Health By Al

My sister Ashley gave us one of the best wedding presents: a pizza stone and this pizza dough recipe. I’m being honest when I say we make this pizza dough EVERY week! We love it, and it never gets old. It makes three medium sized pizzas.

Ingredients: Makes 3 medium-sized pizzas

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 & 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 & 1/4 cups water (room temperature)
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 3 & 1/2 – 4 cups flour (I do half whole wheat/half white)

Directions:

1. Add warm water in a large bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
2. Add the room temperature water and the olive oil and stir.
3. Add the sea salt and flour and stir. 
4. Knead the dough for 5 minutes. 
5. Let it raise for 1 hour, uncovered. 
6. Pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees F. 
7. Divide the dough into 3 balls and let them rise for 10 minutes. 
8. Roll out the dough, add sauce, nutritional yeast, and any additional toppings, and bake for 12-15 minutes. 

Note: If you are using a pizza stone, do not add oil or grease to it (this will cause it to crack), just lightly dust it with flour to prevent sticking. 

Some our favorite toppings include:

• Basil
• Olives
• Mushrooms
• Bell Peppers
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Artichoke hearts
• Pepperoncinis
• Nutritional Yeast
• Chili Flakes
• Oregano
• Tofu crumbles (from this recipe)
• Balsamic Glaze to drizzle after baking