Pizza is one of my favorites, especially when it is homemade! Instead of buying pre-made crust, I decided to make my own tonight. Thankfully, it was a hit! It did not rise as well as I thought it would but the crust on the bottom was nice and crisp! I used my stand mixer, however, it would be just as easy by hand. You do need a little prep time as it takes an hour and a half to rise, but once you make this you will not by pre-made again.

Ingredients:

1 cup of lukewarm water (about 80-100 degrees)
1/2 T of sugar
2 T of olive oil
2 tsp of salt
1 T of Italian Seasoning
1/2 T of Garlic powder
3 cups of flour

Directions:

Add the warm water and sugar to the bowl and stir. Next add the yeast to the bowl. Stir gently and let the yeast mixture stand for about 10 minutes to proof. Add the olive oil, salt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and flour. Knead the dough slowly for a few minutes until it all comes together, roughly 3-5 minutes. If using a stand mixer, take the bowl out of the machine, remove the hook and cover the bowl for an hour in a nice warm place. If you are not using a stand mixer and are doing it by hand, cover the bowl for an hour in a nice warm place. Next turn it out on a pastry mat or silicone mat and cover with a towel or cling wrap for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the dough to desired pan size. I used my large bar pan which is 10 x15 and the crust was medium to thin, similar to a hand tossed version. Put the dough on the pan and bake for 15-20 minutes. Now you are ready to add your toppings and bake your pizza! Enjoy!