Ingredients
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 package active dry yeast
3 1/2 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Cornmeal
Instructions
Sprinkle yeast over warm water and let sit for five minutes. Stir to dissolve completely.
Mix in olive oil, flour, salt and sugar. Remove from bowl and knead by hand until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add more flour if needed.
Place the ball of dough in a bowl that has been coated lightly with oil. Turn dough over in bowl so that it is coated on both sides with oil.
Cover with tea towel. Let it sit in a warm place (75-85 degrees) until it doubles in size (about two hours or longer - a longer rise will improve the flavor of the dough).
Or, you can heat the oven to 150 degrees and then turn off the oven. Let the oven cool until it is a little warm, then place the bowl of dough in the oven to rise.
To make pizza, place pizza stone on a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Allow pizza stone to warm in 450 degree oven for one hour.
Remove cover from dough and punch it down. Divide dough in half. Form two round balls. Place each in its own bowl, cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Prepare desired toppings.
Take one ball of dough and flatten it with your hands. Starting at center and working outwards, use your fingertips to press the dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Turn and stretch the dough to form pizza. Let the dough relax for five minutes and then continue to stretch it until it reaches the desired perimeter of 10 - 12 inches. Pinch up the edges if you want.
Brush the top of the pizza with olive oil to prevent it from getting soggy. Use your fingertips to press down and make dents along the surface of the dough to prevent bubbling. Let rest another five minutes. Lightly sprinkle the pizza peel with cornmeal. Transfer one prepared flattened dough to the peel. Reshape the dough if needed. Do not load up the pizza with lots of toppings or it will not form a crisp crust. One-third cup of tomato sauce is sufficient for one pizza.
Sprinkle cornmeal on the pizza stone in the oven. Gently shake the pizza peel to see if the pizza will slide off easily, It not, gently lift up the edges of the pizza and add more cornmeal. Slide the pizza off the peel and on to the baking stone in the oven. Bake until crust is browned and cheese is golden - about 10 - 15 minutes.
Makes two pizzas.