Pizza

Recipe adapted from foodnetork.com

I do like the cheesy pepperoni pizzas, but sometimes it's nice to have something that's "fresh." Aubrey and I had fun cooking this tonight. He really likes working with anything that involves dough.... and he's good at it, too! We used fresh mozzarella medallions, fresh basil leaves, and freshly sliced tomatoes.

Ingredients:
Dough:
1 package active dry yeast (1/4 oz)
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
1 and 1/2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 and 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more if necessary
Toppings:
You can put any topping you want on the pizza, but we used the following.....
4-6 ounces pizza sauce
12 small basil leaves or 6 large leaves cut in half lengthwise
1 package of fresh mozzarella medallions (found in the gourmet cheese section)
3 Campari tomatoes (or any small tomato), thinly sliced

Directions:
In a large bowl combine yeast with water, olive oil, salt and stir well to proof. After 5 minutes, add half of the flour and mix well to thoroughly incorporate. Add all remaining flour except 1/2 cup and mix well with your hands.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead dough for at least 5 and up to 7 minutes, adding enough additional flour, as necessary, to form a smooth and elastic dough. Dough should not be sticky.

Transfer dough to a lightly oiled 2 or 3 quart bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp towel or saran wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size,(1 to 1.5 hours).

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F and if you have a pizza stone place it on the bottom rack of the oven. Divide dough into 2 portions and form into balls. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and cover with a damp towel. Let rest for 15 minutes, then transfer to a lightly floured surface, shape as desired and roll out to a thickness of 1/4-inch. Transfer dough to a pizza peel and top with toppings of choice.

Transfer to the preheated pizza stone and bake until crispy and golden brown, usually 12 to 18 minutes (depending on the toppings). Remove from the oven with a metal peel or spatula and serve immediately.