Dutch Oven Pizza (with homemade crust)

Dough

Ingredients:

• 2-2 1/3cups all purpose flour OR bread flour (divided) 
• 1 packet instant yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons) 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar 
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and/or dried basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil + additional
• 3/4 cup warm water 

Instructions:

1. Combine 1 cup of flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. If desired, add garlic powder and dried basil at this point as well
2. Add olive oil and warm water and use a wooden spoon to stir very well (I proofed the yeast with the 3/4 cup of warm water before adding it to the other ingredients) 
3. Gradually add another 1 cup of flour. Add any additional flour as needed, stirring until the dough is forming into a cohesive, elastic ball and is beginning to pull away from the sides of the bowl (I abandoned the wooden spoon and used my hands to knead the dough at this part). The dough will be slightly sticky but should still be manageable with your hands. 
4. Drizzle a separate, large clean bowl generously with olive oil. Form the pizza dough into a round ball and transfer to the olive-oil brushed bowl. Use your hands to roll the pizza dough along in the inside of the bowl until the dough is coated in olive oil. 
5. Cover the bowl tightly in plastic wrap, place in a warm place, and let rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. 
6. Once the dough has risen, gently deflate it and transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth (about 3-5 times)
7. Shape into a 12 inch circle using your hands/rolling pin.
8. Transfer the dough onto parchment paper and pinch the edges or fold them over to form a crust. Use a fork to poke holes all over the center of the pizza to keep the dough from bubbling up. 

Toppings

Ingredients:

• 1 jar pizza sauce 
• 1 package sliced salami
• 2 sliced bell peppers (I used red and green)
• 1/2 sliced red onion 
• Shredded Mozzarella cheese 

Instructions: 

1. Preheat the Dutch Oven to 450 degrees (11 coals on bottom and 22 on the lid) 
2. Once you have laid out the parchment paper and pizza dough, spread the pizza sauce in an even layer across the dough. 
3. Sprinkle the cheese over the sauce until the sauce is almost completely covered (make sure to not add too much or else the cheese will melt and spread over the edges of the crust) 
4. Evenly distribute the sliced peppers, onion, and salami pieces as desired on top of the cheese. Feel free to switch out the toppings for whatever you are feeling like, it's a pretty flexible recipe.  
5. Remove the lid from the Dutch Oven and carefully transfer the pizza using the edges of the parchment paper into the oven. 
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown, rotating the oven every 10 minutes. 
7. Enjoy!