Great Pizza/pasta Dough Recipe

How to make it

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• 1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let it rest for 5 minutes, then add the salt and stir gently.
• 2. Add the flour and olive oil (only if you are making pizza dough) and mix until you can knead it with your hands. The dough should stick a little bit for the first few minutes but will then form itself into a ball with a bit more kneading and folding. Once it is formed into a ball, dump it onto a lightly floured wooden surface and knead for exactly 12 minutes. Are you kidding? Use a pasta machine or dough hooks. See Photo
• 3. Once the ball of dough is smooth, place it in a lightly floured or oiled bowl, cover with a clean dish towel, and let rise in a warm place, such as inside a turned-off oven, for 2 hours.
• 4. Punch down the dough after 1 hour, cover, and let rise another hour. For more flavor, let the rising process go on longer: cover the dough with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight (this is called a cold rise), but let the dough return to room temperature before working it again. Now it is ready for making into a pizza. If you are making bread, go on to step 5, otherwise, use this dough for any recipe calling for Basic Bread and Pizza Dough.
• 5. Preheat the oven to 475 F. (250 C) Transfer the dough to a baking stone, form into the shape you wish, and score with a razor blade or very sharp knife See Photo. Let this rest, covered with a clean dish towel, for 30 minutes and you get a thicker, lighter pizza.
• 6. For pizza; place a pan of water in the bottom of the oven, then the loaf on the baking stone on the center rack. See Photo
• 7. Reduce the oven temperature to 425 F. (220 C.) and bake 10 minutes.
• 8. Remove from the oven and spread on your sauce and pizza toppings of choice. See Photo
• 9. Return to the oven and bake another 30 – 35 minutes.
• Variation : Use 6 tablespoons milk and 3/4 cup water instead of 1 cup water for a richer flavor.
• Secrets of Baking Pizza
• There are many different ways you can make pizzas, beyond the topping. They can be cooked at temperatures ranging from 350 F. (175 C.) in a home oven to 900 F. (480 C.) in a commercial wood-burning brick pizza oven See Photo. High heat gives the best results. Best thing is to experiment, but without a doubt your pizza will taste better if you are using a baking stones and a higher temp.