• Preheat your oven to 500 degrees – or as hot as it will go – allowing a good 30 minutes to pre-heat.

To Mix by Hand

• Combine the water and yeast in a mixing bowl.
• Stir to combine.
• Add the flour and salt.
• Stir until you can no longer incorporate any more flour. (The dough will be a bit shaggy.)
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured board and knead to incorporate the remaining flour.
• Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes). The dough should be soft (not stiff), moist, and slightly sticky. If it sticks to your hands or the work surface, add flour – one tablespoon at a time – just until it no longer sticks and is smooth.
• At this point, you can let the dough rise until it doubles in bulk – (about an hour), place in an oiled zip top bag and refrigerate for up to 3 days – or, let the dough rest, covered, until you are ready to assemble the pizzas.
• To make the pizzas, divide the dough in half.
• Working one piece at a time, form the dough - using your hands – into a disk.
• Place the dough onto a floured surface.
• Working from the center of the dough and using your hands, gently stretch and press the dough until it is about ¼ inch thick, dusting with flour as needed.
• Transfer the dough to the pan or peel by lifting gently or folding the dough in quarters and place on a pizza pan (or pizza peel if you will be cooking on a stone) Make sure that the pan or peel has been generously dusted with cornmeal.
• Unfold the crust and top as desired.
• Bake the pizza for about 5 minutes.
• Turn/rotate and bake another 3-5 minutes or until the crust is golden-brown and the cheese is bubbly and browned to your liking.

To Mix With a Stand Mixer, Using a Dough Hook

• If you are using a stand mixer with a dough hook, place all of the ingredients into the bowl of the mixer.
• Mix on low speed to combine. When the ingredients are incorporated, turn to medium speed and let the dough hook knead the dough for 4-5 minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead a few times to ensure texture and follow the instructions above.