Dearest Casey, I had a disaster of a dinner party a few weeks ago when my gorgeous mini pizzas (butternut squash, manchego and pancetta; arugula, mozarella and roasted tomatoes; and caramelized onions and goat cheese) were completely ruined by a less-than-mediocre store-bought dough. Is there an easy and delicious dough recipe you can share, and even better, one that doesn’t require yeast and lots of time and attention?

Unfortunately, yeast is a fact of life when it comes to pizza dough. You can make a flatbread imitation to get around it, but if you want to be authentic, you’re going to have to deal with the gassy little buggers every time. Luckily, I am in possession of a fantastic recipe that requires only 15 minutes of active duty and is a wonderfully simple introduction to the world of yeasted doughs.

Pizza Dough
(makes one big pizza or two personal pizzas, if you prefer not to share toppings)

• 2 cups flour — if you have it around, you can mix 2/3 cup cake flour with 1 1/3 cups all-purpose for a more tender crust, but I’ve done this with regular flour so many times and it’s completely fine. Don’t get bogged down with the minutiae of 00 flour, bread flour, semolina, etc. unless you are pizza-obsessed!
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 package (or 2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
• water
• olive oil

Combine the sugar and yeast in one large bowl – if you’ll be using your stand mixer to knead the dough, just combine in its mixing bowl to eliminate extra dishwashing. In another large bowl, combine the flour and salt.

Add just under 1 cup of warm water (the technical temperature is 105-110 degrees, but I’ve never gauged it specifically; I just put my finger under the tap until it feels like nice hot bathwater and it has always worked) to the yeast/sugar bowl, stir gently with a fork, and wait five minutes for the yeast to bloom. It’s fun to watch; you’ll truly be able to see the transformation happening as the yeast munches on those tasty sugars and starts burping out the gases to make the bread rise.

Add the contents of the flour bowl to the yeast bowl and stir with a fork until a ragged dough forms. Either turn out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for five minutes, or use the dough hook on your stand mixer. You’ll know the dough is ready when the ball is smooth, firm and pliable.

Take the empty bowl that once contained the flour, coat lightly with olive oil, and place the dough ball back inside. Roll it around gently to make sure it’s fully oiled, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let sit in a warm place to rise for an hour and a half.

You can then use the dough immediately or put into an oiled gallon Ziploc for fridge or freezer storage, depending on how quickly you’re going to need it. I’ll keep mine for one or two days in the fridge and in the freezer for up to three months. Let any stored dough warm up to room temperature before rolling out for the pizza crust; if the dough is too cold, it will “bounce” back on itself and the additional work to re-stretch it will make the dough tougher than you want.

All pizza aficionados who are faint of heart should ignore the next statement, but I like to stretch my dough out on a well-floured surface with the assistance of a rolling pin (I know, I know! Maybe I should take a pizza class) to get the crust well on its way to being wafer-thin, then let it rest for a few minutes. Top with your choice of tasty morsels, then throw into a 500-degree oven until bubbling and golden. I’ve been grilling my pizzas ever since I broke my pizza stone in a freak accident, but if you don’t have a grill or a stone, you can use a baking sheet that’s been sprinkled with cornmeal as a substitute.

you won't get the blistered effect in a regular oven, but you'll still get a tasty pie

My favorite way to top it comes from the rightfully famous Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, where Chris Bianco serves a white pie called the Rosa. Brush olive oil onto the crust, liberally dust with finely grated parmesan cheese liberally, and dot with chopped pistachios, translucently thin slices of red onion, and my favorite of all herbs, rosemary.

Ask Casey if she wants a free trip back to Pizzeria Bianco (hint: the answer is always yes) or send her any other culinary questions at caseyATgoodfoodstories.com. I’m here to help every Thursday!