Yummy Pizza!

My first homemade pizza was a success! I really enjoyed this crust; it was recommended by the ladies on the What's Cooking board and it did not disappoint! I was a little nervous since yeast is not usually my friend and then I forgot to add 2 ingredients (the salt and the olive oil) until after I started kneading the dough. It turned out perfectly, though. I even made my own pizza sauce for the pizza. I was so domestic, my new name is now Martha.

Jay's Pizza Crust

from All Recipes

2-1/4 t active dry yeast (1 packet)

1/2 t brown sugar

1-1/2 c warm water (110 degrees F / 45 degrees C)

1 t salt

2 T olive oil

3-1/3 c all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit 10 minutes. Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2-1/2 cups of the flour.

Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until doubled in size; approximately 1 hour. Punch down the dough and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax a little before rolling out.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough, and bake immediately. If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise 15-20 minutes before topping and baking it. Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

**Makes 2 large pizzas

Pizza Sauce

from me

1 can tomato sauce

2 t dried oregano

2 t dried basil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 T olive oil

salt

pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and heat on low for about 8 minutes. Let cool slightly before spreading on crust.

I topped the pizza with green pepper, red onion, black olives, pepperoni, provel cheese and parmesan.