Pizza Dough

While in Italy for our honeymoon, my husband and I took a pizza making class in Sorrento.
What we learned was that pizza dough is a lot simpler than we thought, and that it is much more delicious this way!

 

yield: dough for 1 large pizza

ingredients
2C "00" Flour (we found this in the Italian/pasta aisle of Wegmans. If all else fails, use all-purpose flour)
1C warm water
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tbs olive oil

directions

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, olive oil, and yeast mixture.
3. Knead mixture for about 10 minutes, until the dough becomes smooth and elastic and comes away easily from the work surface.
4. Shape the dough into a ball.
5. Lightly oil a bowl, place the dough ball in the bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel.  
6. Place bowl in a warm, dry area for at least 2 hours to let the the dough rise.
7. After at least 2 hours have passed, punch the dough down to remove any bubbles. 
8. Place dough ball on a flat, floured surface.
9. Cover and let rise for at least another hour.
10. Flour your hands and place the ball on a floured work surface (I used my Pampered Chef Pizza Stone).
11. Start to spread the dough from the center, pressing down and pushing the dough out. DO NOT PULL OR STRETCH (this was the most important thing we learned in our class).
12. If you're brave enough, pick up the disc of dough and flip it between your hands.
13. Flip the dough so that the alternate side is facing up and continue spreading the dough until the crust is evenly thinned out and a little bit thicker at the edges.
14. Top with your favorite toppings. 
15. Cook at 500 degrees for about 8-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
16. Enjoy!