Starting your own tradition is easy. Here's the recipe I use:
- Add 2 cups all-purpose flour to your food processor. (If you don't have one, you can do this by hand. It's not hard, just the processor makes it sooo much faster.)
- Add 1 teaspoon salt.
- Add one package of rapid rising yeast. (I use Fleichmann's and I found out recently that the kind that is loose in the jar marked bread-making yeast is really the same thing. So use whatever you have.)
- Put on the lid and turn on while streaming in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. (If you don't have any, just use whatever kind of vegetable oil you have on hand.)
- With processor still on, stream in 1 cup of hot water. Dough will be very sticky (depending on the weather).
- Open processor and add in 1/2 cup flour, process again.
- Continue adding flour by 1/2 cup increments until it forms a ball when processed.
- Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead, adding flour as needed, until dough is soft and non-sticky enough to handle. Usually this step only takes a couple of minutes. Let rest while you make other preparations.
- Preheat oven to 425 (Honestly, this is a guesstimate because my oven's controls are very iffy.)
- Spread one tablespoon olive oil over large pizza pan.
- Spread dough out on pizza pan, pressing rather than stretching, until dough is size and thickness desired. (We cover one 16" pizza pan with this amount of dough)
- Top as desired and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until desired level of brownness occurs.
- Enjoy!
