Basic Pizza Dough

•  24 oz of Bread Flour (about 4 ½ cups)
•  1 tbsp olive oil
•  2 tsp sugar
•  2 tsp salt
• ¼ oz (1 packet) yeast
•  1 ½ cups warm water

Follow the directions for your yeast. If you have active yeast, add the yeast to ½ cup of warm water (follow temperature on packet, usually around 100-110 degrees F). If you use rapid rise, add all the ingredients together then add water at 120-130 degrees F. Using bread flour allows the dough to stretch better than using AP, but in a pinch you can use AP flour. Using a dough hook in your stand mixer, mix the ingredients until the dough pulls into a ball and passes the “window” test. The window test involves pinching off a small piece of dough. You should be able to pull it between your fingers then hold it up to the light and see through it. This indicates the dough has the proper “stretch”. Divide the dough into 8 oz balls (for 12 inch thin crusts). Allow the dough to rise covered until doubled in size (1-2 hours).Refrigerate or freeze any unused dough. Sprinkle corn meal on the surface. Stretch and roll out the dough so it is about 12 inches in diameter. Cook on a pre-heated pizza stone at a minimum of 500 or 550 degrees (as hot as you can get it) after topping the pizza. Basic Pizza Sauce