Easy No-Fail Pizza Dough

Don't lie, you're eating a LOT of pizza.

So why not make an easy homemade version?

Today's Halloween.

So there's that.  Happy Halloween.  But I'm not here to chat about scary costumes, candy coming into your house by the bucket full or the rotting pumpkins on your front porch.

Can you tell I'm not a big fan of this holiday?

People, I'm here to chat about PIZZA.  Which in my opinion is a much better topic.  One that everyone loves, everyone eats and everyone is opinionated about.

Thin crust, stuffed crust, traditional toppings, funky toppings, lots of cheese, cheese-less {what?}, frozen varieties, homemade and delivered to your door pizzas.  There are SO MANY variations.

But have you ever made your own homemade crust?

I've shared a million varieties over the years - my special Deep Dish Reuben Pizza, my Nacho Taco Pizza, my Chicago Style, my French Bread Pizza Boats, my Egg and Chorizo Breakfast Pizza and even my tuitorial on How to Make Your Own Frozen Pizzas.

There is not a pizza I have not touched or eaten or have not liked.  I like them all.  I could eat pizza every single day of my life and never, ever get sick of it.

Now, for whatever reason my two older kids have been on a pepperoni pizza kick as of late and despite my callings for sausage, mushrooms, canadian bacon and black olives on our pizza, they still want plain jane pepperoni.

I'm not sure where they came from.

So a few weeks back I was heading to a movie {A Star is Born - so, so, so, so good} and dinner {Mexican food - so, so, so, so good} so I promised them a homemade pizza for dinner while I was gone.  Bribery works wonders {ahem, pizza} for when your kids want to tag along on your adult only night.

I had been on a kick of buying ALDI's pre-made thin crusts, but had none on hand.  And while we love them, I wanted to come up with a thicker, softer crust.

I've found kid's love thick, soft crusts.  They love dipping the crusts in extra sauce.  You basically get a breadstick with each slice!  

So I did a bit of research and came up with this soft, fluffy and a tad bit sweet dough.  The addition of oil keeps the dough soft and a scant bit of sugar adds just a touch of sweetness.

Also do not be afraid of YEAST.

It's harmless.  All I'll say is that make sure your yeast is fresh {I keep mine in the fridge}.  Do not try and make this with some little packet that has been sitting in your cupboard for 4 years.  If when you mix the yeast up with the warm water and sugar and it starts to get bubbly and all frothy, then you know it is fresh.  If it does not get bubbly nor look like it's activating....it's DEAD.

Dump it out and try again with a fresh batch.

The joy about this homemade crust is that I often whip it up first thing in the morning, cover it up and then forget about it until dinnertime.  If you are short on time, it techinally only needs a couple hours to rise, but if you forget about it, no big deal.

This one batch makes one BIG pizza, you might as well call it an x-large pizza.  Once you remove the dough from the bowl, it stretches out so nice {really this is why it's my favorite} and in no time you are adding toppings.

Again, I kept this one simple.

Sauce.  Pepperoni.  Cheese.

One last very IMPORTANT part of this recipe.

Save aside some additional oil and brush it all over the raised crust before baking.  Then sprinkle on your favorite seasonings.  I often sprinkle on {generously} garlic powder, oregano, basil and shredded Parmesan cheese.

Who wants that additional breadstick on the pizza to be tasteless?  Not me.

Be sure to let me know if your kids like this one!  Tag me{@sweetsavoryeats} on social media and I'll be sure to share your work on my page.

Yield: 1 large to x-large pizzaAuthor: Ally

Easy No-Fail Pizza Dough

This simple, from-scratch pizza dough is great for kids on Friday night! It makes a big pizza with a soft crust.

prep time: 3 hourcook time: 15 minstotal time: 3 hours and 15 mins

ingredients

• 2 t yeast
• 1 t sugar
• 1 cup hot water
• 3 T oil
• 1 t salt
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• additional oil + favorite seasonings

instructions

1. In a glass measuring bowl combine the hot water (I just use hot tap water), yeast and sugar.  Stir and set aside for 3-4 minutes.  It will turn frothy and bubbly.
2. To the yeast mixture add in the oil and salt.
3. Find a large mixing bowl (preferably with a lid) or one that can easly be covered with a clean towel.  Add in the flour and warm yeast mixture.  Stir together and combine until a soft ball forms.  Cover with a lid or towel and set in a semi-warm place or just on the kitchen counter.
4. Allow the dough to rise for at least 2 hours or all day.  I often make mine in the morning and leave on the counter until ready to assemble at dinner.
5. When ready to assemble, preheat the oven to 500 degrees.  Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a floured flat surface.  Adding more flour to the dough if sticky.  Gently press out into a large circle, flipping over a few times to keep both sides of the dough floured.  
6. Place the pizza crust on a large cookie sheet or baking stone.  Top with your favorite sauce and toppings. 
7. Brush the crust of the pizza with additional oil and sprinkle with your favorite seasonings.  I often use garlic powder, oregano and shaved Parmesan.
8. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown on the edges and all cheese is melted.

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