Northern Italian Pizza Dough

This recipe for pizza dough starts with cake yeast, found in larger supermarkets. The dough uses all-purpose flour and also contains extra-virgin olive oil.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (105 to 110 degrees)
• 2/3 of a cake of yeast
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (plus extra for kneading the dough)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Crumble the cake yeast into the 1-1/2 cups of warm water, stir and set aside. Stir the flour and salt together in a bowl. Add the olive oil and the water/yeast mixture to the flour. Stir by hand until you have a dough ball. Knead the dough on a flat, floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Put dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until dough has doubled in size. Punch down and divide dough in half (for 2 large crusts) or fourths (for 4 individual crusts.) Roll each section into a round; flatten by hand (do not use a rolling pin) and place on a flat surface, covering loosely. Let rise for 30 minutes. By hand, pull the dough into it's final shape (large and round). Do not use a rolling pin, which squeezes the carbon dioxide out of the dough and results in a very boring crust. Top with your favorite toppings, and bake in a preheated 450 degree oven on baking tiles or a pizza stone about 10 minutes, or until toppings are done.

Number of Servings: Makes 2 large crusts.