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Basic Pizza Dough Recipe 1

Ingredients:

2 packages dry yeast
1 1/2 cup lukewarm water
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in water; set aside for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Combine flour, salt, sugar and oil in bowl; make a well in the center. When water/yeast mixture is bubbly, pour into center of well. Start kneading dough, bringing flour toward center of bowl; gradually increase kneading motion.

If dough feels dry, add a little more water; if it feels sticky, add more flour. Knead vigorously until dough is smooth and elastic. Roll into ball; cover with a damp cloth. Let rest for about 20 minutes in warm place. Beat dough with your palm to expel gas formed while fermenting. Roll dough again into ball; place in greased bowl. Baste with oil. Cover with plastic wrap; store in refrigerator.

When ready to use, place dough on floured counter top or table. Flatten with your hands, working from center out (a rolling pin may do also). Push dough evenly onto greased cookie sheet or pizza pan, forming a 12-inch circle with edges thicker than middle. Apply favorite topping in desired amounts. Bake in hot oven (475 to 500 degrees) until golden brown.

Basic Pizza Dough Recipe 2

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups Unbleached all-purpose White flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Olive oil
2 packages Dry yeast
1 1/2 cup Warm water
2 teaspoons Light brown sugar

Directions:

Measure 1/2 cup warm water (110 F) into 2 cup container and stir in the brown sugar. (Make sure water is warm, not hot - too hot will kill the yeast). Dissolve the 2 packages of dried yeast in the water and set it aside for 5 minutes. Will become frothy. (about 2 cups worth!)

Sift 4 cups of the flour and the salt into a large mixing bowl. Make a depression in the middle of the flour and pour in 3/4 of the olive oil and 1 cup of warm water. When the yeast is ready, add it also.

Dust your kneading surface with flour, then mix the ingredients in the bowl with your hands. Place dough ball on the floured surface and knead from 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour to the kneading surface if the dough is too sticky or wet. Eventually the dough will become elastic.

Rub the insides of a clean bowl with the remaining olive oil and place the dough in it, coating the dough with olive oil by turning it in the bowl. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise in warm, draft-free place until double in size, 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours. An oven with the light on or a lit burner pilot will provide suitable heat for rising dough. When dough has risen, divide into two halves, then roll each out on floured surface. A round shape may be cut out with table knife using 12" bowl or plate as template.

Basic Pizza Dough Recipe 3

Ingredients:

3 1/4 cups unbleached flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup warm water
1 envelope active dry yeast
3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the flour and salt, and mix thoroughly. In a separate stainless steel bowl, combine the water and yeast, and using a whisk, add 2 tablespoons of oil. Let rest for 5 minutes. Pour the water into the center of the flour, and with a spatula, stir to combine well into a sticky mass. Pour this mass out onto a lightly floured surface and begin to knead the dough by working the dough with the heel of the palm of your hand. Push outward and pull the inside edge over the top. Repeating the process over again to create a smooth ball of dough free of stickiness. Place the ball of dough into a clean stainless steel bowl that has been brushed with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours or until it has doubled in size. When the dough has risen it can be divided in half and the two pieces formed into two balls which will later be patted into the traditional pizza shape.