I've tested many a pizza dough recipe. Most of them taste like dinner rolls with red sauce. I don't want my pizza to taste like it came from the Luby's drive thru. I've found one that is now my go-to pizza dough recipe. It's bready, but tastes more like pizza dough. At the bottom, I'm adding a few extras that have amped up my homemade pizza.
Pizza Dough
2 1/2-3 cups flour
2 T sugar
2 1/4 t. yeast
1/2 t salt
1 cup hot water
2 T oil
I throw it all into my bread maker, but you can simply knead it for about 5 minutes and then let it sit and rise in a warm place. Wait until the dough size doubles.
After it rises, divide it into two pieces. This recipe will make two large thin crust pizzas. I usually double the recipe because we breed children for a hobby.
After rolling it into the pizza shape you desire, let it rise for about 20 minutes. Stick it in the oven for about 15 minutes on 350 F (150 C). After it's browned, take out and add your sauce and toppings.
Done.
Here are a few things that I've tweaked to make it have a little more zing.
1. Sprinkle a little cornmeal on the crust before baking it. This seems to give it a little more crunch.
2. Put a pan of water at the bottom of the oven. This is supposed to help the outside of the crust be...well, crusty and the inside soft. I don't know if this actually works, but I still do it because it makes me feel like I know what I'm doing in the kitchen.
3. After the crust is cooked, spread a little garlic butter on top before adding the sauce and cheese. This is especially good when you've got children that don't eat the crust because then you get to consume the garlic butter crusty part all to yourself.
4. I like using half wheat and half white flour. It makes the crust a little more dense. And...we'll fool ourselves into believing that the pizza is now classified as 'healthy' because you used whole wheat.
