Ingredients:
2 tsp dry active yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 ½ cup, plus 2 TBL (3,25 dl) water
4 cups (500 gr) unbleached, bread, or all-purpose flour, chilled
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup (0,5 dl) olive oil

Preparation:

1. Put the dry yeast and sugar into a small bowl. Add 3/4 cup of water. Mix it all up until the dry yeast dissolves and leave it for about 5 minutes.
2. In the meantime, sift flour into a large bowl and add salt. Once the yeast is ready, pour it into the bowl with the flour.
3. Mix the flour / yeast until it’s not coming together anymore – you’ll probably find that it’s sticking together in clumps but not into one big clump. Add a little more of the warm water and some olive oil and keep mixing until it starts forming into one mass.
4. Turn the dough out onto your work surface and start kneading it by hand. Make sure you make lots of pulling and tearing motions to really break up the glutens in the dough. If it’s still a bit dry and flaky, add a bit more oil or water. If it’s sticking to your hands sprinkle on a little flour. You should end up with a smooth springy dough after about 5 minutes of kneading.
5. Coat the dough ball with a thin layer of olive oil, and place it in the bottom of a large mixing bowl which has also been coated on the inside with olive oil. Stretch a piece of kitchen film over the top of the bowl and set it in a warm place (ambient temperature of 70° F to 80° F, 20-25° C). Allow the dough to rise, undisturbed, for 2 hours. The dough will have grown to at least twice its original size. Take the raised dough mass out of the bowl and cut it in half with a knife. Take the raw dough portions and separately pat them down flat on a cutting board to press out and release the air that has developed inside them.
6. Working with the dough at room temperature, roll out each dough ball into a 3/8″ (1 cm) thick circle, about 14″ (35 cm) in diameter. “Pan” the dough into a pizza pan, then let the panned dough “proof” for 5 to 10 minutes in the pan before adding your sauce, cheese and toppings.

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Fine Foundation Paste -Have one pound of flour, three quarters of a pound of butter, half a pint of cold water and half an ounce of salt. Sift the flour on a table, bring it all together and make a hollow in the center, spreading it with the hand, and in this space lay the butter, divided into small bits, half of the water and the salt; make a dough by mixing first the butter with the water, then drawing the flour into this wet part, a very little at the time, so as to obtain a paste neither lumpy nor too firm; if necessary, add the rest of the water, a very little at the time, mass it together, and knead it briskly two or three times. To knead dough is to put it in front of one, and push it little by little with the palms of both hands and pressing it hard against the table so as to get it smooth; after this is finished, bring it together again, detach carefully all the bits adhering to the table, and roll it into a ball with the hands, turning it in the left hand. Let the paste rest in the ice-box a quarter of an hour before using it.

Ordinary Foundation or Short Paste is made with one pound of flour, half a pound of butter, half a pint of water and a third of an ounce of salt. Make a hollow in the center of the flour, put into this the butter, salt and half of the water; work well the paste, adding more water, knead it properly, then roll it into a ball on a floured table; cover and let rest for one hour.

Flawn Paste -One and one-quarter pounds of flour, three-quarters pound of butter, a little salt, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, three or four egg-yolks; make the paste on the table, adding enough water so the paste will not be too firm; knead, bring together and leave to rest, being careful to cover it.

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For 9-inch pie

one-crust pie
1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon chilled vegetable shortening
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 tablespoons chilled water

two-crust pie
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons chilled vegetable shortening
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 to 6 tablespoons chilled water

Preparation:

1. Mix the above ingredients together, mixing them gently with your hands just until they are blended together – enough to be able to press the dough into the bottom of the pie plate and up the sides.

 

2. The less you work the dough, the flakier the crust will be!

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