by Laurie Childree

Created on: August 24, 2008   Last Updated: May 04, 2012

Homemade pizza dough is easy to make and it's fun if you let the kids help.

This is a basic bread recipe that can be altered to make pizza dough. In a family that eats tons of pizza finally figuring out how to make my own was a source of joy. When the kids aren't looking you can sneak vegetables in their pizza if you make them a part of the dough making process.

Three and a half to four cups of all purpose flour
A quarter of a cup of oil (I use olive oil if I am going to use this dough for pizza)
A teaspoon of salt
A cup of water
A tablespoon of instant dry yeast dissolved in lukewarm water with a tablespoon of sugar.

Sift four and salt together in a bowl.

Dissolve yeast; let rest for ten minutes. Make the well at the center of the bowl to put the rest of the ingredients, Knead until smooth; adding flour when needed.

Put dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth; let rest for thirty minutes. (This will allow the dough to rise.)

Punch down dough; divide into two. With a rolling pin, shape dough into pizza crusts. They don't have to be perfectly round the kids won't fuss a bit.

Whenever I prepare pizza, I add a pinch of pepper and oregano powder to the dough to make it more flavorful. Remember to brush crust with olive oil before putting filling and baking in the oven.

Remember to top with your favorites before baking. Pepperoni, mushrooms, onions and peppers are some of our favorites. It's all a matter of preference once you have the dough made.

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