Homemade Garlic Parmesan Pepperoni Pizza

I have always wondered about making homemade pizza. I've heard my family rave about my Grandmothers pizza that she used to make with her "Secret" recipe... that she no longer remembers. Go figure :\ I set out on the hunt for a pizza dough recipe and finally found one that seemed like it would be pretty good and had excellent ratings. The ratings were correct. That was the best pizza I have ever had! And... drum roll please... here is the recipe for the delicious pizza I made tonight!

Ingredients
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Directions
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.

Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.

Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour.

Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out. Use for your favorite pizza recipe.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough, and bake immediately. If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before topping and baking it.

Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

The specific toppings I used on this pizza was Ragu's Garlic Parmesan sauce (pictured below) with shredded Mozzarella cheese and Pepperoni. I am not a fan of the tomato sauce on pizza because being the Mother of a 2 year old I've learned the hard way that tomato based products leads to some pretty wicked diaper changes. And not only that, it gives the pizza a much lighter taste that I find enjoyable.

Being a first time pizza maker I haven't experimented much but that will change in the near future! I'm thinking a BBQ Chicken Pizza! You will know what I decide to make because it will be posted. Keep checking back for updates!