Basic Thin Crust Pizza Dough

This recipe comes from the book, "The Best Pizza Is Made at Home" by Donna Rathmell German. It is a great little book filled with good ideas for making pizza at home. This recipe will make one pound of dough, enough for two ten-inch pizzas. At Easter, 2007, we had eleven family members over for dinner, so we increased this recipe by five times! We made ten pizzas and hade enough left over for snacks the next day.

1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 cups bread flour
¼ cup salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
2/3 cup lukewarm water

Make this dough a day ahead of time! In a large ceramic bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add salt, olive oil, and flour. Mix with a wooden spoon and turn out onto a floured work surface. Knead for 5 to 10 minutes, adding as little flour as necessary to keep dough from sticking to the work surface. Using a scale, divide the dough into ½ pound balls. Put each ball into a large plastic bag, tie tightly, and place in a refrigerator. The dough will rise in the bags and be ready for making pizza crusts whenever you're ready.

When you get ready to make pizza, remove a cold ball of dough from the bag and flour lightly. With a rolling pin, begin to roll the dough into a circle on a floured work surface. Continue rolling, flipping the dough occasionally, until the dough is VERY thin. This will usually make a circle roughly 12 inches in diameter.

Transfer the dough to a pizza peel that's been sprinkled liberally with yellow corn meal. Lightly brush the dough will olive oil, then add your favorite toppings. Bake in a 500 degree oven on a pizza stone for about 7 to 8 minutes or until edges of the crust are golden. Transfer to a wooden cutting board and cut into eights with a high-quality pizza cutter.

Our favorite pizza is a red pie (see our marinara sauce recipe) topped with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil.

NOTE: The best way to re-heat pizza is to put slices into a dry, non-stick pan over medium heat and heat until toasty warm.