How I Was Taught To Make Pizza

I wish I had taken more photos... these are just snapshots with my phone. Even for cell phone photos, I think they do this pizza justice. The best way to achieve a really delicious and authentic pizza is to KEEP IT SIMPLE! Showcase just a few quality ingredients, and don't use sauce, just fresh tomatoes. If you must use sauce, spread it as thin as possible. I once worked in a kitchen where we used about a tablespoon of sauce for a pizza that was about 18 inches across, and I have never had better pizza!

 Really Amazing Pizza Dough (taken from Epicurious)
2 packages dry yeast
4.5 -5.5 c flour
2 c warm water (approx. body temp, around 100º F)
2 tsp salt

-Whisk together the yeast and 2 tbsp of the flour, then sprinkle it over 1/2 c of the warm water and let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes - it should create a sort of foamy texture, if not, check your water temperature or the expiration date on the yeast and start over
-Mix the salt and 3 c flour in a separate bowl, then add the yeast mixture and the remaining 1.5 c warm water
-Stir ingredients until a dough forms, adding 1 c flour gradually, then addd up to 3/4 c more flour if necessary, though the dough should be a bit sticky
-Knead the dough for about 10 minutes to make a soft elastic ball, divide the dough into two separate balls, dust with flour, and place in separate bowl and cover in a warm place to rest for an hour (at this point I froze one dough ball to use later because the recipe made so much dough)

To make the pizza...
-After an hour, preheat the oven to 425º F (pizza should always be cooked at no less than 400º F), flour the dough, and begin to roll it out (continuously flouring) with a rolling pin until it is as thin as you can make it without it breaking
-Coat a pan in a thin layer of oil, place the dough on top, and pre-cook the dough for about 5-7 minutes
-After the dough is pre-cooked, spread some roughly chopped tomatoes or diced tomatoes across the dough, then top with fresh mozzarella (the kind that comes in water), salt, pepper, and any dried Italian spices you would like
-Cook the pizza for approx. 20 minutes or until the edges of the dough begin to look crispy, then let the pizza cool for 8-10 minutes (it may be slightly watery as soon as you take it out, so it needs to cool)
-Just before serving top the pizza with some fresh chopped basil, ENJOY!!