Simple pizza dough

Though pizza seems to be the staple diet for college students and Americans in general, it is more of “once in a blue moon” deal for me.  Instead of saying that I dislike pizza, it is more like I am particular about it.  While I lived in California, I usually go for a smaller chain pizza store called the Round Table Pizza.    In addition to the garden variety of pepperoni and plain cheese, it offered some nice combinations like artichoke heart, spinach, and Roma tomatoes.  In addition, each pizza’s name satisfies the history nerd side of me.  I usually prefer thin crust, not too oily, and topping combination that is usually not on the menu.  The best solution for my odd requirement is to make my own.

Here is the recipe for simple pizza dough:

Yield:  2 medium pizza dough

• 1 Tsp of Active Dry yeast
• 1 1/2 C warm water
• 3 1/2 C flour
• 1 Tsp Extra virgin olive oil
• a pinch of salt

1. Dissolve the yeast with warm water, and slowly add in flour.  Add salt and drizzle olive oil.
2. Knead the dough until the surface is smooth.  Cover it with moist towel until the dough size doubles, about 45 minutes.
3. Divide the dough in half.  Expel excess air and slowly stretch out the dough on a pizza pan or baking stone.  Once it reaches  the desired size, make sure the crust part slightly higher than the inner circle.
4. Ladle the tomato sauce onto the crust, spread mozzarella cheese evenly, and lay out toppings of your choice.  Make sure do not overload the pizza!  
5. Preheat the oven to 400 ºF.  Bake the pie until the crust is golden.