The following is one of my many simple recipes taken from my ebook "Living the Italian Lifestyle."
The secret to a good pizza is making genuine Italian pizza dough. Can this only be learned through years of experience? Absolutely not. All you need is the right formula, the correct ingredients, and a good working oven. You can literally make the dough in five minutes time.
Lucia's Genuine Italian Pizza Dough and Pizza
The cooking time is 20 minutes. This recipe makes approximately 2 medium-size pizzas.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Dough
3 full cups of flour (type 0)
1 cube of fresh yeast
Lukewarm water (1 cup approx)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Dash of salt
Topping
Tomato sauce or peeled tomatoes (1 can or 16 oz)
Olive oil (3 tablespoons)
Dash of salt
Dry mozzarella (1 pound)
Butter for greasing pizza pans
Heat 1 cup of water with the fresh yeast. The water should be only lukewarm and not hot. Use a fork to break up the yeast as best as possible in the water.
In a mixing bowl, add flour and make a hole in the middle where you will then add the water and yeast mixture slowly, working the flour first with a fork and then slowly with your hands. The mixture should be sticky and not dry. If it is dry, add more lukewarm water. If it is too wet, add more flour. The consistency is key. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to help knead the dough. Leave it in a ball in the same mixing bowl and cover with a clean damp kitchen towel.
Let rise at least 1 hour, but 2 hours is best.
After dough has risen, you should knead it some more by putting some olive oil on your fingers to work it.
Butter the pizza pan and then drizzle flour on it. You can now shape the dough on the pan. Use a bit of olive oil to help you shape it, making sure it does not tear. The dough should be thin but not so thin as to tear.
Next, spread the tomato mixture (tomato, olive oil, salt) on the dough evenly.
Lastly, evenly scatter grated mozzarella cheese over pizza. Drizzle with very little olive oil (always extra virgin olive oil).
Bake in oven at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes or until crust is golden color. Enjoy.