Handmade Pizza Dough

Makes dough for one 12-inch pizza or two 9-inch pizzas

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 2/3 cup warm water (105° to 115° F)
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• olive oil for the bowl

 

Preparation

Sprinkle the yeast over the water. Let stand 1 minute, or until the yeast is creamy. Stir until the yeast dissolves.

In a large bowl, combine the 2 cups flour and the salt. Add the yeast mixture and stir until a soft dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Lightly coat a large bowl with oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to oil the top. Cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm, draft-free place and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

Flatten the dough with your fist. Cut the dough into 2 pieces and shape the pieces into balls. Flatten the dough slightly. Dust the tops with flour. Place the balls of dough on a floured surface and cover each with plastic wrap, allowing room for the dough to expand. Let rise 60 minutes, or until doubled.

We first tried something similar to this at Cafe Mode after strolling through Tottenham Court Road and Soho, and before heading past Buckingham Palace and through Hyde Park on Friday, September 20, 2013. Why? 'Cuz pizza is just one of These Foolish Things.