A few of you asked for my pizza dough recipe from Wednesday’s post.

First, let me say that I too suffered several failures in the pizza dough department. I was using a recipe I’d found online, and after three attempts I couldn’t get my dough to rise. So I gave up. Sad face.

But then a year later I decided to give it another whirl. I found another recipe on the Food Network from Emeril Lagasse, and all was good in homemade pizza land again.

I believe the key is the temperature of the water. Too hot or too cold and the yeast will not cooperate. I use a meat thermometer to test that my water falls in the recommended temperature range.

• 1 cup warm water (105° to 115°)
• 1 envelope dry active yeast
• 1 tsp honey
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Combine water, yeast, honey and 1 tablespoon oil in a large mixing bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes until mixture starts to foam.

3. Combine flour and salt in separate bowl.

4. Pour roughly half of the flour mixture into the yeast mixture and stir with a fork until it forms a ball. Keep adding flour and kneading the dough (I knead it right in the bowl) until the dough forms a smooth ball, but is still a little tacky. You may not use all of the flour.

5. Add the last tablespoon of oil to another large clean mixing bowl. Roll your ball of dough in the oil until fully coated and let it sit. Cover the bowl (I use plastic wrap) and wait for an hour until the dough rises to roughly twice it’s size.

6. When ready, toss your pizza, add ingredients, and bake on a pizza pan or pizza stone for 9 – 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

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