Fresh Homemade Pizza Dough

Ingredients

• 4 1/4 cups bread flour, plus extra for the counter
• 1 envelope instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 3/4 cups warm water
• Makes enough for three pizzas

Directions

1. 1. In a large bowl combine yeast, salt, and 4 cups of flour. Blend together.
2. 2. Add the oil and water to the dry ingredients and stir. A rubber spatula works best for this job, and will bring the dough together into a rough ball.
3. 3. Lightly flour a clean countertop and turn the dough ball onto it. Knead the dough by hand for about 10-15 minutes, until you have a smooth, stretchy ball. You may need to add a little extra flour (the extra 1/4 cup if necessary) to stop the dough sticking
4. .
5. 4. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Let the dough rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a nice warm place for 60-90 minutes (it should roughly double in this time).
6. 5. Place a pizza stone on the lower-middle rack of your oven, and preheat to 500 degrees. Give the pizza stone a good long time to warm up (30 minutes or so).
7. 6. Meanwhile, cut the risen dough into three equal portions. Shape each portion into a nice, smooth ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for a further 30 minutes.
8. 7. Working with one ball at a time, stretch it out by hand into a pizza shape, approximately 12 inches in diameter. (If you stretch it out on a piece of parchment paper, it makes transferring the pizza onto the stone much easier.)
9. Spread with a dollop of your favorite pizza sauce (leaving an edge for the crust), and then decorate with cheese and toppings of your choice. Brush the crust with olive oil, and sometimes sprinkle with herbs.
10. 8. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone, bake for 8-13 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.