Pizza Dough (in bulk)

My bread machine broke.

Ok, to be fair, the actual machine didn't break, but the pan that mixes and bakes all that yeasty goodness broke.  And because this was a wedding shower gift about a decade ago, I'm having problems finding replacement parts for it.

I have, however, had a much easier time finding a replacement pizza dough recipe.  Much as I love the beer dough I've been making the last few years, this one is just plain AWESOME.  It's simple.  It's easy.  And it makes a LOT.

And when you're feeding three hungry males the same meal every single week, a recipe that makes a ton is always appreciated.

Pizza Dough (a.k.a. Olive Oil Dough)
Recipe from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day
Prep time: 5 minutes   Rise time: 2 hours   Bake time (for pizza): 15-18 minutes

2 3/4 cups warm water
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp yeast
1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt (Or any other course salt.  If you want to use table salt, you'll need to decrease this by a quarter)
1 tbsp sugar
6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1.  Mix the water, EVOO, yeast, salt, and sugar in a 5-quart container.

The yeast and EVOO do battle over who is the most fragrant.

2.  Mix in the flour, without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with dough hook).

Lots of flour.

Lots of dough.

3.  Cover (NOT airtight) and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.

Cover. Walk away. Come back and make pizza.

4.  The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold.  Refrigerate in a lidded (NOT airtight) container and use over the next 12 days.

5.  To make a pizza, sprinkle the surface of the dough with a little flour and, using a serrated knife, cut of 1/4 of the dough.  Just like with the Artisan Bread, stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball as you go.  Place on a floured surface, dust the ball with more flour and, using your hands or a floured rolling pin, flatten to your desired pizza shape and thickness.

From here it's pretty straightforward.  Decorate your pizza with whatever toppings you like.  I like to bake mine on a pizza stone in a 425 F oven.  My boys share a smaller, cheese pizza, which I do for about 15 minutes.  Rob and I usually share a larger, thinner, pepperoni pizza which takes 18-20 minutes.

Another thing I like about this dough is it's versatility.  Sure I mainly use it for pizza, but it can also be used for focaccia.  I'll have to save the Caramelized Onion & Rosemary Focaccia for another post though. ;)