Well I've been making my own pizza crust for quite awhile now, and wanted to post it because it's so easy. But the problem was that I don't use a recipe, when I bake it reminds me of the Donald Duck cartoon where he goes into the kitchen to bake Daisy a cake and there's this huge cloud of flour and chaos and out of it all a fabulous, if somewhat lopsided cake emerges.
Pizza is really great because you are not bound by any rules, use whatever you have. Your favorite spaghetti sauce works great, you can get creative with cheeses, and toppings are only limited by your imagination. I personally like more veggies than cheese, I use about a cup of cheese on an entire pizza, but don't forget the grated parmesan too, it makes all the difference. A teaspoon of dried basil sprinkled on top is awesome.
When I bake bready type things I don't measure, so I've done it a few times trying to get the exact amounts. Difficult, but I think I've finally got it.
Home made pizza crust:
1+1/2 cups warm water
1 TBS honey (I really just give a big squirt from the bottle)
1 tsp. salt
1 package quick rise yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
3-4 Cups unbleached white flour.
In a large bowl mix the water, honey and yeast. Stir and then let sit till yeast is fully dissolved and beginning to bubble a little.
add the salt and olive oil, mix and then start adding the flour. Add two cups and mix well, then add 1/2 cup at a time till the dough is stiff enough to start kneading. Turn it out onto a well floured surface and begin kneading adding flour to the top and bottom whenever it starts getting sticky. knead in this manner until you have a smooth ball of dough that springs back when you touch it. At that point it is ready to rise.
in a clean large bowl put a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Take your ball of dough and oil it well all over in the bowl and then cover with a clean dishtowel and leave in a warm place to rise. It will take at least an hour, maybe more depending on the warmth of the room. When the dough is double in bulk poke it with two fingers to release the air and you should have a soft elastic dough.
Divide dough in half, this recipe makes enough for two cookie sheet size pizzas. Or you can make a loaf of bread with the second half.
Put the dough you are working with on a floured surface and knead just a little to toughen it up. When it is smooth and soft again begin rolling it out to fit the pan you are using. Perfection is not necessary, the charm of this pizza is that its home made. When you think it's about right sprinkle your sheet with a little cornmeal to keep it from sticking and place the dough on it.
If you like a thick puffy crust, let it sit and rise. When double add your sauce, cheeses and toppings and bake on center shelf of oven at 375 for 15-17 minutes.
If you like a thin crust add your sauce, cheeses and toppings and put it right into your preheated oven on the center shelf for 15-17 minutes.
Crust should be golden brown on the sides, the cheese should be bubbly.
