Ingredients
2 CU all purpose flour
1 PKG yeast (or 1 TBL)
1 TBL corn meal
2 TBL olive oil
2 tsp sugar or honey
1 tsp salt
APPROX 3/4 CU water
Instructions
1. Dissolve yeast and sugar into 3 TBL very warm water (105-110 degrees)
2. Let set for about 5 minutes
3. Meanwhile, sift dry ingredients into mixing bowl, and create a basin in the center.
4. Pour yeast mixture into 1/2 CU warm water and then into basin
5. Combine quickly to moisten all flour.
6. Pour onto floured counter top.
7. Knead dough well for 8-12 minutes. A Kitchen Aid mixer with A dough hook works well for this.
Finish on a floured counter-top
If dough seems a little sticky, add more flour, but floured counter top will slowly add flour to your ball, so don’t add too much.
8. Once ball of dough returns to near normal when you push a finger into it, your dough is ready.
9. Coat your hands very lightly with oil, then pick up your ball and form into nice round shape and put into clean bowl to rise. Make sure the oil from your hands has covered the dough ball. You can also put in a Ziploc bag and freeze at this point.
10. Cover with towel and set in warm place for 45 minutes
11. Pound dough down, re-ball, and prepare as needed for end product. – cut in half for two medium pizzas (three for thin crusts) or two calzones
12. Re-shape pieces, and roll flat using floured rolling pin, flipping in between rolls. READ SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT FLATTENING DOUGH
13. If for a pizza, bake the dough without toppings for 5 minutes at 350 degrees for a less soggy crust.
14. For a calzone place on a parchment paper before flattening. Fill one side with ricotta cheese, mozzarella, and parmesan. Add other ingredients. Use the parchment paper to fold over the top calzone.
Special Steps
For a richer tasting dough, make it the day before and refrigerate it overnight. Allow it to thoroughly warm before using it though.
Variations
1. Mix chives into dough
2. Spread sauce leaving 2 inch border on crust, then roll thin strips of cheese into the border making a dippable stuffed crust
Notes
TYPE OF FLOUR: Best with specifically long grain bread or pizza dough flour
SAUCE: See Pizza – Dad’s Red Sauce for the topping
KNEADING BY HAND: If kneading by hand, mix with fingers then push with heel of hand, fold over, push, fold over, push about six or ten times, then repeat the entire process.
SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT FLATTENING DOUGH: Using a rolling pin will squeeze most of the bubbles from the dough and will produce a very “mechanically correct” pizza crust. Shaping with your fingers only will leave the bubbles inside the dough which will give a lighter crust with the great bubbles that form on “real” pizza, but it takes more skill.
