Pizza Crust Recipe

The first time I tried this recipe was Valentine's Day 2012. Hubby (before he was hubby) came to pick me up for a little Valentine's date! He took me up to his mom's house and we made homemade heart shaped pizza for dinner and then went out with some of our friends. Here is a photo of said heart shaped pizza. I know, so super random I found a photo of the pizza we made more than 2 years ago… thanks, Facebook! 

Anyways, on to the recipe!! This pizza crust is quick, easy, and versatile. Tonight, I made pizza and cheesy breadsticks out of it. Thanks to mommy in law for the recipe!

For this recipe, you will need: 

1 pkg dry yeast

1/4 c warm water (almost hot)

2 3/4 c flour

1 Tb sugar

1 tsp salt

1Tb olive oil

1 c lukewarm water

Pizza Sauce

Any additional toppings you want! I used sauce, caramelized onions, Italian blend cheese, cheddar cheese, Italian seasoning, and pepperoni. Yum!

To start, sprinkle room temperature yeast over 1/4 c very warm water and let stand for 10 minutes. To make sure that it really bubbles up, I like to sprinkle about 1/8 tsp. sugar over it as well. While the yeast is bubbling, process flour, salt, and sugar for about 10 seconds in the food processor. If you don't have a food processor, this can be done in a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer. If you use a hand mixer or stand mixer, just make sure everything is very well combine as it will take longer in these appliances. P.S. please bare with me as I am learning food photography ;)

Once the yeast is nice and bubbly, add that in to the food processor and process for about 10 more seconds.

 Add 1 cup of water plus the tablespoon of oil. Process it all until it forms into a mass. If the machine slows down, add 1/4 c flour more and process for about 30 more seconds to knead things together. Knead the dough slightly, then flatten it into a circle on a pizza pan. I used a 12 inch round pan, and I definitely could have made 2 thinner crust pizzas with this much dough. Instead, I took a nice chunk of it and made some breadsticks!

Once you have the dough pressed into the pan, let it rise for 10-15 minutes until it about doubles in size. I usually let my dough rise in an oven that has been heated to 150 degrees and then turned off before the dough goes in. Once the dough has risen, spread with pizza sauce and toppings. Let it bake at 425 degrees on the middle rack for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy! 

 MMMM… nice thick crust!

Check back for my cheesy breadstick recipe!:) 

Thanks for checking it out!!

Lindsay