Pizza Dough:
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Toppings:
mushrooms, peppers, broccoli, onions and/or any other vegetable,
cut into bite-size pieces
2 cups tomato sauce
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon basil
1 tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1. In a small bowl, combine the lukewarm
water and yeast. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the half cup of water and the olive oil, and mix.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the liquid
mixture and stir until well mixed. Turn the dough out onto
a floured work surface.
3. Lightly flour your hands, and shape the dough into a ball.
Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, 10 to 15 minutes.
Add more flour to the work surface as needed, to keep the
dough from sticking.
4. Shape the dough into a ball, put into a lightly oiled bowl,
and turn once to coat it. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth,
put it in a warm place, and let the dough rise until it is
doubled in size, about 1 hour.
5. Lightly oil a 14-inch pizza pan and dust it with cornmeal.
6. Punch the dough down 6 to 8 times by pushing your fist
into the center of the dough. Shape the dough into a ball.
7. Lightly flour a rolling pin. On a floured work surface,
roll out the dough to a 16-inch circle, rolling from the center
out. Transfer the dough to the pizza pan. Fold the excess
dough over, and pinch to form a thick rim of dough.
8. Mix all of the topping ingredients in bowl.
9. Bake at 400 degrees F for approximately 10 minutes, or
until the crust first starts to show hints of browning. Remove
immediately, add the toppings, and continue baking until the
crust is browned.
