Simple Pizza Dough

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (4 1/4 oz / 121g)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/3 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano or dried basil or mixed Italian herbs

Topping

• 1/3 cup pizza sauce, your favorite
• 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup chicken or ham or sausage, etc,cooked
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated (you can use 3/4 cup total of any topping you like)

Directions

1. 1

   Using a wooden spoon/mixer with dough hooks, combine all the dough ingredients in a medium mixing bowl, until a soft, slightly sticky dough is formed.

2. 2

   Add a few tsp of water if your dough seems dry.

3. 3

   Turn the dough onto a lightly oiled surface, knead it lightly with oiled hands.

4. 4

   Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rise for 1 hour; it might not necessarily double in bulk (usually I let dough rise in a turned-off oven or microwave).

5. 5

   Punch down the dough and roll it into a ball.

6. 6

   Flatten in and roll it to desired thickness and size to fit your pizza pan (if dough resists rolling, let it rest for 10mins before rolling again).

7. 7

   Let rise for another 30mins; preheat oven to 425°F/ 220°C.

8. 8

   Prior to baking, poke holes all over the dough with a fork.

9. 9

   Bake for 10-15mins before topping the pizza; finally, bake for another 5-10mins until topping is hot and cheese has melted.

10. 10

    NOTE- if you like super crispy crust like I do, preheat a baking sheet at 475°F/ 240°C for for 5-10mins, then slide the pizza pan (with the crust) onto the hot baking sheet; Bake for 15mins, then put your topping and bake for another 15mins (if you have baking stone, use that instead of the baking sheet).