Simple Pizza Dough

This is a simple but very good pizza dough recipe.

1 cup warm water, divided
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Put 1/4 cup warm water in a small bowl (check the temperature required by the yeast - it's probably around 110 -115 degrees, I check the temperature with a candy or meat thermometer) and add the sugar, stirring to dissolve. Sprinkle the yeast on top, let it sit for one minute, and then stir it into the water. Check that the yeast is active - it should get bubbly - and then add the remaining ingredients. Mix together with a wooden spoon until it comes together into a ball. Sprinkle some flour onto a work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Knead it about ten minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Keep adding flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking. Grease a large bowl and put the dough inside. Spray a little grease onto some plastic wrap and cover the bowl, greased side down. Place the dough in a warm place to rise until it has doubled in size (about 1 1/2 hours). Punch down the dough and knead a few times, then spread it out onto a greased pizza sheet.