Easy Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp (12g) granulated sugar
1 Tbsp (9g) active dry yeast or instant yeast or 1 packet active dry yeast
1 Tbsp (18g) salt
2 cups (454g) water lukewarm (100-105F)
2 Tbsp (25g) olive oil, optional
5 1/2 to 6 cups (660g to 720g) Unbleached All Purpose Flour

Instructions:

Dissolve sugar, yeast and salt in the lukewarm water and olive oil if using.

Add in the flour, starting with 5 1/2 cups, adding more if needed to make a soft and smooth dough. Knead with your hands until smooth and elastic, about 7-10 minutes.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover, letting rise for 1-2 hours.

Gently deflate the dough and divide into 4 pieces for a 12″ medium crust pizza, or 3 for a thick crust. Use a rolling pin on a lightly greased surface to roll out into a circle to fit a 12″ pizza pan. Let rest if it’s tough to roll out and try again in about 10 minutes. You can also hand stretch to size.

Preheat oven to 450F. Place the pizza dough on a pan and brush with olive oil. Top with desired sauce and toppings. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and toppings are hot and bubbling. Remove pizza from oven and set on a cooling rack. Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing.