My new favorite pizza dough--Pizza Dough

Pizza Dough
Great Bread Machine Recipes Copyright 1992

2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
5 ½ ounces warm water
(makes 1-pound of dough)
Or
3 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
8 ounces warm water
(makes 1 1/2 pounds of dough)

Use the appropriate dough setting for your bread machine and add ingredients in the order suggested by your bread machine. I made it the night before and refrigerated it. I nuked it on defrost for a couple of minutes before rolling it out. It made a very thin 16-inch pizza - use a 12 or 14-inch pan if you like a thicker crust. I always cook my pizza at 500 degrees (the hottest temperature that my oven claims to reach) and I use perforated pans.
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We generally have pizza every Friday. I had reached the point where I was so sick of homemade pizza on Fridays. I changed it up every which way I could as far as toppings go. I made tomato sauced pizza with various configurations of pepperoni, onions, mushrooms, peppers, sausage, pineapple, ham. I made bbq chicken pizza. I made pizza with white sauce, bacon and mushrooms. I tried different cheeses.

Although I was very happy with the crust I was using for some time, I was sick of that too and now it was time to change it up since I had changed everything else. Last week I used the rectangular premade crust I can get locally and while they were good, they remind me of frozen pizza (and not the good, rising crust type). I happen to love all frozen pizza but when it comes to Friday pizza, I want something more substantial.

So, I went looking for another pizza dough recipe for my bread machine. I was going to try a Pizza Hut knockoff but it used 3 cups of flour which would probably overwhelm my bread machine so at the last minute I chose this recipe. I thought I had made this recipe once before but when I tasted it, I knew I hadn't or I would have made it more than once. I loved this so much I can't wait until next Friday. It just had great flavor and texture. I refrigerated the dough overnight which I believe really does change things as far as texture and flavor so keep that in mind if you make this. I'm not saying it wouldn't be as good straight out of the bread machine but that's not how I tested it.

It's funny that most pizza dough recipe use the same basic ingredients - water, salt, sugar, oil, yeast and flour but slight variations in those ingredients make a huge difference. I don't want to mess with this too much but I do feel better making a whole wheat crust so I may try some white whole wheat flour in this at some point.

P.S. I took this picture the next day when I reheated a slice in the toaster oven which is why the crust is that dark.

Question of the Day: How often do you eat pizza?