PIZZA DOUGH

Filed under Breads
Ingredients

3 1/2 cups flour
1 cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup olive oil
1 egg

Directions
Combine water, yeast and sugar in a bowl; set aside for about 10 minutes. Mix egg and oil and add to yeast mixture. Add salt and stir. Gradually blend in flour until a soft dough forms. Oil dough and place in a large bowl. Let rise one hour.

For pizza, divide dough in half and roll out to desired thickness. Spread into 2 pizza pans. Top with sauce and toppings and bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

For calzones, divide the dough into 4-6 equal portions and form into circles. Place toppings on half of circle. Fold remaining dough over toppings and seal edges. Brush with milk and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Let's Dish
This pizza dough is a staple at our house, although we most often use it to make breadsticks.  The dough should be very soft, but not sticky, so add the last half cup of flour in slowly to make sure you get it just right.  For pizza, I like to drizzle the crusts with additional olive oil and sprinkle them with garlic salt and Italian herbs before adding the toppings.  And calzones are always fun because everyone can choose their own fillings.

Who Dished It Up First
I got this recipe almost ten years ago when we were living in student housing while my husband worked on his master's degree. We'd gotten  together with friends to make calzones. I still haven't found a better recipe for pizza dough.