This is dead simple. If you've got a bread machine with a pizza dough setting, that's perfect. If you want to do it by hand, you're a braver man than I, Gunga Din!
Pizza Dough
2 packages active dry yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cups warm water (100 to 110 degrees F.)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
The ingredients are from Tyler Florence, with a correction to the salt (he called for two tablespoons, which will ruin your dough).
Stir the sugar into the water until it's dissolved. Add yeast and set aside until it has a nice bloom.
Combine the flour and salt and sift onto a work surface. Make a pile, then a well in the middle. Add the water to the well and incorporate into the flour by stirring the edges with a fork until a dough forms. Knead until smooth. Coat a bowl with a small amount of olive oil, place the dough in the bowl and rub any excess oil from your hands onto the dough. Cover and let double in size.
Once your dough has doubled, you're ready to roll it into whatever you want - calzone, pizza, breadsticks, etc. This recipe makes me a 16-inch pizza and a 10-inch pizza (for junior), with a small amount left over for breadsticks.
knapplc's Classic Pizza Sauce
1/2 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Olive oil
1 10oz can of tomato sauce
1 6oz can of tomato paste
dried thyme
dried basil
dried oregano
Heat about a two-count of oil in a saucepan on medium. When the oil becomes fragrant add the onions and saute until tender, then add the garlic. Cook a few minutes until the garlic becomes fragrant, then add the tomato sauce, then the paste. Stir until smooth, cook for about ten minutes, then add the thyme (just a little), the basil (not more than two tsp) and the oregano (go crazy). I didn't put amounts of the spices to use because I just dump until it tastes good. Use a fair amount of oregano - it's the single most essential spice to traditional pizza.
You can always jazz this up with some red pepper flakes. If you like it spicier I would recommend adding the red pepper when you add the garlic, let it cook in a little and infuse the oil, then add the tomato sauce. Use salt and pepper as you like. I grind some of each in, but not much.
To make a pizza you need a pizza stone, an oven preheated to 500 degrees, a large pizza pan (or two smaller pans) and whatever toppings you like. I use:
Italian sausage
Onion
Bell pepper (red or green)
Mushrooms
Black olives
Pepperoni
Mozzarella
That's the order I top my pizza, after the sauce.
Put your pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500 degrees. The stone is important! If you don't have one, go to Wal-Mart (or Bed Bath and Beyond, or Target, or wherever) and get one. They're cheap and they make a world of difference.
I typically slice my veggies and saute them first. If you use fresh mushrooms without sauteing them they tend to make your pizza wet when it bakes.
I use Johnsonville Italian sausage links. I get my pan hot, slice the casings off the sausage, then pull them into odd bits by hand before browning. I like the way the sausage is chunkier that way. When the sausage is done put it aside in a bowl, then saute your veggies in the grease left in the pan. I do my veggies one at a time, but you could do them all at once.
So your dough is risen, your ingredients prepped, your oven heated, and you're ready to bake your pizza. Divide your dough in proportion to your pans, then roll it out to fit what you've got. Coat each pan with a slight amount of olive oil, put the dough in the pan, poke evenly with a fork, and put it in the oven to blind bake for about four-five minutes. This will assure your dough is done and not soggy.
If you have any leftover dough, form it into a flat loaf longer than it is wide, coat with olive oil and set aside while you're prepping your veggies. When the pizza is in the oven gently slice the dough lengthwise with a sharp knife to start the breadsticks. Cover the top generously with olive oil, sprinkle it with granulated garlic (not too much) and top with dried parmesan. Bake for about ten-ish minutes or until golden brown. When it's done let it cool, then pull the loaf apart into breadsticks.
Remove the pan to your work area and spoon enough sauce onto the crust to cover generously. Add your ingredients, top with the cheese, and if you're like me, add another scattered layer of pepperoni to the top (crispy pepperoni is awesome). Bake your pizza for about 15-ish minutes, but don't go by time - look at it. Your eyes are better than your clock for judging done-ness. When your cheese is golden brown, remove the pizza and let cool for a few minutes, pop a beer, and enjoy.
