Pizza Dough
- 1 package active dry or fresh yeast
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 cup warm water (105F. to 115F.)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or Chili and Garlic Oil, plus more for brushing
- Topping of your choice
- In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4 cup of the warm water.
- In a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour and the salt.
- Add the oil, your mixture, and the remaining 3/4 cup of water and mix on low speed until the dough comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and clusters around the dough hook, about 5 minutes.
- (The pizza dough can also be made in a food processor.
- Dissolve the yeast as above.
- Combine the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.
- Pulse once or twice, add the remaining ingredients, and process until the dough begins to form a ball.)
- Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead by hand 2 or 3 minutes longer.
- The dough should be smooth and firm.
- Cover the dough with a clean, damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot for about 30 minutes.
- (When ready, the dough will stretch as it is lightly pulled.)
- Divide the dough into 4 balls, about 6 ounces each.
- Work each ball by pulling down the sides and tucking under the bottom of the ball.
- Repeat 4 or 5 times.
- Then on a smooth, unfloured surface, roll the ball under the palm of your hand until the top of the dough is smooth and firm, about 1 minute.
- Cover the dough with a damp towel and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
- At this point, the balls can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.
- Place a pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 500F.
- To prepare each pizza, dip the ball of dough into flour, shake off the excess flour, place the dough on a clean, lightly floured surface, and start to stretch the dough.
- Press down on the center, spreading the dough into an 8-inch circle, with the outer border a little thicker than the inner circle.
- If you find this difficult to do, use a small rolling pin to roll out the dough.
- Lightly brush the inner circle of the dough with oil and arrange the topping of your choice over the inner circle.
- Using a lightly floured baker's peel or a rimless flat baking tray, slide the pizza onto the baking stone and bake until the pizza crust is nicely browned, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Remember that the oven is very hot and be careful as you place the pizza into and out of the oven.
- Transfer the pizza to a firm surface and cut into slices with a pizza cutter or very sharp knife.
- Serve immediately.
- To Prepare Ahead: Through step When ready to serve, remove the balls of dough from the refrigerator and let them rest at room temperature for about 15 minutes, then continue with the recipe.
- Through step 7, bake 5 or 6 minutes, until the cheese melts and the pizza dough is lightly golden brown.
- (At this point, the pizza can be cooled, wrapped well, and frozen for up to 1 month.)
- When needed, remove from the freezer, unwrap, and bake in a preheated oven until the crust has browned and the topping is heated through.
active, honey, warm water, allpurpose, kosher salt, extravirgin olive oil, topping of your choice
Taken from www.cookstr.com/recipes/pizza-dough-7 (may not work)