Step 1

Heat up 2 cups of water for 60 seconds in the microwave, the water should be pretty warm but not hot

Step 2

Add the active dry yeast, give it a little stir and then sprinkle the 1/2 tsp of sugar over top

Step 3

Let the yeast get foamy, about 5 minutes

Step 4

In the bowl of a stand mixer add 4 cups of flour, salt and olive oil

Step 5

Attach the dough hook

Step 6

With the mixer on low start adding the yeast water

Step 7

Once the water has started to combine with the dry ingredients, add another cup of flour

Step 8

Mix this on med/low speed for a couple minutes

Step 9

If you notice it's still sticky and not a smooth ball shape yet, add the last 1/2 c of flour little by little (don't add all of it and risk dry dough)

Step 10

Check the consistency - press your finger into the dough, it should bounce back

Step 11

Take the dough out of the bowl and rub olive oil around the inside of that same bowl

Step 12

Put the dough back in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a towel

Step 13

Let the dough rise for 45-60 minutes (once it's doubled, it's done)

Step 14

After risen, pour the dough on to a floured surface

Step 15

For two 16" pizzas, cut the dough in half

Step 16

For four personal size pizzas, cut the dough in fourths

Step 17

Use your hands to roll each piece tightly, tucking the edges into the bottom so its very taught

Step 18

Place them on a floured counter and leave some space between them and cover each with a lightly oiled piece of plastic wrap, until you are ready to form them into pizzas

Step 19

You can can skip the above step if you are just going to freeze the pizza dough, or if you just want to freeze one dough ball it can go straight into a ziploc bag then to the freezer