Measure ½ cup of the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until the yeast dissolves and swells, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1¼ cups water and oil and stir to combine.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula while you gradually pour in the liquid mixture. The dough should come together into a shaggy mass and be mostly moistened; you may not need all of the liquid, so hold back a few tablespoons and then add if necessary.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead by hand for a few minutes to form a smooth, round ball (it will a very soft dough). Put the dough into an oiled bowl, turn to coat the dough, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Place in a draft-free area and let rise until doubled in size, about 1½ hours.
Place a pizza stone on a rack in the lower third of the oven. Heat the oven to 500° for at least 30 minutes.
Press the dough to deflate it, then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Use a chef's knife or dough scraper to divide the dough into two pieces. Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball and cover it with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no more than 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, get your sauce and toppings ready.
Working with one piece of dough at a time and keeping the other covered, shape the dough into a 14-inch circle, then transfer it to a pizza peel that has been lightly dusted with semolina.
Top your pizza as desired and slide the dough onto the heated stone. Bake until the crust edges brown and the cheese is golden brown in spots, 8 to 12 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven, cut into wedges, and serve immediately. Repeat with the remaining piece of dough.
Notes
Flour: You can substitute all-purpose flour for the bread flour in this pizza crust recipe, but the crust will have a slightly softer texture.
Yeast: If you don't have instant yeast, you can substitute active dry yeast. Follow the recipe as directed, but be aware that the rise time will likely be longer. Just watch for it to double in size and then you're ready to go.
Alternate Mixing Methods: You can also make this easy pizza dough ina food processor or stand mixer instead.
Semolina Alternative: If you don't have semolina to dust the pizza peel, you can also use cornmeal.
Special Equipment: To make amazing pizza, invest in a pizza stone and a pizza peel, which allows you to easily transfer your pizza to and from the stone. If you don't have these, you can use parchment paper on top of an upside-down baking sheet.
Freezing Instructions: This pizza crust recipe freezes extremely well! Follow the recipe through the step where you divide the dough. Wrap any dough balls you won’t be using in plastic wrap and transfer to a zippered freezer bag. Store in the freezer up for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to use the dough, put it in the refrigerator the morning you will use it (or the night before) so it can thaw.