A couple in San Francisco introduced us to this recipe several years ago and it’s since been a family favorite. I love the versatility in that you can make it very grown up and sophisticated (say for a dinner party), or keep it really basic (for your kids!). Both children and grownups alike enjoy making/eating their own individual pizza so taking the dough and making it into little pizzas is also a win-win. Give it a try!
Homemade Pizza Dough a la Hendricksons
1 cup warm water (not lukewarm…truly warm)
1 tablespoon active yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
Place yeast and sugar in bowl; pour warm water over and allow to sit for about 5 minutes.
In another {larger} bowl place:
2 cups flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 TB olive oil
(you will need an additional 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup cornmeal a little later in the recipe as well)
Mix for a minute. Once the yeast/water mixture is nice and foamy, dig a well in the middle and mix together. Note, it will be gooey, and that’s normal. Place bowl in a warm location (laundry room with the drying going? pantry?) and allow the dough to rise for one hour (a little longer doesn’t hurt either).
After about an hour the dough will have risen close to the top of the bowl. Sprinkle an additional 1/4 cup of flour on top of the dough. Then, using a spatula, place dough on a lightly-floured surface. Knead slightly and roll, with a pin (or with your hands if you’re more of an expert!), into desired shape. Grab a few cookie sheets and sprinkle a couple teaspoons of cornmeal evenly on baking surfaces to avoid a sticky mess (plus the texture of the pizza crust will be better). Place your shaped dough on the cookie sheets. Your dough is now ready to be adorned with any toppings you wish.
Cook the pizza for 15 minutes in an oven heated to 425 degrees.
When it comes to toppings we like:
* Salami & fresh mozzarella
* Harmon’s Sweet Italian Sausage (cook this first), julienned yellow bell peppers & mushrooms
For a more unique pizza, try our wannabe-Potesto version:
* fresh Pesto Sauce (homemade, Harmons, Liberty Heights Fresh, etc.), blanched red potatoes cut thin, Gouda cheese
Recipe Notes: Using fresh mozzarella (Costco is the least expensive place to purchase this) makes all the difference in the world. Promise. We’ve treaded in pre-shredded-dried-out-mozzarella territory and it isn’t pretty…or delicious 
Also, if you opting for canned pizza sauce, make sure you opt for the best version you can find; when it comes to store-bought sauce, we think Enricos All Natural Pizza Sauce is decent.
When you say “dig a well in the middle”, do you mean in the middle of the flour, or the yeast?