Whole Wheat Dough

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Dissolve sugar in water and add yeast.
2. Stir gently until disssolved (about 1 minute).
3. Let stand until the yeast foams slightly (about 5 minutes) to insure that the yeast is effective.
4. Combine 3 cups of the flour and salt in a large bowl.
5. Pour in the yeast mixture and oil if you are using it.
6. Begin kneading the mixture, gradually adding enough of the remaining 1/4 cup flour so that the dough is no longer sticky.
7. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic (another 10−15 minutes by hand).
8. Shape dough into a ball and put in an oiled bowl, turning the dough to coat it with the oil.
9. Let rise until doubled in bulk (45 minutes to 1−1/2 hours, depending on the yeast and the temperature). Punch down the dough and shape into 1 or 2 pieces.
10. The entire recipe will make two 12 inch pizzas.
11. Shape the dough either by hand or with a rolling pin, stretching out as necessary to achieve a thin dough.
12. For a lighter crust, let the dough sit for a half hour after shaping before constructing pizza and baking.