INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Watch the dough carefully and adjust the amount of water or flour if
necessary. Top with your favorite toppings.
Directions for Thin Crust doughs: Preheat oven to 500F for at least 30
minutes [I turn on the oven at the same time that I start the bread machine
~-OLS] if using a pan and at least 1 hour if using a stone. Grease the
pizza pan with olive oil or spray it with a nonstick vegetable spray. A
light dusting of cornmeal to further prevent sticking is optional - it
usually adds a little crunch and flavor to the dough. If using a peel and
stone, dust the peel to prevent the dough from sticking so that you may
easily slide it off the peel and onto the stone. While the dough is rising,
prepare your topping and grate your cheese; set aside. After the dough has
risen 1 time, roll it out on a lightly floured or cornmeal-covered (I
prefer cornmeal) countertop or handstretch the dough into a circle. Pick up
the dough and turn it over and roll or stretch from the center outwards
until a circle is formed. It may never be a perfect circle but that adds to
the uniqueness of your homemade pizza. Dust the dough only as needed to
prevent sticking with either flour or cornmeal. The thinner you roll or
stretch the dough, the thinner the crust. A thinly rolled dough which does
not rise a second time (after rolling) will give you the thinnest,
crispiest crust. Lay the dough on your prepared pizza pan or peel. Pull the
dough up around the edges of the pan so that a slight lip is formed, and
crimp the edges. For a thin, crispy crust, place your toppings on the pizza
and bake immediately. For a thicker, chewier crust, allow the dough to rise
for 15 to 30 minutes. The longer the rise, the thicker the dough. Place
your toppings on after this second rising and then bake. The toppings
should be placed in such a way that the rim is left unadorned (about 1/4 to
1/2 inch border is good). This prevents spillage when baking and gives a
nice piece of crust to hold when eating. Place the pizza on the bottom rack
of the oven or directly on the pizza stone and bake until the crust is
golden brown and the cheese is melted. If the oven was properly preheated,
it should only take 5 to 10 minutes to bake a thin crust pizza.
PRECOOKED SHELLS - Make extra pizza dough, roll it out and place it on the
pan, screen or peel. Brush it with olive oil (or melted garlic butter) and
pierce the dough every 1/2 inch or so with a fork (to prevent bubbles)
[Note: The poking part is no joke, and not an option, unless you *want* to
pull a big puffy balloon out of the oven. It's not as vital when you're
topping the dough and putting it directly in the oven. --OLS] Bake the
shell in a preheated 500F oven for about 5 minutes. Allow to cool, stack
with waxed paper in between [foil works fine for me], wrap it well in
plastic and freeze for up to 1 month. To use, remove dough from freezer (it
is not necessary to thaw but you may), brush dough with oil to prevent
sogginess [I haven't noticed any trouble without the oil], top as desired
and bake in a preheated 450F oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
If you want a very thin crust and end up with excess dough, simply form it
into bread sticks, brush with a little water and sprinkle some kosher salt,
poppy seeds or sesame seeds on top. Bake them right beside your pizza.
[Other options that I've tried with success: salt and vinegar, garlic
powder, and/or a little cayenne --OLS]
Nutritional analysis per 1/8 recipe: 126 calories, .6 g fat, 4.6 g protein,
25.5 g carbohydrate, 0 mg cholesterol, 72.9 mg sodium.
Opal Luna Saturnyne #22 @10000 From _The Best Pizza is Made at home_ by
Donna Rathmell German
Posted to MM-Recipes Digest V4 #180 by BobbieB1@aol.com on Jul 12, 1997

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