Making Pizza Dough with Friends

What's more fun than making pizza? Why, making pizza WITH FRIENDS of course!!!

A few months ago we were having dinner with friends and the subject of homemade pizza came up. They had never made homemade pizza from the crust up so we made plans to get together sometime and we would show them how to make pizza crust. That time finally came and we went to have dinner with them.

It was kind of like a cooking show. It was quite fun. We made 2 batches of crust - 1 white flour and 1 stone ground whole wheat. It is super easy and really inexpensive.

Here we go:
1 large bowl
pizza or cookie trays, or pizza stone
6-7 cups white flour or approximately 5 cups whole wheat
2 Tablespoons yeast (2 small packets)
2 1/4 cup very warm water. I have the most success when it is just barely hot
1 tablespoon sugar - any sugar will do but I prefer brown sugar
A pinch of salt
1/4 cup oil - your preference

In a large bowl combine the yeast and water. I stir until most of it is dissolved. Next, stir in your sugar.
Mix in the oil
Add 2 cups flour and stir it in until just a little lumpy.
Throw in your salt.
Add 2 more cups flour, stirring until mostly mixed.
Add 1 more cup of flour.
Once the dough gets hard to stir, I flour my hands and start mixing it by hand. Usually at this point.
I add 1/2 cup flour at a time, mixing it well. Once it is manage-able, not so sticky that it all clings to my hands, I start kneading it.
Take the edge of your dough and fold.punch it into the middle.
DO a quarter turn and fold it in again.
You will do this for approximately 5-8 minutes, adding a little flour if it sticks to your hands.
You will be done kneading it when the dough looks springy. As you push it down it starts swelling back out versus staying punched down.
Lift your dough out of the bowl and put a splash of oil in it.
Set the dough on the splash of oil, and rub it around.
Flip the dough over so the oiled side is up,
Cover with a paper towel or kitchen towel,
And set on the back burner of the stove. MAKE SURE THE BURNER IS NOT TURNED ON.
I then set my oven to 450 or 500 degrees. The heat will help the dough rise better. If you have a pizza stone, put it in the oven at this time.
Let the dough rise until double in size - around 45 minutes.
Punch the dough down,
Divide in half and stretch out on an oiled cookie or pizza tray.
If you use a preheated pizza stone be careful as that pan is going to be piping hot.
Add your toppings and put the pizza in the oven until baked. Depending on your oven temperature and crust thickness this will take anywhere from 10-20 minutes.

Our family loves to pull together all the odd and end fresh veggies in the house, cheeses, peperoni, ham, pineapple, whatever we have, to make "special request" pizzas.

Sunday we had 4 pizzas- white crust with half plain/half pepperoni and mushroom, a thick crust white pizza with ricotta, grape tomatoes, mozzarella/mexican cheeses, broccoli, sweet red pepper, and onion, a whole wheat pepperoni,onion, and mushroom, and a wheat "all the leftover veggies piled on" pizza.

Thanks for a great evening Nate and Jess. It will forever be remembered as we went out with a bang!