My Newest Pizza Crust (And Most Favorite Yet!)

I have been wanting to introduce this pizza crust to you for quite some time. My recipe is an adaptation of one by my current bread g-d, Jim Lahey from his book My Bread.
I have made it a few times, each time for friends. The consistent trait about this crust is that it is always good. It is everything I love in a pizza crust; The olive oil brushed pans give it a satisfying crunch, while the edges maintain the chewiness that my favorite breads always possess. Try it with a salsa base and Mexican-style Chorizo or a tomato base and Italian sausage. Or you could cash in on the last of the tomato crop and add some fresh basil.

In addition to the pizza crust excitement, I also have a new addition to my kitchen--my very own chalkboard wall! Do not be surprised from now on to see my recipes written out in chalk scroll. The options are endless with a chalkboard wall!

Method:

Pour the water into a mixing bowl and stir in the yeast; Let stand 5 minutes. Add the flour, sugar, and salt. Mix the dough in one direction for about 30 seconds until all of the ingredients are combined. If the flour is not mixing in, add 1 tbsp of water at a time until the flour is all mixed in. Cover with a tea towel and let sit for 1.5-2 hours. Flour a work surface and form the dough into a ball. Divide into two pieces and form them into balls, spacing them about 4 inches apart. Make sure the surface and the dough are well floured and cover again with the tea towel. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Brush two 13x18 inch pans with olive oil and invert the dough into the pan; Carefully stretch the dough to fit in the pan. Top as desired and bake for about 15 minutes. Note: if you use fresh sausage, there is no need to precook the sausage; Just "pipe" the sausage from the casing right onto the sauced dough.