Pizza Perfecto

Combine the water, yeast, and a pinch of the sugar in a small bowl and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

Combine 2 cups of the flour, the remaining sugar and the salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in egg, milk, oil, and yeast mixture. Mix until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, stirring in each, until you have a soft dough that holds together nicely. (This can also be done in a stand mixer with the dough attachment.)

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for 2 to 4 minutes. Return the dough to a clean, oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise in a warm spot (I find on top of the refrigerator works well) until doubled in size – about 90 minutes. (Dough can be kept in the fridge over night after rising, to use the next day – bring to room temperature prior to rolling out – or can be used immediately.)

If making one large cookie sheet sized pizza, roll dough out on a floured surface and place in a well oiled pan, allowing a bit of hang-over at the sides. I like to stuff the crust with cheese, which this overhang allows for. If not, you can either roll the sides in without stuffing or cut them off a bit to make them slightly smaller. If making two or more smaller pizzas, divide dough into balls and roll out to desired size.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Top pizza(s) with tomato sauce and all of your favourite toppings (I use eggplant, mushrooms, tomatoes, black olives, sun dried tomatoes, Vidalia onions, steamed spinach, goat’s cheese, mozzarella and parmesan). Brush crust(s) with olive oil and bake for about 20 – 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and crust starts to turn brown. Slice and serve!