The Best Pizza Crust

Though I've loved to cook since high school, it's only been in the last year that I decided I'd try to make my own pizza dough. And truth be told...it was out of necessity. Because pizza is often necessary and I didn't want to pay to have pizza delivered and I didn't have any pizza dough. Or tortillas. Or flat bread. Or regular bread. (my standards are low, yes.)

So I turned to Pinterest and found the recipe below via A Beautiful Mess. The first time I made it I called Jimi and warned him that dinner might suck.The dough looked nothing like I thought pizza dough should. It wasn't stretchy or pullable. It was just kinda mushy. And messy. But dang. It worked.

Here's the recipe:

3/4 cup of warm water

3/4 tsp of instant dry yeast

1/2 tsp of sugar

Combine these ingredients in a small bowl and set aside to dissolve

In a medium bowl mix the following:

1 1/2 cups of flour

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp of salt

Mix and add the water/yeast. Then- before you mix in the water add the special ingredient!!!

2 TBSP of OLIVE OIL. Don't forget this. Don't. Don't.

Mix it all together (it'll be soft and mushy.) I don't even knead it. I don't think you "knead" to. Ha. ha.sorry.

Then put it in a lightly oiled bowl and cover it. Let it rise for 2 hours. Then punch it down. And boom. Pizza dough.

Ok. So I've used it for deep dish and thin crust:

1. Deep dish. Ooooo yum. I make my deep dish pizza in a cast iron pan. I just oil and flour the pan and work the pizza dough into the sides using my hands. It's a little messy. But worth it. Then take out your rage and poke it with a fork. A lot. Or a little. depending on your rage ;)

Preheat the oven to 425. Once your dough is in the pan, bake it for about 10-15 minutes before you add your toppings/fillings (I mean, deep dish is more of a pie anyway). Then layer it in. Mozzarella, pesto, sauce, spinach, meat, you have it you add it. Throw it back in the oven until everything is golden and melty. Then devour. Nom.

2. Thin crust. (Disclaimer: my pizza's are NOT picturesque. They are um....homely...rustic...diy...handmade...uhhh...other nice adjectives for not pretty.)

Same basic idea. Preheat to 425, but instead of a cast iron pan, just use a cookie sheet. Oil it and then use your fingers to press the dough out as thin as you like. Then again...poke it lots with a fork. Bake it without toppings for 8-10 minutes and then cover it with goodness. Back in the oven for 5-10 and nom.

That's all there is to it. Yes. You CAN make pizza dough! You don't have to settle for bread! Or tortillas! (unless that's your jam, then go for it.)