Pizza Crust

pesto bacon pizza

There is one place in town that makes pizza and I used to think it was good until I realized that it’s not that difficult (and much cheaper) to make pizza myself. The main problem with the restaurant’s pizza is that they use ketchup for pizza sauce and that’s just wrong! Their crust could use a little work too.

I use this amount of crust for 1 medium pizza, but it could be made into 2 smaller pizzas as well. I like the thick chewiness of this crust.

• 3 1/4 C flour
• 1 t salt
• 1 C slightly warm water (100 F if you have a thermometer)
• 2 1/2 t yeast
• olive oil

1. Mix the flour, salt, and yeast together.
2. Add the water.
3. Stir until stirring becomes difficult and then knead very briefly. Only stir and knead long enough to get all the flour mixed in.
4. Shape into a ball and coat with olive oil. Let rise for 1 hour.
5. Spread 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the pizza pan.
6. Do not press all the air out of the dough. Just pick it up gently(with olive oil on your hands) and press it with your fingertips into the shape of your pizza. I like mine about 12 inches across and half an inch thick.
7. Let the crust rise a bit more (15 minutes or so) while you get the toppings ready.
8. Top with whatever you like and bake at 400 F for half an hour or until the cheese is bubbling and the crust has browned.