Artie's Basic Italian Bread and Pizza Crust Recipe

6 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups of tepid water
1 pkg Quick Rise Yeast
2 Tbspns Vegetable Oil

Mix 4 cups of flour with salt... two minutes
Dissolve yeast in 2 cups of tepid water - around 95 - 105 degrees
(if water is too hot or too cold yeast will not dissolve)

Add yeast mixture to salted flour, Knead. if using mixer use hook and mix on slow speed till consistent.
Once dough is mixed slowly add the rest of the water and flour until you have a consistent soft dough.
(if too soft add a little flour till you have what you like if too hard, add water)

Place soft dough in a large bowl with room for dough to double.
Keep loosely covered in a warm place for one hour.
Remove dough from bowl onto a well floured work surface.
Knead dough till smooth.

Cover loosely and let it proof for 1/2 hour.
Shape into bread or roll into pizza.
Bake bread @ 475 F for 20 minutes.
Pizza @ 475 F for 15 minutes

For A Crispy Pizza Crust, do not proof dough, separate into amount you will use. and place immediately in fridge. When ready to roll out dough, just remove from refrigerator and roll it out and construct your pizza.
half the recipe makes a nice thick 16 inch pizza. for thin pizza divide by four.
For bread, half the recipe makes about a one pound loaf of Crispy Italian Bread.
divide accordingly

To use refrigerated dough for bread. Remove from fridge let dough warm about a half hour then knead and let proof for another half hour. Shape into bread and bake @ 475 F for 20 minutes.
Enjoy