Dough Recipe

Recipe:

makes two 14 inch round pizza dough

2 cups water, lukewarm

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 tablespoon Instant Dry Yeast

1 teaspoon Salt

1 tablespoon Olive Oil (plus 1 tsp for later)

1 tablespoon Canola Oil

4 + 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

When rolling and baking:

3 tablespoon canola oil

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Warm water to 100 Fahrenheit on a kettle or until you touch the water and it feels warm. It's very important it's not hot so it doesn't kill the yeast. Pour the water into a bowl.

2. Sprinkle sugar over the water and give it a stir to dissolve the sugar. Then sprinkle yeast (don't mix) let it sit for 5-15 min based on how it activates. You are looking for it to become cloudy on top.

3. Then add salt and oils, mix with a whisk.

4. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time. Start he first 2 cups of flour by mixing with a whisk. Once the mixture starts to become drier, use your hand. Add all 4 cups of flour slowly. Then add the 1/4 cup of flour is the dough is still very sticky.

Note: The dough will still be sticky and wet because you just kneaded it with your hand so do not continue to add flour past the 4+1/4 cup. It will have too much gluten and will be very dry when baked if you continue to add more.

5. Shape it into a ball in the bowl. It might be slightly sticky, that's fine.

6. Drizzle 1 tsp of olive oil on the surface of the dough and spread with your hand.

Note: adding olive oil on the surface will help it from drying and will make removing it from the bowl easier.

7. Cover the bowl tightly with a plastic wrap, and wrap the bowl with a blanket.

8. Let it rise for 1 hr. in a dark warm place.

Pre-heat oven to 450 Fahrenheit

9. When the dough has risen, flour your surface. Then divide the dough in half. Stretch with your hand first and shape into a circle then lightly roll with a floured rolling pin, keep stretching and rolling until you get the diameter you want.

Note: limit flouring the surface with 1/4 cup of flour. Any flour on the surface is also being incorporated into the dough

10. Spray a non-stick pizza pan with canola oil or drizzle and spread with a brush. Place dough on the pan. Top with your desired toppings. Then brush the top side crust with cooking oil.

11. Bake at 450 Fahrenheit . Until the bottom of the crust is golden brown (lift with a fork to check) then broil low to brown top.