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Basic Pizza Dough

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MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05
 
      Title: BASIC PIZZA DOUGH
 Categories: Italian, Breads, Ethnic
      Yield: 4 Servings
 
  4 1/2 c  Unbleached all-purpose
           White flour
      1 ts Salt
    1/4 c  Olive oil
      2 pk Dry yeast
  1 1/2 c  Warm water
      2 ts Light brown sugar
 
  Measure 1/2 cup warm water (110 F) into 2 cup container and stir in
  the brown sugar.  (Make sure water is warm, not hot - too hot will
  kill the yeast).  Dissolve the 2 packages of dried yeast in the water
  and set it aside for 5 minutes.  Will become frothy. (about 2 cups
  worth!)
  
  Sift 4 cups of the flour and the salt into a large mixing bowl.  Make
  a depression in the middle of the flour and pour in 3/4 of the olive
  oil and 1 cup of warm water.  When the yeast is ready, add it also.
  
  Dust your kneading surface with flour, then mix the ingredients in
  the bowl with your hands.  Place dough ball on the floured surface
  and knead from 8 to 10 minutes.  Add flour to the kneading surface if
  the dough is too sticky or wet.  Eventually the dough will become
  elastic.
  
  Rub the insides of a clean bowl with the remaining olive oil and
  place the dough in it, coating the dough with olive oil by turning it
  in the bowl. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise in warm,
  draft-free place until double in size, 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours.  An
  oven with the light on or a lit burner pilot will provide suitable
  heat for rising dough.
  
  When dough has risen, divide into two halves, then roll each out on
  floured surface.  A round shape may be cut out with table knife using
  12" bowl or plate as template.
  
  Sufficient for 2 12" thin-crust pizzas, or 1 12" thick-crust.
  
  HINT: Before filling and baking, form rim around outer ring of pizza
  dough to hold ingredients better.  Brush the inside area of the
  dough, not the rim, with olive oil and let the dough sit in a warm
  place and rise a little before filling.  Then spoon in sauce, cover
  with 1 lb. mozzarella cheese, add meat toppings, then cover with
  mozzarella/parmesan mixture of cheese. Then brush rim of pizza crust
  with olive oil. Sprinkle the pizza pan or oven tiles with cornmeal to
  prevent pizza from sticking to cooking surface!
  
  THE VERY BEST:  Cook on a pizza stone or oven tile at 500 F.   The
  unglazed oven tile makes a huge difference in the crispiness and
  texture of the crust. It absorbs moisture and keeps oven temperatures
  even. May even be removed with pizza and set on a rack on table -
  will keep pizza warm much longer.
  
  Enjoy! - Jeff Duke
 
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