2+ Topping Craft Your Own Recipe

Activate yeast and combine wet ingredients

In a medium bowl, whisk the warm water, sugar and yeast. Let sit 5 minutes until foamy. Stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Mix dry ingredients and form dough

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour and salt. Pour in the yeast mixture and mix with a wooden spoon or dough hook until a shaggy dough forms.

Knead

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic (or knead 6–8 minutes on medium speed in a stand mixer). If dough is sticky, add up to 2 tablespoons more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.

First rise

Lightly oil a large bowl, place dough inside and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise in a warm draft-free place until doubled, about 60–90 minutes.

Divide and rest

Punch the risen dough down and divide into two equal pieces. Shape each into a tight ball, cover and let rest 15 minutes to relax the gluten before shaping.

Preheat oven and prepare pans

Place a pizza stone or an inverted baking sheet on the middle rack and preheat oven to 500°F (260°C) for at least 30 minutes. Lightly dust two pizza peels or baking sheets with cornmeal or semolina.

Shape crusts

On a lightly floured surface, flatten one dough ball and stretch with your hands or roll into a 12-inch circle (about 1/4-inch thick for medium crust). Transfer to prepared peel or sheet. Repeat with second dough ball and cover until ready.

While dough is resting, make the sauce: In a small bowl, combine crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, minced garlic, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, sugar (if using) and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Stir until smooth and adjust seasoning to taste. No need to cook; sauce should be slightly loose so it spreads easily.

Portion sauce and cheese

Spread about 3/4 cup of prepared sauce evenly over each 12-inch crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border for the crust. Sprinkle 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella and about 1/4 cup grated Parmesan over the sauce on each pizza.

Add at least two toppings

Choose at least two toppings from the suggested list. Distribute toppings evenly over the cheese so each slice will have a balanced amount. Examples: 12 pepperoni slices and 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms per pizza; or 1 cup cooked sausage plus 1/2 cup roasted peppers. For leafy toppings like spinach or basil, add spinach before baking and fresh basil after baking.

Bake

Slide one pizza onto the preheated stone or baking sheet and bake at 500°F (260°C) for 8–10 minutes, rotating halfway, until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. Bake the second pizza the same way. If using a home oven that reaches only 475°F, bake 10–12 minutes and watch closely.

Brush crust and season

Remove pizza from oven and brush the crust edge lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle flaky sea salt and a grind of black pepper over the finished pizza.

Rest and serve

Let pizza rest 2–3 minutes to set the cheese. If using fresh basil, scatter leaves on top now. Slice into 8 pieces and serve hot with optional red pepper flakes.