main dishes

Ingredients

For the Pizza Dough:
• 4 cups of bread flour, plus more for the counter (you can also use all-purpose flour if you don't have bread flour in your pantry)
• 1 envelope of instant or RapidRise yeast (or measure out 2-1/4 teaspoons if you're measuring the yeast out of a jar)
• 1-3/4 teaspoons salt (I use Himalayan Pink Salt)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-3/4 cups warm water (around 120 degrees)
For the Pizzas:
• pizza sauce
• mozzarella cheese
• your favorite pizza toppings
• olive oil for brushing the outside of the pizza crusts

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, and salt.
2. Stir in the olive oil with a rubber spatula. Then pour in the warm water and stir the ingredients together until a rough dough forms.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for a few minutes. Then shape the dough into a round ball and place it in a large bowl that's been lightly oiled with olive oil.
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and then set the dough aside in a warm place and allow it to rise for about 1 to 2 hours.
5. Once the dough is ready, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, knead it for a few minutes, then shape it into a "log."
6. Divide the dough into three equals parts, and knead each part into a dough ball.
7. Using a rolling pin, roll out one ball of dough at a time to create the pizza crust.
8. Once the pizza dough has been rolled out, place it on a pan, and add sauce, cheese, and your favorite pizza toppings.
9. Brush the outer crust of the pizza with olive oil, then place it on the lowest rack in an oven that's been preheated to 500 degrees. Set a timer and bake for 8 minutes. *Your baking time may vary slightly depending upon your oven and pizza toppings.
10. Remove the pizza from the oven and enjoy! Repeat steps 7 through 10 for the remaining two balls of dough.