Pizza dough

 Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm water (110°F)

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast or instant yeast (1 package)

3 1/2 to 4 cups bread flour (455g to 520g)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

Instructions

Place a pizza stone in the oven if you have one. Preheat oven to 500°F (or 475 if that's as high as your oven will go) while preparing the pizza dough so it can be completely hot when you are ready to bake the pizzas.

Combine warm water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. If using active dry yeast, let it proof for 5 minutes until foamy. If using instant yeast, there is no need to wait for the yeast to proof.

Add olive oil, and salt and stir well with a wooden spoon or mix in a stand mixer with a dough hook until combined. Next add bread flour.

Knead for 5 minutes using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment or 6-7 minutes by hand until smooth and elastic. The dough will be tacky and slightly sticky, but should still be manageable to work with.

Drizzle a clean bowl with a little olive oil, then place the ball of dough in the bowl and turn it to coat in the oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean cloth and let rise for at least 30 minutes (or up to 1 1/2 hours) until doubled in size.

Divide the dough into 2 or 3 balls (or more if you want to make personal-size pizzas).

Roll, pat, or stretch the dough out until it is roughly 1/4" thick, then top with 1/4-1/2 cup of pizza sauce, freshly grated mozzarella cheese, and other toppings.

Bake for 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown and crispy around the edges.

Cool slightly before cutting and serving.

Notes

Make-Ahead: You can make the dough up to 3 days in advance and keep in in the fridge covered with plastic wrap until you are ready to make your pizzas. Just combine all the ingredients and knead like normal, then place the dough in a clean bowl with a little oil and transfer to the fridge immediately, skipping the rising time. When you want to make your pizzas, pull the dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for one to two hours to come up to room temperature and rise before proceeding like normal. I actually think the flavor and texture of the crust of the pizza is even better when the dough is made at least a day in advance!

Freezing: You can even freeze pizza dough to always have some one hand. Make the dough like normal and let it rise, then divide it into 2-3 balls. Rub a little extra olive oil around each ball of dough, then place the balls of dough into freezer-safe ziploc bags and freeze completely. You can keep the balls of frozen pizza dough in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge for at least 12 hours, then let it sit on the counter at room temperature for at least 1 hour before using.