. Add warm water and contents of yeast packet to the bowl of your stand mixer with dough hook attached. Gently stir to combine and let sit for about 5 minutes.

. Add sugar, salt, and olive oil to the yeast mixture and again stir gently to combine.

. Add 3 1/2 cups of flour to the water mixture and start to mix on low speed until combined. 

. Increase speed to medium for about 5 minutes to knead the dough. If the dough looks too wet, add 1/4 cup more flour and continue to knead. The dough should bounce back to the touch, and not be sticky.

. Coat a new bowl with about a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil.

. Remove dough from dough hook, form into a ball, and transfer to the oiled bowl. Roll the dough ball in the bowl to coat with oil, then set it crease-down in the bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size. 

. Punch down the dough and split into halves. 

. This is the point where you can freeze the dough for future use. Place dough half into freezer safe ziploc bag, removing all of the air, and label with today's date. The dough will last for up to 3 months in the freezer - but I doubt you'll wait that long to use it! 

. To use, remove from the freezer and defrost in the fridge for about 24 hours, then let sit on the counter for 30 minutes to an hour in order to reach room temperature before proceeding with the steps for cooking. 

. Gently knead the dough half and again place in an oiled bowl. Loosely cover the bowl and let rise again for about 30 minutes.

. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 450F.

. Lightly coat your pan with nonstick cooking spray. I use a rectangular nonstick 10x15 sheet pan. You could also use a round pizza pan. Whatever the shape, I recommend using nonstick! 

. Transfer your dough half to the pan you'll use to cook, and use your fingers to spread the dough to the edges of the pan. Use your fingertips to press into the dough to prevent too much air in the dough. 

. Let the dough on the pan rest again for another 15 minutes while you gather your toppings! 

. Mix 2 tbsp olive oil with 1 tsp minced garlic and use this to brush the entire crust before adding any toppings. Then add whatever sauce, cheese, or veggies you'd like! (See some of my suggestions in this blog post)

. Bake your pizza in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Enjoy!