Pizza is a staple at our house. Thick-crust, thin-crust, we love it all! With this Homemade Pizza Dough, it's a snap to make any pizza we can dream up!
Add yeast to warm water and give it a quick stir. (I leave everything in the measuring cup the water's in.) Let sit for 5 minutes so the yeast can bloom (see: bubbles).
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour and salt. Using the dough hook attachment, stir together the flour and salt.
Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture, being sure to get all the yeast out of the measuring cup. The pour in the olive oil.
Turn the mixture to stir until the dough starts to come together a bit, you don't want flour flying everywhere. Increase the speed to medium-low and let the mixer do its thing for 1 to 2 minutes until the dough forms a ball. (see notes) Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes.
Coat a large mixing bowl lightly with olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl and roll it around to coat the outside of the dough in oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place on the counter for 2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size. (see notes for thin-crust pizza)
Unwrap the bowl, and gently punch down the dough. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise for another hour.
Uncover the dough, divide it in half, and roll out into two 12-inch pizzas. Place crust on a pizza stone, pizza pan, or baking sheet. Cook in an oven preheated to 400 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove crust and carefully top with sauce, cheese, and your choice of toppings. I like to brush the edge of the crust with a little olive oil too. Cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden.
Notes
If you notice the dough looks dry, add 1 tablespoon of water as needed until the dough starts to stick together. (My dough is always dry, maybe it's an AZ thing. I end up adding 1/4 to 1/2 cup more warm water to the original dough recipe.)
If the dough gets too wet, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it's not as sticky.
For a thinner crust, let the dough rise once for 1 hour and use immediately.
If you don't want to use your dough right away, place it in an air tight container (with room for the dough to rise, because it will) and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.