Perfect Pizza Dough

Total Time: 2 hrs Preparation Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 3 tablespoons olive oil (plus extra for coating)
• 1 1/2 cups flour (plus extra for dusting)
• 1 teaspoon salt

Recipe

• 1 place 1/4 cup of the warm water in a small bowl.
• 2 stir in the sugar until dissolved, then sprinkle the yeast onto the surface of the water.
• 3 let the yeast float there for 1 minute, then stir it into the water.
• 4 let the yeast"proof" for 10 minutes.
• 5 it should bubble a bit; if it doesn't, the yeast is outdated and inactive.
• 6 pour the yeast mixture into a large bowl, then stir in the remaining water and the olive oil, flour, and salt.
• 7 with a wooden spoon, mix the dough until it forms a ball.
• 8 on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for 10 minutes or until it is smooth and elastic.
• 9 coat the inside of a large glass or ceramic bowl with olive oil.
• 10 press the ball of dough into the bottom of the bowl, then flip it over so the oiled side is on top.
• 11 cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
• 12 makes 1 1/2 pounds of dough.