Pizza Dough
(from Mark Bittman website)
Makes: Enough for 1 large or 2 or more small pies
Time: 1 hour or more
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, plus more as needed
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1. Combine the flour, yeast, and salt in a food processor. Turn the machine on and add 1 cup water and the oil through the feed tube.
2. Process for about 30 seconds, adding more water, a little at a time, until the mixture forms a ball and is slightly sticky to the touch. If it is still dry, add another tablespoon or two of water and process for another 10 seconds. (In the unlikely event that the mixture is too sticky, add flour a tablespoon at a time.)
3. Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and knead by hand for a few seconds to form a smooth, round dough ball. Put the dough in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap; let rise until the dough doubles in size, 1 to 2 hours. (You can cut this rising time short if you're in a hurry, or you can let the dough rise more slowly, in the refrigerator, for up to 6 or 8 hours.) Proceed to Step 4 or wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap or a zipper bag and freeze for up to a month. (Defrost in the bag or a covered bowl in the refrigerator or at room temperature; bring to room temperature before shaping.)
4. When the dough is ready, form it into a ball and divide it into 2 or more pieces if you like; roll each piece into a round ball. Put each ball on a lightly floured surface, sprinkle with flour, and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rest until they puff slightly, about 20 minutes.

Why is that delicious pizza(heirloom cherry tomatoes(thank you food coop), olives, garlic, shallots, fresh mozzarella, olive oil) sitting on that well used(beaten up) baking sheet you ask, and not on a pizza stone ?

See my 2nd post on this thread.

I have never attempted making dough from scratch but I will try it and let you know how it goes. My aunt just gave me a food processor last month - she had too many (what?, how many does one have of those sorts of things - turns out in her case 3 identical!). I think my boys would get a kick out of making that too.

So what is it with cats and pizza? We had a cat once upon a time and it turns out he loves pizza TOPPINGS. We were making a homemade pizza (but with a bought boboli crust) and I had just cut up a bunch of ham. So I left the room for a millisecond I swear. I came back in the room to him perched sweetly on the counter (which he never really did...while I was around) chowing down the ham and purring like a freight train. He was in heaved - thought he had hit the jackpot. No more pizza for us that night. LOL!

We just have a dog now and she has actually tried to very slowly and gently put her front paws on the bar stool to lift up high enough sneak something off of the counter while I was IN THE ROOM. Not an easy feet to be sly about it at 70 pounds. Busted - so funny!

Thank you for the recipe (keep them coming anytime you feel like it) and Happy Thanksgiving!