BEST EVER: Pizza Crust

This recipe is based on one passed along by friends Gail Irene Sutherland and Richard Woodland. Note that the specification of 3/4 cup of olive oil is not a misprint! Trust me. It is really, really good. I mean, why would you ever bother making pizza completely from scratch? Answer: because it's worth it!

Ingredients:

CRUST:

[ ] White flour, 3-1/2 cups

[ ] Warm water, 1-1/4 cups

[ ] "Rapid Rise" yeast, 2 packets

[ ] Sugar, 1/4 teaspoon

[ ] Salt, 1 teaspoon

[ ] Olive oil, 3/4 cup

TOPPINGS:

[ ] Whatever you like; see suggestions, below

Directions:

• Preheat oven to WARM or lowest setting.
• To the warm water, add sugar and stir in yeast. Let it stand a few minutes to ensure it's working (i.e., it foams as yeast grows. If yeast is inactive, pizza will be a dud. Old yeast, water too hot or too cold will cause problems -- if it's a dud, start over).
• In a large mixing bowl, add yeast mixture to flour, stir together gently.
• Add salt and olive oil, stir together and then knead into dough. No need to over-knead!
• Soak a dishtowel and wring it out, leaving it moist, and stretch towel to cover the opening of the bowl containing the dough.
• Turn OFF oven. Put covered bowl into warm (not hot) oven for 1/2 hour.
• Take bowl out of oven. Turn oven ON again to low heat.
• Uncover bowl, punch down dough to remove all air. Fold a few times, punch down as necessary. Again soak dishtowel, wring, and cover bowl.
• Again turn OFF oven. Put covered bowl into warm (not hot) oven for 1/2 hour.
• Take bowl out of oven. Turn oven ON -- pre-heat to 400 deg. F.
• Lightly coat a pizza pan or cookie sheet with olive oil.
• In bowl, punch down dough, then stretch out in thin layer (approx. 1/8-1/4 inch) on pizza pan or cookie sheet.
• Bake dough by itself for 15 min. @ 400 deg. F. (This prevents soggy middles if you load up your pizza with lots of yummy, juicy stuff.)
• Take partially cooked dough out of oven, top with (e.g.,) commercial spaghetti sauce, sliced pre-cooked mushrooms, cheese, etc., etc. -- whatever turns you on.
• Bake for approx 15 min. more, until edge of crust is golden brown. (Ovens vary -- Don't let crust, cheese or toppings burn.)
• Remove from oven, let cool for a minute, slice, enjoy!

* * *

TIPS: You can use regular (slow) yeast if you want; it just takes twice as long (one hour versus half an hour) to rise. Also, once you've mastered the basics, a zillion variations are possible! E.g.,

PIZZA MEXICALI

...(as above, but also...)

• Before adding yeast mixture to flour, stir into flour 1/2 cup chili powder! (Yee-ee Haw!)
• Top pizza with your favorite tomato sauce, more chili powder, "Bullseye" brand Bar-B-Q sauce, sliced green beans, baby corn, fresh tomato slices, black olives, shredded mozzarella + cheddar + monterey jack cheeses. (YUM! YUM! YUM!)