In the bowl of your KitchenAid stand mixer, combine the warm water and sugar. Immediately sprinkle the yeast over the water/sugar mixture and do a quick stir to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes. 

On low speed with the dough hook attached, alternately add in a cup of flour and a little of the olive oil at a time. Continue beating on low until all of the flour has been added. Scrape the bowl to make sure all of the ingredients are combined. Increase the speed to high and beat for 3 minutes. 

Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm area for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until doubled in size.

Once it has doubled in size, lightly flour your work area and place the dough in the center. Let it sit for 2 minutes to rest before working the dough.

Roll the dough to a circle, about 2 inches wider than your pan. I use a 8" springform pan and roll the dough to 10". You will want the dough to cover the bottom of the pan and go up the sides a couple inches.

Mix the 2 tbsp. melted butter and olive oil together. Prepare the pan by brushing the entire inside with the butter/oil mixture.

Place the dough in the middle of the pan. Push down so that the dough is covering the entire bottom and then start pressing the dough up the sides of the pan. 

Cover and let rise again about 15 minutes. You can let it rise longer if you want a really thick pizza (adjust baking time to accommodate the extra thickness).

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Add your toppings and cook for 25 to 30 minutes 

OR

I like to cook the dough for about 10 minutes before I add the toppings on some of my pizzas. For instance, my buffalo chicken pizza includes pre-cooked chicken, so I like to cook the chicken on the pizza for less time so it doesn't dry out. If you put veggies on your pizza, you may want to put them on right away so they have time to soften. 

You can also brush the dough with a mix of butter, garlic, and herbs to add even more flavor. This is especially important if you use less toppings, like cheese only pizza.