Pizza Dough Part Deux

Taken from Peter Reinhart’s American Pie:  My Search for the Perfect Pizza, this is probably the tastiest pizza dough I’ve tried.  It’s become our new pizza dough staple and we can’t get enough!  It makes 4 pizza doughs and lasts up to 2 weeks in the fridge.  Pizza all week.  YESSSSSSSS.

Ingredients:

• 5 cups bread flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar (or honey)
• 2 tsp table salt (or 3 1/2 tsp kosher salt)
• 1 3/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp active dry yeast
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 3/4 cups water, room temperature

Directions:

1. Combine yeast and water together (with a pinch of the sugar) and let sit until foamy (about 10 minutes).
2. Stir in olive oil.
3. Add flour, sugar, and salt until dough forms into a coarse ball.
4. Let sit for 5 minutes.
5. Mix until dough is soft and stops sticking to the bowl.
6. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, lightly coat in olive oil, and store in gallon freezer bags in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
7. When ready for pizza, take out of fridge and let sit 3 –  6 hours.
8. For “hand tossed” style, dust dough with flour and toss or use THIS shaping method (see the shaping the dough section).
9. For “thin crust” style, dust dough and flat surface with flour and roll out to the size of your pizza stone.
10. Place dough on pizza peel sprinkled liberally with cornmeal, add toppings, and bake at 500 degrees F for 7 – 10 minutes (or until crust starts to brown).