Homemade Pizza Dough

1 ½ cups of warm water

1 teaspoon of Sugar

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil & more for brushing

2 Tablespoons of Salt

1 Package of Active Dry Yeast

4 Cups of Flour

1) In bowl mix ¼ cups of warm water, sugar and yeast. Stir and let sit for at least five minutes.

2) Stir in remaining water, olive oil, salt and 1 ½ cups of flour until smooth. Gradually add remaining cups of flour and continue to stir.

3) On a large flour surface, knead dough for 10 minutes. Grease a bowl with butter. Shape dough into a ball and place in greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for one hour.

4) Punch and turn dough down on a lightly floured surface. Cut in half and let rest for 15 minutes. Dough can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Dough can also be frozen for future meals.

5) Roll dough on floured surface into desired shape. Prick center of pizza dough with a fork to prevent rising. Place on pizza stone or cookie sheet and fold edges to create the pizza crust. Brush dough with olive oil.

6) Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Put on desired toppings and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.