Pizza night recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water (110°F)
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1½ tablespoons honey
• 1½ teaspoons table salt or fine sea salt
• 2½ to 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, or ½ teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1 garlic clove, minced (½ teaspoon)
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt, plus more to taste
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
• Flour, for Dusting
• Olive oil, for brushing
• Optional toppings: shredded or sliced mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, fresh basil, pepperoni, sliced bell peppers, olives, sliced onion, mushrooms, Canadian bacon, pineapple, jalapeños

Make the Pizza Dough
1. In a small bowl, mix the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 5 minutes, or until it starts to foam.
2. In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the yeast mixture, oil, honey, and salt. Add 1 cup of the flour and knead by hand or with the dough hook until combined. Add more flour, ¼ cup at a time, and knead until the dough is smooth, soft, and just a little bit sticky, but not to where the dough still sticks to the bowl. Knead for 3 to 5 minutes more. Roll the dough into a ball and rub a little oil around the dough. Place the dough in a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside for 20 minutes, or until the dough puffs up a bit. It doesn’t need to rise much.
Make the Pizza Sauce
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the pizza sauce ingredients. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Prep any toppings you’ll be using.
5. Dust your work surface with flour. Turn out the dough, cut it in half, and then roll out each piece with a rolling pin or toss until the dough is about ¼ inch thick and 12 inches wide. (You can also divide the dough into quarters to make four 6-inch personal pizzas.)
6. Lightly brush a pizza stone or large baking sheet with oil. Place the dough on the stone or baking sheet. Spread sauce over the dough and add your favorite toppings.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. For smaller pizzas, check them after about 12 minutes.