Practically Perfect Pizza Dough

Todd is THE pickiest person in the whole world when it comes to pizza dough. I think he just doesn't like my cooking, but c'est la vie. He didn't mind this dough, it wasn't 'perfect' but he thought it was better than most of the 'cardboard' recipes I have tried.

Ingredients

3 1/2 to 4 cups bread flour, (I started with 3 1/2 then added if I needed the other 1/2 C) plus more for rolling (Chef's Note: Using bread flour will give you a much crisper crust. If you can't find bread flour, you can substitute it with all-purpose flour which will give you a chewier crust.)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 envelope instant dry yeast

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups water, 110 degrees F

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons

Directions

Combine the bread flour, sugar, yeast and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and combine. While the mixer is running, add the water and 2 tablespoons of the oil and beat until the dough forms into a ball. If the dough is sticky, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together in a solid ball. If the dough is too dry, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead into a smooth, firm ball.

Grease a large bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, add the dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in a warm area to let it double in size, about 1 hour.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cover each with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let them rest for 10 minutes.