Additional, best to have, essentials: "00" Flour and Semolina flour. IF you can't find those, at the very least cornmeal.
Instructions
In a bowl, add your 2 1/2 cups of water, yeast and sugar. Stir for 30 seconds, let set for 5 minutes to activate. *note: use room temperature water or tepid, to activate yeast. If after 5 min. it isn't a little bubbly, toss and start over.
In a stand mixer with dough hook, add flour, olive oil and salt. When yeast water is ready, pour into flour mixture and fork stir to combine for about 1 min. Just to get everything incorporated. Then turn on mixer to medium, and let mix for 8 1/2 to 9 min. Don't worry if after a few minutes the dough is still sticking to the bowl or doesn't seem to be incorporating. It will, gibe it time.
Four your surface a little, and once your dough is done mixing, pull it out, put it on floured surface and kneed 2x.
Using olive oil, coat your mixing bowl. Make sure to roll it all around to cover all surface of the bowl, and place your dough back in. Cover with plastic wrap and place in microwave or oven to set to at least 2 hours, but can set for longer.
Flour surface again, pull dough out of bowl and place on floured surface.I roll, gently kneed, just to get the oil back in the dough. Cut in 4, make back into rolls. Flour a cutting board and set dough on top, cover with a damp cloth and let rest another 2 hours.
ARE YOU READY TO MAKE PIZZA!!
Depending on the size of pizza you would like, depends if this size pizza is too big or works for you. I cut my dough in half again. (This size works for my pizza stone) Toss and roll and stretch to the best of your ability, to make the shape of your pizza. Pizza tossing and getting the size is definitely an art to perfect. Regardless it will still taste delicious!
This is where the "00" Flour and Semolina flour come into play. I keep a container and label it "Pizza Flour" I mix 50/50 "00" and Semolina. This is what I use under the pizza, on the stone, so it doesn't stick. You want to use a generous amount so the pizza slides easily. You want it to SLIDE off the hot stone or whatever you cook it on, not COOK to whatever you're cooking it on!
This recipe makes 8 pizza's if you cut each of the 4 doughs in half. If that is too much pizza for you, which it is for my family, unless I am entertaining, you just have to roll your pizza's out, stack them on top of each other with parchment paper in between and freeze it! Makes for a great lunch with less effort. Just pull out how many you want and let defrost. Super easy!!