2 1/4 cups warm water
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 envelopes dry yeast
2 Tbspn olive oil
3 1/2-5 cups flour

The secret to perfect pizza dough is to go to the gym a lot. Or buy one of those nice mixers with a bread paddle. I don't have one, so I go to the gym and I have a good, sturdy wooden spoon.

Combine water, salt, oil, yeast, and a little flour (about 1 cup) in a bowl. Stirring with wooden spoon, add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time, working out the lumps as you go. You don't have to make yourself crazy over this, just try to get most of them out. Keep adding flour until your dough is soft but not sticky. Turn out onto a floured board and knead until smooth and even textured. This takes about 15 minutes when I do it and is very good exercise. I recommend you be sure to remove your rings first.

Place in a covered bowl and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. The microwave works very well for this. Place a glass measuring cup with 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups water in the microwave and microwave on high for one minute. Leave the cup full of water in the microwave and add your bowl full of dough. Shut the door, set a timer, and put your wedding ring back on. (I always forget this part.) When the timer goes off, you're ready to make a pizza or some Sicilian Style Pizza Fritta. (see below.)

VARIATIONS: Substitute wheat flour for 1 1/2 cups of white. Add 1/4 cup mixed fresh herbs to the dough.

TIPS: You may have to make the dough a few times before you get the knack of using the wooden spoon all the way through. Don't give up! (Unless you just really, really want one of those mixers. Then give up.) If you get hung up in the dough toward the end, try adding the flour more slowly next time and just knead in the rest of the flour with your hands this time. It's messy, but it gets the job done.

For Sicilian Style Pizza Fritta:

After the dough has risen, tear off small pieces and flatten with your hands. Fry in oil until golden brown on both sides. Dip in granulated sugar while still hot.

These are like a donut. We used to eat them at the Italian Festival when I was a kid, until the man who had been managing it as a church fundraiser for years passed away and the Italian Festival was no more. After that, my mom got this recipe from a relative (I can't remember who) and used to make it for the whole neighborhood when we'd have a snow day. In Northern VA, there aren't that many snow days, but I remember at least three occasions on which we had a little party in Mom's kitchen after we'd shoveled all the walks. I've been known to make up a big batch of them and keep them on a cookie sheet in the oven when we have our underfed college student friends over. It's a good idea to make these for a crowd, because they don't keep very well.