California Pizza Kitchen Pizza Dough
1 teaspoon yeast
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water (105 – 110 degrees)
1-1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus 1 teaspoon for coating
Dissolve the yeast in the water and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes.
Be sure the water is not hot; temperatures of 120 degrees and above will kill the yeast and your dough will not rise.
If using an upright electric mixer such as a Kitchen Aid, use the mixing paddle attachement because the batch size is too small for the dough hook to be effective.
Slowly combine all other ingredients (except for the additional teaspoon of olive oil) together and combine them with the dissolved yeast in the mixing bowl. Use the lowest 2 speeds of your mixer to mix the dough. Mix for 2 to 3 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Overmixing will produce tough, rubber dough.
If mixing by hand, place the dry ingredients in a 4 to 6 cquart mixing bowl; make a well in the middle and pour the liquids (reserving the teaspoon of olive oil). Use a wooden spoon to combine the ingredients. Once initial mixing is done, you can lightly oil your hands and begin kneading the dough for 5 minutes. When done, the dough should be slightly tacky.
Lightly oil the dough ball and the interior of a 1-quart glass bowl. Place the dough ball in the bowl and seal (tightly) the bowl with plastic wrap. Set aside at room temperature (70-80 degrees) to rise until double in bulk; about 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
Punch down the dough, reform in a nice round ball and return it to the same bowl; cover tightly again with plastic wrap. Place the tightly sealed bowl in the refrigerator overnight.
About 2 hours before you are ready to assemble your pizza, remove the dough from the refrigerator. Use a sharp knife to divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Roll the dough into round balls on a smooth clean surface, be sure to seal any holes by pinching or rolling.
Place the newly formed dough balls in a glass casserole dish spaced far enough apart to allow for each to double in size. Seal the top of the dish air-tight with plastic wrap. Set aside at room temperature until the dough balls have doubled in size (about 2 hours). They should be smooth and puffy.
Sprinkle a medium dusting of flour over a smooth surface. Remove your dough ball from the glass casserole dish.
Use your hand or a rolling pin to form a flat circle about 1/2" thick and about 9-inches in diameter. Top with your favorite sauce and toppings.
Bake at 500 degrees for about 8 to 10 minutes.
(3/19/08 Edit: Just correcting a typo I saw
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