Homemade Pizza

I love pizza. I think I could eat it every day and not get sick of it. David and I love to go to a local Clemson pizza place called Columbos, but I wanted to be able to make my own pizza for us to enjoy at home. I used Jay's Signature Pizza Crust from allrecipes.com. The crust was soft and chewy, which was exactly what I was looking for. When kneading the dough, I had to add more flour because the dough was a bit sticky. I baked my pizza on a pizza stone. It took about 15 minutes to bake. I did not realize how much the crust would puff up in the oven, so next time I will roll out the dough a bit thinner before baking. Some people choose to prebake their crust before adding the toppings, but I baked everything at the same time. I used mozzarella cheese and pineapple for my toppings. Here's the recipe:

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water and let sit for 10 minutes. Stir in the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 ½ cups of the flour.

Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well-oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until doubled; this should take about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow dough to relax for a minute before rolling out. Use for your favorite pizza recipe.

Preheat oven to 425. If baking on a stone, place toppings on the dough, and bake immediately. If baking on a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before topping and baking it.

Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.