Instructions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease a pizza baking sheet and set aside.
• In a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer, mix together the yeast, sugar, and warm water and allow to sit for 10 minutes until foamy.
• Stir the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture. Then, using the dough hook on your stand mixer, or a sturdy spoon if using a bowl, mix in the flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough has started to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
• If using a stand mixer, mix the dough with the dough hook for 3 minutes on medium speed until the dough has completely pulled away from the sides and is smooth.
• If you are not using a stand mixer, place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth.
• Shape the dough into one ball, and slice in half evenly. At this point you can roll out both balls of dough for two 10 -12-inch pizzas. Or, store the remaining dough in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or the freezer for up to one month.
• Roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface and transfer to prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes.
• While the pizza is in the oven, melt the two tablespoons of vegetable shortening and stir in the garlic powder and salt.
• Remove the pizza from the oven and top with your favorite sauce, cheese, and toppings as desired, leaving 1/2 inch of the crust without toppings. Brush the 1/2 inch edge of crust with garlic vegetable shortening.
• Place the pizza back in the oven and continue baking pizza 10-15 minutes until crust is golden and crispy, and cheese is melted.