Recipe for perfect pizza dough

2 tbsp. of yeast in

1/2 cup of warm water.

Let rise.

In another bowl:

2 tbsp. sugar

2 tbsp. of shortening

2 tsp. salt

Add 2 cups of boiling water. Stir until fat and sugar dissolve. (You can use 1 cup of hot water followed by 1 cup of cold water if you want to save time, instead of waiting for liquid to cool down).

Add yeast mixture to liquid.

Stir in 3 cups of white flour. Continue stirring pizza dough with wooden spoon and add in 2 1/2 cups of flour. Make sure dough is moist and add just enough additional flour so that dough doesn't stick to hands. Knead until dough develops that velvety, elastic feel. Brush top with oil and let rise until puffy.

Drizzle some oil into two pizza pans and cut dough in half. Push dough toward edges and keep pushing and working with fingers until dough covers pan and pan edges. Alternatively, roll dough out into rectangle on a floured surface and slide into pans.

Bake in a 350-325 degree oven until crust bottom is browned and cheese is bubbly and crispy. An underdone pizza will be runny, an overdone pizza will be dry. Keep checking pizza so that final results are spectacular. (Double pan to avoid over-browned bottoms.)

Remove from oven and let pizza sit in pan for about 5-10 minutes so that everything sets.

Some good flavour combos

Mushroom and bacon

Spinach, dill, and feta cheese

Pepperoni, red pepper, and olive

Monteray jack cheese and hot sausage, topped with pepper rings or jalapenos (for lovers of hot pizzas)

Crust variations.

* If you enjoy whole wheat, substitute approximately half of the flour for whole wheat.

* For a crunchy pizza crust, top dough with sesame seeds before adding other toppings.

* For additional crunchiness, roll dough into corn meal.

* For an Italian-style pizza crust, add basil and oregano to the pizza dough and top dough with olive oil before adding other toppings.

Pizza can be prepared ahead of time and frozen for convenient meals.

Once you make this pizza crust recipe, it will become a treasured stand-by, one you'll enjoy time and time again.

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For a fancy-looking crust in a deep dish-style pizza, braid a thin edge dough edge and encircle pizza dough with it. This is especially helpful if you like to load your pizza with ingredients or extra cheese. A braided edge prevents cheese from melting and dripping onto the oven.