Posted at http://mynew30.blogspot.com
1 package yeast
¼ cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
2 ¾ cup White Lily AP flour (may use 50/50 blend of wheat & white)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Up to 1 cup lukewarm water
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Sprinkle yeast over ¼ cup of warm water and let stand for about 10 minutes.
Process the flour, sugar and salt for 6 seconds. Add the yeast, process 10 seconds longer. Combine the oil and water and drizzle through the feed tube while machine is running, until a clumb of dough forms around the blade, putting more flour in through the tube if needed. You may not need all of the water. Once the dough clumps around the blade, process for 30 to 40 seconds longer. Dough should be a little sticky.
Divide dough in half and knead on floured surface into smooth balls. If you are only making a single pizza, wrap the other ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze.
For thin pizza, I like to press the dough out with my fingers directly on a greased 16 inch pizza pan. Brush the dough very lightly with a bit of olive oil and place immediately into the preheated oven UNtopped and precook the crust by itself first for approximately 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven, spoon on sauce and add desired toppings. I like to do a thin layer of store bought Great Value pizza sauce, cover with grated mozzarella cheese, and then top with pepperoni. My husband is a purist ... he only really likes pepperoni pizza and I like the pepperoni to cook and even crisp up a bit, so I put it on top. Then I sprinkle some Italian seasoning on the very top. The sauce has some in it, but I add more. Then I carry the whole pan to the oven rack and slide the topped pizza off of the pan, directly on to the rack and continue baking for another 10 minutes or until browned.
For thicker pizza crust, allow to rise for 10 to 15 minutes in the pan(s). Brush the crust with olive oil, add sauce and toppings, place the entire pizza pan in the oven and bake on the lowest oven rack for about 20 minutes.
Note: Depending on the bite you prefer, some toppings – such as onion, green pepper, and for some even mushrooms work better if they are precooked prior to topping the pizzas.
Enjoy!
