Pizza Dough

1 1/3 cups warm water 

2 ¼ tsp. dry active yeast 

1 TBSP sugar 

3/4 tsp. salt 

2 TBSP olive oil 

2 cups all purpose flour 

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 

 Combine warm water, yeast and sugar and let stand 5 minutes. Add salt, olive oil and flour. Knead for about 10 minutes until dough becomes smooth and elastic. Transfer dough to a bowl lightly coated with oil. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume (about 1 ½ hours). Preheat oven to 475° F. Punch the dough down and divide into 3 or 4 sections (depending on how many pizza you want). Form into a pizza crust, then place in a cast iron skillet or baking sheet that has been dusted with cornmeal. Top with your favorite toppings and bake for 10-12 minutes. 

 ***** For years I disliked homemade pizza. It just didn’t taste right. The sauce always tasted like spaghetti sauce and the crust was never quite right. We made dozens of attempts and tried every recipe I came across and finally gave up for a few years. Two years ago I came across this recipe and we finally enjoy homemade pizza! I like this dough because of the olive oil that has been added. The dough is smooth and easy to work with. The cornmeal in the cast iron skillet makes a huge difference as well. Our favorite pizza sauce is simple: Muir Glen organic tomato sauce and Italian seasonings with extra rosemary ground up. I also like to grind some extra Italian seasonings and sprinkle them on top of the pizza before baking. By grinding them first you release the oils and will get a lot more flavor from the spices. If we have leftover dough, I love to make these breadsticks. Dough freezes well. Recipe courtesy of The Joy of Cooking.