Pizza Dough

For a fictitious character, Betty Crocker is a pretty reliable source. Steve has the 40th anniversary edition, which he received as a gift when he went away to college. Now that I think of it, most of my roommates in college owned a copy of Betty Crocker's Cookbook. In my life, Nancy Drew is to mystery novels as Betty Crocker is to cookbooks. Nancy and Betty introduced me to their respective genres and caught my interest hook, line and sinker.

This recipe for pizza dough is based on Betty Crocker's "Traditional Cheese Pizza" crust recipe. It's quick. It's easy. It's a great last-minute meal. Kids love it.

Pizza Dough

1 cup warm tap water
1 T yeast
1 T sugar
2 T olive oil
1/2 t salt
2 3/4 c flour (all purpose, bread, or wheat)

Place warm water in a bowl. Sprinkle yeast and sugar on top. Let rest for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients.

Mix with a wooden spoon until well combined.

Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest until needed (at least 10 minutes). Press the dough onto a pan lined with Silpat or a lightly greased pan sprinkled with cornmeal. Rubbing olive oil on your hands helps in working with this slightly sticky dough.

Add your favorite toppings.

Bake in a 400F oven for about 20 minutes or until the bottom of the crust is golden brown.