[Recipe] Home Made Pizza Crust

This is a very simple pizza crust recipe that we used to make when I was small. That was before ready-made pizza crusts became popular in groceries. We didn't have any dough kneader back then and we would do it the old fashion way. We would sprinkle the table or a kneading board with some flour and take turns on kneading the dough until it becomes elastic. My mother taught me how to knead it by hand but now I use an electric hand mixer with dough hooks. I just recently swapped my electric mixer with my father because his was more heavy duty (I forgot the brand but we had it for so long now that I can't even remember anymore and it still works great!) and I managed to snap one of the dough hooks with mine and couldn't get a replacement (I was making bread at the time). I think he is very happy with the swap since mine had a stand and a rotating bowl.

I have always liked baking bread. All the kneading and waiting for the dough to rise might be considered as time consuming by some but I feel that it is almost therapeutic for me - I think of it as relaxation time to relieve stress. We would make very thin crusts and ones with interesting shapes. We would make large batches, bake them and store them in the refrigerator (hmm although it might be better to store them in the freezer). It has been a long time since I made bread and I kind of miss it. Maybe I will make some this weekend.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour (flour is not packed when measuring)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Directions:

Sift the flour together with the salt.
Place yeast in lukewarm water and let stand for about 2 minutes.
On a flour board (or on a clean table top if you don't have a flour board), make a well on a mound of flour and pour yeast mixture at the center.
Mix with hands and form mixture into a ball.
Knead the dough well until consistency is elastic when pulled apart (stretches before it breaks).
You could try doing the pizza toss if it is elastic enough hehe.
Form into a ball again and brush with oil. place in a bowl and cover in with damp cloth. Set aside in a warm place.
Let dough rise for 1 1/2 hours or until the dough becomes double in size (this will depend on how active the yeast is).
After the dough has doubled in size, place it on the flour board and punch the dough in the center to let the excess gas out.
Roll into about a foot long and divide into 8 equal parts. Form each segment as a ball.
On a flour board, use a rolling pin to flatten out each piece to the thickness desired (we like to make really thin ones, the challenge was how to peel it off the flour board but if it was kneaded thoroughly it will be elastic enough not to break when peeled off).
Preheat oven to 425ºF
Place in greased pans and cook until bottom of the crust becomes very light brown (you need to bake it before doing the toppings so that the crust will be crispy).
Top with favorite sauce and topping. Enjoy. Eat moderately. hehe.