| Basic Pizza Dough |
| 1 tablespoon Active Dry Yeast 1 tablespoon Honey or Sugar, (less or more, to taste) 1-cup Warm Water, (warm to the touch, about 110º to 115º F.) |
| In a large bowl, mix together the yeast & sugar; add the warm water and set aside in a warm place for about, 5 to 10 minutes and up to ½ hour (If the yeast foams, proceed, if not this means the yeast is dead, throw out and start again) Mix the flour & salt together in a bowl Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, add the oil & mix in the flour* mixture 1-cup at a time, mixing after each addition When the dough is too stiff to use the spoon any longer, either turn out the dough onto a floured work surface or place in the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a bread hook knead the dough, adding flour as needed until the dough is smooth & not sticky to the touch, (if the dough becomes too dry, add water, a tablepoon at a time) Knead the dough slightly on lightly floured surface & form into a smooth ball Place in a well oiled bowl, turning the dough to coat Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm, (not hot), draft-free location and let rise for about 1 to 1½ hours, or until the dough has doubled in bulk Gently, pull the dough, with your fingers away from the sides of the bowl and push them into the middle of the dough, do this all the way around the bowl until the dough is in a ball Turn out the dough onto a slightly oiled surface & knead the dough slightly & divide the dough in half or into individual portions of 4 to 6, (individual pizzaz) Roll the dough into balls and place on a parchment lined sheet pan, sprinkled with corn meal Note: Each of the balls of dough should be lightly coated with oil Cover the dough loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let them rest for about 20 to 30 minutes With your fingers, spread out the dough as thin or thick as you desire Either, bake on a pizza stone or pizza tin**, sprinkled with corn meal Add a thin layer of your favorite tomato sauce or pesto & then top with a layer of cheese, (putting a thin layer of cheese before adding the toppings with help prevent the crust from being too soggy) Add favorite toppings, (not more that 3 is best), top with additional cheese if desired Bake until the crust is golden and the top is bubbling, about 15 to 20 minutes *Variation: 1.) Wheat-Add 1-cup of wheat flour and decrease the flour by 1-cup 2.) Herb Crust-Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of fresh or dried herabs to the dough when adding the flour mixture **If you do not have a pizza tin, use a ½ sheet pan lined with parchment paper |
| Pre-heat the oven to 500º F. |
| 3½ cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, and ½ to 1 cup more flour as needed 2 teaspoon Kosher salt or 1 teaspoon table salt ¼ cup Olive Oil, with more to coat the dough |