Homemade Pizza Crust

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2/3 cup warm water

• 1 tsp dry active yeast

• *Optional: fresh herbs such as rosemary, basil, thyme, etc.

• ½ tsp salt

• *Optional: 2 tsp minced garlic

• 1 Tbsp Verbena Garlic olive oil plus a bit more for the bowl (substitute Tunisian Chemali, Rosemary, Basil or Italian Herb to create a different flavor for pizza dough)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine the flour, yeast, (optional rosemary), and salt in a bowl. Stir in the olive oil, (optional minced garlic), and warm water until you get a rough dough.

2. Turn it out onto a floured counter and add as much flour as necessary, while kneading, until you get a soft ball of dough that’s slightly tacky but doesn’t stick to the counter or your hands.

3. Wash out and dry your bowl and lightly coat your dough with olive oil. Leave the dough in the bowl and cover with a towel. Leave to rise for 1 hour to an hour and a half or until the dough roughly doubles in size.

4. Preheat the oven to 500°F.

5. Roll out your dough on a lightly oiled pan to about 12 inches (this is a medium-thick crust, you can roll it out bigger for a thinner crust). Use a fork to poke some holes in the base then bake for 5-10 minutes (depending on thickness of crust) or until the crust is almost cooked through.

6. Add your favorite pizza sauce, precooked meats, veggies, and other toppings and place back in the 500°F. for 15 minutes.