Dough Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 3 1/2 Cups Flour
- 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- shortening to grease the bowl
Pizza Ingredients:
- 1 to 2 cans pizza sauce
- 16 ounces mozzarella cheese
- Cheddar Cheese (Just a little to sprinkle on)
- olive oil
- Toppings of choice
Directions:
- In electric mixer bowl combine the warm water and the package of active dry yeast, let stand for 5 minutes. If it is not dissolved at end of the 5 minutes stir until it is dissolved.
- Add olive oil, flour, salt, & sugar to the mixing bowl
- Attach mixing paddle to mixer and mix contents of the bowl for a minute or 2 on low speed.
- Remove mixing paddle and replace it with the dough hook. Knead with the mixer on low speed for 10 minutes (you can knead by hand if you do not have an electric mixer) if dough seems to wet you can sprinkle more flour into the bowl. From the times i have made it, it is always dry so you may have to add a little more water.
- Use some shortening or olive oil to grease the bottom and all the sides of the bowl
- Roll the dough in the bowl so to coat the entire ball of dough
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let stand for 60 to 90 minutes or until it doubles in size (the longer you let it rise the more you will improve the flavor). The longest I waited was 2 hours.
- Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Punch down to deflate the dough a bit then divide into two equal halves and form them into balls and place them into their own separate bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 10 minutes.
- On a floured surface place one of the dough balls and flatten it with your hands. Now starting at the center and working outwards use your fingertips to stretch the dough out to the desired diameter (10 to 12 inches). Let the dough rest for 5 minutes (it will shrink back in size) then continue to push the dough back out to the desired diameter. Once it stays at the desired diameter, use the palm of your hand to flatten out the thick spots. If you desire you can pinch the end of the dough to form a lip.
- Now do the same thing to the second dough ball.
- Sprinkle a little flour onto the flatten dough and spread it around. Now fold in half and sprinkle flour on the dough and fold in half again. Sprinkle your pizza pan with corn meal (flour works also) and place the dough on your pizza pan and unfold it.
- Place your pans in your oven for 8 minutes to start the dough cooking.
- Remove you pans from the oven and place on pot holders.
- Brush the dough with olive oil (this will prevent the crust from becoming soggy when you add your toppings)
- Spoon on your pizza sauce, sprinkle on your mozzarella cheese, and your desired toppings on the the dough. Now I sprinkle on a little mild cheddar cheese to give it a little more flavor.
- Place in your oven for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the amount of toppings and how crispy you like your crust.
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