Girls Weekend Pizza Dough

Yield: One thin crust pizza. Double if you prefer thick crust.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I replace half with whole wheat)
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. active dry yeast
1/2 cup luke warm water (use 1-2 Tbsp. more, if needed)
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Stir first three ingredients into a large bowl. Add water and oil, stirring mixture into as close a ball as possible. Dump everything into a lightly floured surface and knead everything into a homogeneous ball.  Knead for just a minute or two.  Spray the bowl with cooking oil, then add the dough ball back into the bowl and turn to coat all sides.  Cover with plastic wrap and leave for an hour or two, until it has doubled in size. To speed the process, rise in a warm oven.

Dump back on the floured surface and gently press the air out of the dough with the palm of your hand.  Fold the piece into an approximate ball shape, and let site on the floured surface, under plastic wrap, for about 20 minutes.

Sprinkle a pizza stone with cornmeal or line with parchment paper and preheat stone and oven to 450*. Roll out dough and top with favorite toppings. If topping with mushrooms, leave off 1/4 of the pizza. Bake for 9-10 minutes until lightly browned or blistered.  Tip: using parchment paper makes it easier to preheat the stone, then slide the topped pizza into the oven.


Variations: may need to adjust water accordingly

Garlic and Herb: add 2 tsp basil, oregano, or rosemary leaves, and one clove finely minced garlic along with dry ingredients

Cornmeal: replace 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour with 1/2 cup cornmeal as you combine dry ingredients

Cheese: add 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese along with the other dry ingredients