In anticipation of Vegan Pizza Day on Saturday, January 29, 2011, I made a quick decision to spend an entire week posting about pizza. Pizza is easily the most ubiquitous and versatile dish we know so I could probably write about pizza for a month without running out of topics. But I won't. Instead, I'll spend one day focused on each pizza component, counting down to the big day.

Today is all about crusts.

As you know, I'm an advocate of homemade pizza dough. It's easy, cheap and totally customizable to your tastes.

My favorite two pizza dough recipes:

• (never home)maker's Pumpkin Pizza Dough. This is a great all-purpose dough for pizzas and calzones. It keeps for days so it's a great make-ahead option.
• My Perfect Pizza Dough. A solid stand-by, this recipe is as traditional as it gets.

Not into making dough from scratch? Pizza crust alternatives are plentiful:

• Tortillas & naan
• Flatbread & pitas
• Baguettes & French bread
• Puff Pastry
• English Muffins & bagels

Tired of ordinary pizza crust? Whether you start with homemade dough or one of the alternatives listed above, try spicing it up a bit:

• Fold in fresh minced garlic to homemade dough. 
• Sprinkle smoked paprika on the whole crust or just the edges.
• Try using chickpea flour in homemade dough.
• Drizzle dough with infused oils, like garlic or truffle.
• Add cocoa powder and sweetener to make a dessert pizza.

One more tip: If your dough gets dry while baking, put 1/2 cup water in an oven-proof ramekin in the oven while your pizza is baking.

No matter what you select as your pizza base, you're just getting started. Tomorrow, we'll talk sauce!