Pizza Crust - Our favorite kind

This is the second pizza crust that I've posted on this blog, but this one is our new favorite pizza crust!  It is easy and delicious.  I found this recipe in The Pioneer Woman's cookbook.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon yeast

4 1/2 Cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 Cups warm water

Pour the warm water into a bowl.  Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water.  In another bowl, combine the flour and salt.  With an electric mixer on low speed, drizzle in the olive oil just until it is incorporated.  Gently stir the yeast/water mixture.  Drizzle the yeast mixture and mix until the dough forms a ball.  You can mix this by hand if you don't have a mixer.  You may need to add a little more flour just until the dough isn't extremely sticky.  Drizzle a little oil into a clean bowl.  Put the dough in the bowl and then flip it over so the dough is is coated in the oil.  Cover the bowl and let it set in a warm place for 2 hours.  I let mine sit inside my stove (with the stove turned off).  Or, you can wrap the dough in plastic wrap (before it rises) and let it sit in the fridge for up to 2 days.  

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.  Divide the dough in half.  Grease a pizza pan or cookie sheet.  Using your hands, stretch the dough to the desired shape.  Lay the desired toppings over the dough and bake the pizza for 10 minutes, until golden brown.  

If you only use one half of the dough, you can wrap the other half of the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate it up to 3 days before use or you can freeze it for up to 6 months.