Pizza Dough

Ingredients

1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the dry yeast over the lukewarm water. Let sit for 5 minutes, then stir. Allow it to sit until yeast becomes bubbly, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the bread flour to the yeast mixture to make the “sponge.” Rest it for 30 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, mix the white and whole-wheat flours and salt.
4. Make a well in the mixed flour and add the sponge, the remaining cup of water, and the oil. Mix until shaggy. This can be done in a mixer with the paddle.
5. Dump the shaggy mass out of the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise in a warm place until doubled in volume.
6. Form the dough into “pizza balls,” about 4 ounces apiece for 6-inch pizzas and 8 ounces apiece for 12-inch ones. Wrap each ball loosely in plastic wrap.
7. Let the balls you’ll be using rest at room temperature for about 45 minuets. Extra dough balls may be frozen.
8. To shape the pizza: On a well-floured surface, form the dough into a disk by pushing it down with the tips of your fingers, working from the center to within about 1/4 inch of the edge of the dough.
9. Lift the pizza up and, working with your knuckles (palm out) on the underside of the dough, gently pull it into a round shape, alternately stretching and turning the dough until it’s 12-inches in diameter and very thin, almost translucent.