Basic Pizza Dough (made in food processor)

Step 1

Grease pizza pan(s). Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Step 2

Stir yeast and sugar into the warm water and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Insert metal blade into Cuisinart food processor, and add flour and salt to bowl. Pulse briefly to combine flour and salt.

Step 3

Turn machine on and pour yeast mixture into feed tube. Process about 45 seconds, until all liquid has streamed into the flour and the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn off machine.

Step 4

With oil ready to be added, turn on machine again and add the oil to the feed tube and process for another minute. If dough is sticking to sides of bowl, you can add another tablespoon of flour, one at a time, until it does leave bowl.

Step 5

Remove dough very carefully from bowl. If making two 14″ round pizzas, divide the dough in half. Can also be divided into small pizza pans or left intact if making pizza on a a very large baking sheet. Working with the dough for one of the pizzas, lift the dough and begin stretching and pulling, rotating the dough, working all edges. When dough is stretched, but not tearing, lay it in the center of one of the pizza pans. With fingertips, press and work dough out t the edges of the pan. If dough resists, let it rest for a few minutes, and then retry. Poke bottom of pizza crust a few times with the tines of a fork.

Step 6

If you wish to pre-bake your crust, place it in the over and bake for about 6 minutes. Remove from oven and add toppings as desired. Return to over and continue baking for another 10-15 minutes or until hot and bubbly and crust is browned.

Step 7

If you don’t wish to pre-bake your crust, add toppings as desired on uncooked pizza dough. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly and crust is browned.