No Business Like Dough Business

Thin Crust Pizza Dough
Adapted from Janet and Greta Podleski's Crazy Plates

Thin Crust Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

1 package of active dry yeast
1 cup of warm water (105- 115 degrees)
1 Tbsp. of honey
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
olive oil cooking spray
2 Tbsp. cornmeal

Directions:

(1) Pour yeast into a large bowl. Combine warm water and honey. Pour over yeast. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, until mixture is foamy. Meanwhile, place all purpose flour in a separate bowl. Set aside.

This is what the yeast should look
like when it's time to add the flour.

(2) Add olive oil and salt to yeast mixture. Mix well. Add 1 cup of the flour. Using a wooden spoon, stir until smooth. Add a second cup of the flour and continue to stir until the dough forms a soft and sticky, (for lack of a better word) lump, and comes away from the sides of the bowl.

(3) Flour your work surface, and your hands with some of the remaining flour. Turn the dough out onto the floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough becomes smooth and elastic (If you don't end up using all the flour, it isn't a bid deal). Shape the dough into a ball. Spray a large bowl with the olive oil spray and  place the dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes, until doubled in size. (I take a wet cloth, heat it in the microwave for about 35 seconds. Then I place the bowl with the dough inside the microwave along with the cloth. This creates a warm, draft free area for your dough to rise).

Before

After



 (4) Punch down the dough and return to the work surface. Divide the dough into two halves. (If you only need 1 pizza, form the second half of the dough into a nice neat ball. Wrap in plastic wrap, place into a freezer proof bag, and freeze until needed. When you are ready to use, let thaw in the fridge. Then once completely thawed, transfer to a bowl that has been sprayed with olive oil, and let rise as usual).
(5) With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12" circle. Place dough on a preheated pizza stone or a prepared pizza pan.

*This recipe usually takes about 120 minutes from start to finish. Makes two 12 inch pizza crusts.

Nutritional Value
Per Crust

Calories 695                       Carbohydrates 127.4g
Fat 13.9g                             Fiber 7g
Saturated Fat 0.5g               Cholestorol 0mg
Protein 18.5g                       Sodium 1171.7mg