Basic Pizza Crust

I've been meaning to make my own pizza crust for a long time.  I remembered I friend of mine, Emily, saying a while ago that she had a great and easy recipe for her own dough so I asked her for it and finally tried it.  All I can say is WOW!  It was easy to make and came out great.  This was my first time making my own crust so you will notice that our edge was really thick.  But honestly we like it that way.  When I lived in Colorado there was a restaurant called Beau Joe's that served what they called Mountain Pie.  My pizza turned out just like their Mountain Pie.  The crust was not greasy like most delivery pizza and it was so crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.  So I was able to eat my crust like Mountain Pie and dip the remaining doughy crust in honey.  YUMMY!  I know it sounds goofy but it's delish!  After this, I doubt I'll ever go back to delivery.  Our pizza tasted better and I had so much fun making this with my 5 year old Elizabeth.  Notice that we had one side with only pepperoni for her!  
Family Pizza night now has a new twist that I love!


2 1/2 - 3 C Flour
1 T Sugar
1 tsp Salt
2 1/4 tsp Yeast
3 T Olive Oil
1 C Very Warm Water (120-130 degrees)


I used my KitchenAid Stand mixer for this recipe but you can also use a hand mixer and knead by hand.


Combine in a large bowl 1 C flour, salt, sugar and yeast.  Add olive oil and warm water.  Beat with mixer for 3 minutes scraping bowl frequently.
Stir in by hand enough of the remaining flour until the dough is no longer sticky and leaves the sides of the bowl.
I switched to my dough hook here or you can turn the dough onto a lightly flowered surface and knead for 8 minutes.  Place in a large bowl that's been coated with non-stick cooking spray, cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for at least 30 minutes to an hour.  When doubled in size, pour dough onto a pizza stone and form into a ball.  Let rest for 5 minutes then shape on the stone.
Add the toppings of your choice and cook in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes or until crust is brown and cheese is bubbly.