When the Moon Hits Your Eye

Like a Big Pizza Pie...

Pizza is not easy to come by near the F&P. Sure there's a Pizza Hut on the nearby highway and a couple of other fast food places , but it's not really pizza. We like pizza and grew up eating real pizza, so the best thing is to make it fresh - including the dough. No, we didn't toss the dough in the air - maybe next time - as soon as Grenville practices a bit. This dough recipe makes two 12-inch crusts and is from Joy of Cooking.

Basic Pizza Dough
Combine in a large mixing bowl and let stand until yeast dissolves (about 5 min.)
1 pkg active dry yeast
1 1/3 C warm water
Add3 ½ to 3 ¾ C all-purpose flour
2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar (optional)
Mix by hand or slow speed for about 1 minute to blend ingredients. Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or with dough hook on low to medium speed until dough is smooth and elastic. Transfer dough to bowl lightly coated with olive oil and turn once to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place (75° to 80° F) until doubled in volume (1 to 1 ½ hours).

1. Preheat oven to 475°F. Grease and dust 2 pizza pans with cornmeal.
2. Punch dough down and divide in half. Roll each piece into and ball, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 10-15 min. Prepare toppings.
3. Flatten each ball on lightly floured work surface into a 12-inch round, rolling and stretching dough. Place each dough circle on prepared sheet, dusted with cornmeal.
4. Lift edge and pinch to form a lip. Brush top of dough with olive oil - prevents toppings from making a soggy crust.Use fingertips to push dents in surface of dough to prevent bubbling and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
5. Top pizzas and bake for 15-20 minutes until crust is browned.

That's Amore...