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Basic Pizza Crust (With several options to choose from, and several general tips on making pizza crust)

1 tablespoon dry yeast
1/2 t sugar
2 2/3 C warm water
2 T olive oil
7 1/2 C unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 C whole-wheat or rye flour
1 T coarse salt or 2 t fine salt

Proof the yeast for 5 to 10 minutes in 1 cup of warm water and a pinch of sugar, until the yeast dissolves and the liquid begins to appear creamy. Add the remaining water and 1 1/2 to 2 cups flour, including the whole-wheat or rye flour. Beat this well (a hundred strokes) until it’s smooth and soupy, and then let it stand for 10 to 15 minutes, until it’s bubbly and swollen. Add the salt and olive oil and proceed to stir in the rest of the flour by the cupful until the dough is stiff but still slightly sticky. Stir the dough in the same direction so that the gluten strands retain a smooth, consistent pattern.

When the dough begins to form a cohesive mass that’s thick enough to hold its shape, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and let it rest. Meanwhile, clean and oil the bowl. Knead the dough, turning it clockwise by quarter turns and sprinkling a little flour on top and on the surface underneath before folding it over. Add just enough flour so the dough doesn’t stick and tear. Kneading takes about 5 to 8 minutes. When the dough is smooth, springy, and pliant, return it to the oiled bowl, cover it with a damp cloth, and let it rise until doubled. This generally takes between 35 and 45 minutes at room temperature.

After the first rise, you can form the crust, assemble the pizza and bake it immediately or punch the dough down and let it rise again before baking. This doesn’t substantially change the resulting crust, but it gives you more time if you need it before baking the pizza. Or, you can refrigerate the dough for several hours or up to two days. In this case, give it a final punch down after it has chilled for about 40 minutes and put it in a plastic bag. By letting the dough mature in the refrigerator, the gluten ripens and relaxes and the dough becomes less sticky, and will stretch farther when working with it. With this refrigerated dough, you can obtain a thin, crisp crust, or a thick, chewy crust, depending on how thin you roll or stretch the dough when forming it, and on whether or not you allow it to warm up and rise before baking it. A thick crust made from chilled dough is likely to have larger air bubbles and be less delicate and more chewy.

Three options for crusts:

• For a light, risen crust, use a freshly made dough, although you can use a chilled dough. For the highest, puffiest results, add 2 teaspoons more yeast to the recipe and use the dough within three hours of making it. For a finer-textured crust, simply roll it out thinner and let it rise to the same height. Let the dough rise until it’s puffy, and fingerprints disappear when dough is pressed. This takes about 10 minutes with freshly made, room-temperature dough, or about 15 minutes with chilled dough.
• A thick, chewy crust can be made either with fresh or chilled dough. Stretch or press the dough to about 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick and let it rise just slightly. Whether you’ll end up with a thick and chewy crust or a light and risen one depends on how thick you roll it out and how high you let it rise.
• For a thin, crisp crust, use dough straight out of the refrigerator. Roll it out as thin as you want it -- usually about 1/4 inch -- and get it into the oven within minutes, before it has a chance to rise. Assemble the pizza on an oiled, rimless cookie sheet. A third of the recipe will make a 12- to 16-inch round crust, depending on how thin you roll or spread it. Lightly form the dough into a ball and stretch it out. First, hold it vertically by one edge and turn it in your hands, allowing gravity to stretch it as you turn it. Then lay it on the cookie sheet and press out the dough, starting from the center. Be careful not to tear or poke holes in the dough. A floured rolling pin is handy for rolling out thin crusts. If the dough springs back, let it rest a minute or two, or chill it in the fridge, and then continue to work it out.

Lisa's Crust (Requires pizza stone)

1 package yeast
1 cup lukewarm (not hot!) water
1 1/2 t sugar
1/2 t salt
2 1/2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 400. Prebake pizza stone 15-20 minutes. Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand 5 minutes. Add all other ingredients. Stir vigorously (usually need to use your hands to get it all mixed together well). Let rest 5-10 minutes. Roll pizza dough onto floured surface. If not using a pizza stone, prebake crust about 10 minutes before adding toppings.

Paul's Pizza Crust

1 pkg dry yeast (or 1 1/2 T from the can)
1 cup lukewarm water
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp melted shortening or vegetable oil
3 cup sifted flour

Sprinkle yeast onto warm water and let sit for five minutes. Add salt and oil and stir well. Add half the flour and beat until smooth. Add remaining flour and mix until smooth and not sticky. (It may take a bit more or less flour depending on humidity.) Place dough on well greased cookie sheets or pizza pans. Pat gently to edges of pans leaving a slight lip on the edges to hold filling. (Thickness of the baked crust will depend on how thin the uncooked crust is spread on the pan.) Arrange filling on top and bake in oven at 450 degrees F for 25 - 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown. (NOTE: Mixing the dough in a food processor makes it really easy to do.)

Eggplant "Pizza Crusts" for Mini-Pizzas

Bake slices of eggplant sprinkled with olive oil in oven until browned. Add sauce and toppings and broil.

Focaccia Pizza Crust

1 cup warm water
1 package yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 cup bread flour, or combination whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour
Garlic Oil made from olive oil and fresh garlic
Fresh rosemary leaves