Pizzeria Style Dough

1 teaspoon active dry yeast
3 cups bread flour
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 teaspoons of honey
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

Prepare the dough by mixing the yeast, 3/4 cup of lukewarm water, 1/2 cup flour and 1 teaspoon of honey together. Dissolve the honey in the water, add and smooth the flour then add the yeast. Stir to mix and let sit for about 20 minutes. The mixture will become light, frothy, and foamy. If your mixture does not, throw out the mix and begin again with fresh yeast.

When the above dough is light and frothy, mix 1/2 of the remaining flour, the remaining water with the remaining honey dissolved in it, the olive oil and the salt all together in a large bowl. Add in the frothy sponge mixture and stir. Then mix or knead in the remaining flour bit by bit. The dough should be only slightly sticky. Use more flour if necessary…add less to prevent the dough from becoming too dry and stiff. Knead for 15 minutes on a floured surface until smooth and elastic.

TIP: Over-kneading the dough will make it tough. It’s important to give the dough time to relax while stretching it out. This may take more time, but will help to eliminate tearing.

Take a large size zip lock baggie and lightly spray the inside of the bag with vegetable oil spray. Slide the bag between your hands to cover the inside completely with the spray oil. Place the dough into the baggie and seal. Then, place the baggie into the refrigerator and let sit for about 20 to 24 hours. That is the trick for making pizzeria style dough…letting it rise only once in the fridge before forming into a pizza and baking.

Crust Variation: Try kneading dried tomatoes into the dough! The following recipe for oven roasted tomatoes is extremely simple, but is full of fresh taste that will add a well deserved kick to any flavor of pizza!