olives, mushrooms, chopped green peppers, etc; lastly sprinkle a small amount of Cheddar cheese (for a bit of extra color) over the very top.
Return pizza to oven and bake and additional 15 minutes until crust is golden-brown and cheese is melted, bubbly, and just beginning to brown.
VARIATION: To make two 13″ thin and crispy pizzas, decrease rising time of dough by about half and (here’s the secret to a really good thin and crispy crust) place pizza stone into oven; preheat oven AND pizza stone to 450F.
Punch down dough; divide into 2 equal portions; turn portions, one at a time, out on a lightly floured surface and press dough as thinly as possible into about about a 10″ circular shape.
Remove the hot pizza stone from the oven (place it onto the stove-top or onto a double-folded bath-towel set on the kitchen counter) and sprinkle it with cornmeal; carefully move dough (circle) onto the preheated pizza stone; continue pressing dough circle outward to cover pizza stone and form an outer ridge; and don’t worry if you hear a faint sizzling sound or see bubbles forming in the uncooked dough during this step, that’s what seems to always happens here!
Parbake pizza crust for 3-4 minutes; remove from oven, pat down, and top as instructed above; return pizza to oven for 12-13 minutes until done. Enjoy!
Servings: 5-6
Time preparation: 27 min.
Time total: 45 min.