Pizza

Dough

• 1-3/4 cup warm water
• 1 package instant dry yeast
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 cup bread flour
• 4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• Cornmeal

Sauce

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 can tomato puree (28 oz)
• 1/2 Tbsp dried marjoram
• 1/2 Tbsp dried basil
• 1-1/2 Tbsp sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

Suggested Toppings

• Thyme
• Oregano
• Mozzarella
• Provalone
• Monterey Jack
• Italian Sweet Sausage (cook before adding to pizza)
• Onion (can be partially cooked with sausage if desired)
• Red Pepper Flakes

Warm water in microwave (not too hot to touch), then add active dry yeast and wait about 10 minutes. In your mixer bowl, combine salt, 1 cup bread flour, and 1 cup all-purpose flour; mix well. Add water/yeast to mixer bowl, then add the olive oil. Attach the bread hook to your mixer and start it on low. As the dough combines, add flour 1 cup at a time. Allow the mixer to knead the dough slowly for at least 10 to 15 minutes as you add the remaining flour (it may not take 6 cups for you). Remove dough from mixer and knead it by hand for a few minutes. It should not be tearing when pulled, but rather elastic.

Form a ball with the dough, set it on the counter and cover loosely with a damp towel while you prepare the sauce.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add all sauce ingredients, cover, then bring to a boil. Turn down the heat, maybe to 3 or so, and allow the sauce to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes (make sure nothing sticks on the bottom).

Once dough has risen, punch it down well, then divide in half. If you are not making two pizzas you can freeze one half now in a plastic airtight bag. If you want one thick doughy pizza, all the dough here might be too much for most pizza peels and stones, so trim off maybe a third of the dough and discard.

Form a ball by using two hands and shuffling the dough around on the counter. Then start to flatten the dough out a little, but don't try to rush it into a full sized pizza yet. Let it sit for a couple of minutes and it gets easier to work with. Alternate allowing it to rest, pushing, pulling, holding it vertical, and pinching your desired crust size, until you get a 12 to 16 inch pizza crust.

Before you start to add toppings, put a generous amount of cornmeal on a pizza peel, then lay your pizza dough down on that. Spread sauce as desired, then add thyme, oregano as desired. Add cheese and other toppings. Brush olive oil around crust edge so it doesn't burn in the oven. Bake in oven for about 10 minutes. Once removed from oven, wait at least 3 minutes before cutting.

• Pizza Breadsticks