Pizza Dough

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+ + + + Prep Time: 1 hr, 30 min + + Cook Time: 15 min + + + + + Source: + + + River Cottage everyday + + +

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Ingredients

+                For the pizza dough:

250g plain white flour
250g strong white flour
10g fine sea salt
5g dried or fast-action yeast
2 tablespoons rapeseed or olive oil
Cornmeal, or fine polenta or semolina, for dusting (optional)

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Directions

+            To make the dough, combine the flours and salt in a large bowl.
If you're using ordinary dried yeast, dissolve it in 325ml warm water and leave for 10 minutes or so. 
If you're using fast-action yeast, mix it straight into the flour. 
Add the yeast liquid or 325ml warm water and oil to the flour, mix to form a rough dough, then turn out on to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, until silky and elastic. 
Don't be tempted to add too much extra flour, even if the dough seems sticky - it will become less so as you knead.
Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning it so it gets a coating of oil, cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size; this will probably take at least an hour.
Preheat the oven to 250°C/Gas Mark 10, or as high as it will go, and put 2 baking sheets in it to heat up.
Punch the risen dough down with your hands to knock it back on a floured surface and cut it into 4 or 5 pieces.
Use a rolling pin or your hands (or both), to roll and stretch each piece into a thin circle or square, or a strange, amoeba-type shape, whichever you prefer; it should be no more than 5mm thick - thinner if you can get away with it.
Carefully take one of your hot baking sheets from the oven, scatter it with a little flour or, even better, some cornmeal, polenta or semolina, and lay the pizza base on it.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the base is crisp and golden brown at the edges.

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