The Best Homemade Pizza Dough I've Ever Made and A Yummy Stromboli Recipe

FOR THE CRUST (MAKES TWO CRUSTS):

* 1 teaspoon Active Dry Or Instant Yeast
* 4 cups All-purpose Flour
* 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
* ⅓ cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil

TO MAKE THE CRUST:

Sprinkle yeast over 1 1/2 cups warm (not lukewarm) water.
In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined.

Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you need it. ***It’s best to make the dough at least 24 hours in advance, and 3 or 4 days is even better.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Drizzle olive oil on a large baking sheet and use fingers to coat thoroughly. Remove HALF the pizza dough from the bowl. Stretch pizza dough into a large rectangle, pressing with fingers to finish forming. Dough will be very thin.

Lightly drizzle a little olive oil on the dough and use fingers to spread. Top with your favorite sauce, cheese and toppings.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. Remove from pan and slice with a pizza cutter. Serve immediately!

From whence it came: I love you Pioneer Woman! You are the coolest! I found this GREAT pizza dough recipe while stalking the Pioneer Woman's website and boy am I happy I did. I am a HUGE fan of the Pioneer Woman. Please don't start stalking her blog and stop stalking mine. You have my permission to stalk us both, but please don't leave me for her. I sure would miss you! (If you do decide to stalk her, check out the pics of her husband in chaps. That's all I'm gonna say about that matter. Just do it! NOW!)

Why it's blogable: I've never had the best luck with homemade pizza dough. I've made a few recipes that were pretty good, but this one is really good. So much healthier than what you buy and it tastes so much better, too. And it was easy-schmeazy to make!

Here's the truth: I didn't actually use this recipe to make pizza, I used it to make Stromboli. I will certainly use it to make pizza in the VERY near future, but last time I made it, which was really the first time I made it, I used it to make Bri's Stromboli. I found this fabulous Stromboli recipe while stalking the blog of one of my married daughter's super chic friends. Her name is Bri and her blog is darling.

After seeing Bri's Stromboli idea online I immediately tried it and my family went nuts. They truly went ape over it! I had been wanting to try it with the Pioneer Woman's homemade crust recipe, and I finally did. I really wondered if it would be better with the homemade crust because it was so good with the store bought stuff. Well, it really was better with the homemade recipe, and my family thought so, too. If you're in a big hurry, use the tube. I won't hold it against you, but to be honest, I think my tube buying days are behind me. This crust recipe is so easy, so much healthier, and a whole bunch cheaper. Sorry DoughBoy, I no longer need you. Yes chubby little white boy, I'm breaking up with you. You're cute, and I like your giggle, but thanks to my BFF The Pioneer Woman, you're history!

Oh yeah: To make these two "large and in charge" Stromboli's, I doubled the pizza crust recipe. (PW says it makes two crusts, but I still doubled it and it worked out great. If you only want to make one Stromboli just make the recipe as is.) I baked it at 450 for I can't remember how long. I think I set the timer for 15 minutes and then baked it for another five. Sorry about that, I should have written it down because by the time I make dinner every night my brain is as fried as a Paula Deen chicken! Just bake it until it's golden brown like the second picture below.

Oh yeah again: The Spy Who Loves Me also loves pepperoni and black olives, so because I'm a wonderful wife, I usually stuff one Stromboli with what he loves. (I only buy turkey pepperoni. I think the other stuff is greasy and gross!) Then I stuff the other one with what I love...and I love vegies! I love tomatoes, green peppers and onions! Stuff if with whatever you love, and you'll love it!

And we dipped it in Paul Newman's marinara sauce. Thanks, Butch Cassidy!

Here's a picture of my Stromboli with the homemade dough before I baked it:

Here's a picture after it came out of the oven and we sliced it:

If you love your family, and I know ya do, make this for them. Trust me, they'll love you right back...even more than they did before!

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!