Basic Pizza Dough

2 cups bread flour

1 envelope quick rising yeast

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup warm water + 1-2 Tbsp

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine flour, yeast and salt; stir. Turn the mixer on lowest speed and add oil. Add water, a little at a time. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed and let the mixer knead the dough.( Stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook and off the bowl and also get a feel for the dough by squeezing it. If it feels crumbly add more water or if it's sticky add more flour; 1 Tbsp at a time). Let the machine knead for about 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and not sticky. Turn off the mixer, scrape the dough off the hook, fold it over itself a few times to shape into a ball. Cover the bowl with the kitchen towel and let the dough rise until doubled in size. Punch the dough down and fold it over itself, turn onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a desired shape. Brush with olive oil and top with your favorite toppings. Bake on 500F for about 12 minutes or until the crust is golden and crisp.

I usually shape the dough into a large rectangle (about 15x10 inches). This way I make one large pizza and after it's baked, I cut it into serving portions.

For the toppings, I sauteed one small onion, one garlic clove, 1/2 large red bell pepper, and about 8 oz of diced Canadian bacon. For flavor, I added fresh chopped parsley and about 1/4 tsp dried basil, salt and pepper. After I brushed the dough with olive oil, I spread the tomato sauce and finished pizza with 2 cups of Italian cheeses.