Perfect Pizza Dough

yields 2 pizzas with regular or thin crust or 1 deep-dish pizza

Ingredients

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 3 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal

Directions

(mixing and kneading)

1. Warm the mixer bowl by running hot water over it both inside and out.
2. Add the warm water and sugar to the bowl then sprinkle in the yeast.
3. Wait a few minutes. The yeast will probably foam.
4. Add salt, olive oil, and 2 ½ cups flour.
5. Using the dough hook, mix on low speed about 1 minute.
6. Continue mixing as you add remaining flour ½ cup at a time.
7. Knead until dough cleans to hook and pulls away from sides of bowl then knead about two  minutes longer.

(rising)

1. Place a plastic bag (like you get from the grocery store when you forget your reusable shopping bags) over the mixing bowl.
2. Place a clean kitchen towel over the plastic bag.
3. Let dough rise in a warm place for at least an hour. (Better results with 2 to 3 hours rise time. Dough should double in size.)
4. Punch dough down.

(bake)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. (optional) Brush baking pan with a bit of olive oil.
3. Sprinkle pizza stone, pizza pan, or cast iron skillet (good for deep dish crust) with cornmeal.
4. Roll, press, or otherwise shape the dough to fit your pan.
5. Add desired sauce and toppings. (Less is more here. The crust itself tastes wonderful.)
6. Bake 15 to 20 minutes.

CREDITS

Recipe adapted from KitchenAid’s “Crusty Pizza Dough” published in Instructions and Recipes for Your KitchenAid Stand Mixer, 2009.