Pizza Dough – Part One

 

This is a great pizza crust recipe.  I use it all the time.  For the flour, I either use half whole wheat and half unbleached all-purpose flour OR I use all of another favorite flour I find at Costco – Eagle Mills Unbleached All-Purpose Flour made with Ultragrain.  I tried to use half whole wheat flour with this Ultragrain flour, but it was too heavy.  I think I would have to use less whole wheat.  Anyway, try this crust!

This recipe only makes one crust, so I double it to make two crusts for our family of six.  Eventually, I think I will have to make more or at least make breadsticks every time in addition!

Preheat oven to 500 degrees before starting the dough.

Pizza Dough
Mix together and then let sit for 5 minutes:

3/4 c warm water (recipe says between 105 and 115 degrees, but I just make sure it is a little warmer than my wrist)

1 1/2 t sugar equivalent (I use honey)

2 1/2 t yeast

Meanwhile mix the following in a large bowl:

2 1/4 c flour

1 1/2 t salt

1 1/2 T oil

Then add yeast mixture.  Stir until combined. Turn dough out onto a floured counter and knead until smooth, for a few minutes. Let rest in bowl while you assemble your sauce and toppings.

Roll out pizza dough and either put in an oiled pizza pan or on a cornmeal-dusted pizza peel if you are using a pizza stone. Cover the dough with pizza sauce and toppings and bake the pizza at 500 degrees. For thin crust pizza, this will only take about 5 to 10 minutes. For thicker crusts, it will take about 15 to 20 minutes. I usually double the dough recipe and put it in a half-sheet pan, making a thicker crust pizza.

If you are using a pizza stone, place the stone into the oven while the oven is preheating, so it can preheat too. Then slide the pizza onto the stone once it is topped and ready for cooking. You will need the peel to take the pizza out when it is done cooking.

Keep an eye on the pizza as it cooks. The cheese should be bubbly and start to golden when the pizza is ready. 

SOON I will post “Pizza Dough – Part Two”, which shows you how to make stromboli with it. YUM!