Lately, I've been making homemade pizza regularly, especially on busy weeknights. It is a very flexible recipe, and it enables me to customize the toppings (something for everyone) and sometimes to use up leftovers as well. Homemade pizza is actually very simple and easy. From start to finish the entire process takes barely an hour. And you can freeze the dough and many of the fixings way in advance, cutting the final preparation time to less than 20 minutes, including baking!

TIP: USE THE FREEZER!
Set aside time every month or two to put together and freeze several batches of pizza components, so you can have high quality, almost instant pizza dinners whenever you're in a pinch.

WHAT TO DO:

• Prepare and freeze the dough as long as several weeks in advance. It takes approximately 12 to 15 minutes to prepare the dough. It will take about 3 hours for solidly frozen dough to defrost at room temperature, and 6 to 8 hours to defrost in the refrigerator.
• Freeze tomato puree in 1-cup units, and defrost as needed, one unit per pizza.
• Grate a large batch of pizza cheeses and spread the grated cheese on a tray. Freeze until solid (about 30 minutes), then transfer to a plastic bag, seal, and return to freezer. Use as needed. (No need to defrost.)
• Slice or mince fresh garlic. Figure out how much you like on each pizza, and wrap that amount in a little package of plastic wrap. Attach the package to the container of frozen dough with a rubber band, so you'll be able to find it.

TOPPING IDEAS:
tomato puree
minced or sliced garlic
grated cheeses
crushed red pepper
aromatic herbs
thin rings of fresh bell pepper
sliced mushrooms
pesto
marinated artichokes, cut into small pieces
a ripe tomato, thinly sliced
leftover broiled, grilled, or steamed vegetables
sliced olives

1. Place the lukewarm water or milk in a medium-sized bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let stand 5 minutes until foamy.
2. Add salt, olive oil, and 1/2 cup of the flour. Beat for several minutes with a wooden spoon.
3. Add the remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. (Graduate to mixing with your hand as it gets thicker.) The dough will be a bit softer than bread dough, but it should not be sticky.
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. If you intend to prepare and bake the pizza imminently, clean and oil the mixing bowl, and put the dough back in. Put it in a warm place to rise for 30 to 45 minutes, or until doubled in bulk. If you are going to freeze the dough for later use, oil a 1-pound ricotta cheese container (or a sealable plastic bag of equivalent size), and place the dough inside. Cover and freeze.
5. Before assembling the pizza, get all the toppings ready, and generously dust a baking tray with corn meal. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
6. Punch down the risen (or defrosted) dough, return to the floured surface, and knead for a few minutes.
7. Stretch the dough into a thin circle, and place it on the corn meal. Brush the top surface of the dough with olive oil, and apply the desired toppings.
8. Bake the pizza in the top third of the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the toppings are bubbling. Serve immediately.