Pizza Dough
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Recipe type: Bread
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 cup of warm water
  • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • 3 cups of all-purpose (or unbleached) flour (you can also try Molino Caputo Tipo 00 Pizza Flour, imported from Naples, Italy)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of sugar
Process
  1. Mix the "wet ingredients", including the water and olive oil with the dry yeast (you're looking to dissolve the yeast). Thereafter thoroughly mix the remaining dry ingredients and combine with the wet ingredients.
  2. Place the mixture in a Kitchen Aid and mix for 2-3 minutes. Remove the dough and knead with your hands for 4-5 minutes; you're looking for a fluffy/not too dense dough. Remember to make sure your work space has plenty of flour so the dough does not stick when kneading. Form the dough into a ball and coat the exterior with a bit of olive oil and place in a large bowl, covering the bowl with a kitchen towel.
  3. The dough should sit (I like to place the bowl in my oven, with no heat of course) for 30-45 minutes or until it doubles in size.
  4. Next, add a tablespoon of olive oil to a 10 by 15 inch cookie sheet and thoroughly coat the bottom with the oil. Take your dough and cut it in half and stretch the dough on your cookie sheet. Add a bit more olive to the dough and spread it with your hands.
  5. You're now ready add your toppings and tomato sauce!
  6. Preheat your over to 400 degrees F. and bake your pizza for 20-25 minutes depending on how thin or thick your dough is. Once you're ready to remove the pizza lift one side of the dough and make sure you've got a nice brown color (the cheese should be bubbling as well). After removing the pizza, add the hand shredded basil and a bit of olive oil. If you have some Parmigiano-Reggiano you could also grate a bit on top of the pizza!
Notes
My favorite type of pizza is the "Pizza Margherita" which is comprised of tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil. Start with the sauce and then add shredded mozzarella.
Recipe by Scordo.com - Italian Food Recipes and Lifestyle at http://www.scordo.com/recipe/homemade-pizza-recipe-dough-toppings-italian.html