Adapted from Whole Foods for the Whole Family (1981). I can’t begin to estimate how many homemade pizzas we have made over the years. This recipe makes four 12-to-14-inch pizzas, or two half-sheet pizzas.
3 cups water
7 ½ cups flour (if 2 of the cups are whole wheat flour, no one will notice)
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
Mix ingredients together, adding flour last and gradually until you have a dough that is easily handled. Place dough in an oiled bowl and allow to rise for about an hour.
Deflate the dough, then divide into pieces. Roll each ball into into a 14-inch circle by stretching the dough in the air, or pushing it gently out to the sides with your fingers, or with a rolling pin, or with whatever technique will get the dough to cover the very lightly oiled pizza pans.
Preheat oven to 500°F.
Top pizza dough with tomato sauce and whatever toppings (pepperoni, sautéed mushrooms, diced peppers, olives, pineapple, anchovies, etc.) you like. Sprinkle with pizza seasoning and grated mozzarella cheese.
When oven is hot, bake the pizzas about 20 minutes until crusts are brown. I put one pizza on the top shelf and one on the bottom shelf, switching them every 5 minutes until they are done.