One Basic Dough Recipe

This recipe is the one I use for Pizza dough, Hot Pockets and Pita Bread.

Dough V1
1 packet Yeast
1 cup Warm Water (above room temp but not too hot to stick a finger into)
1 tsp Molasses
1 tsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Oil
2.5 cups Flour + more for kneading
Spray Oil

Put yeast packet into mixer bowl. Add molasses, sugar and warm water. Stir it in three circles with a spoon. Walk away for 5 minutes.

If you see brownish foamy stuff in your bowl when you come back, it's ON! This is the yeast "proofing", which means that your yeast is doing as it should. If the yeast does NOT get foamy, your water was too hot or too cold.

Dump the flour into your mixing bowl on top of the yeasty foam. This is where you choose which flours you want to use or if you want to throw a bit of herbs into the dough to make it prettier and add some flavor.  Mix on low until combined while drizzling the oil into your dough.

***Mixers have a special attachment for making dough. It's called a dough hook. It makes things easier, but if you don't have one it's ok. Your bread won't be mad at you.

Scrape your dough onto a floured work surface. Make sure to have enough flour to cover the entire area you expect to use but not too much as it will dry out your dough. Knead the dough with the heels of your hands until it has become smooth and springy. This is another finesse area. Too much kneading will wreck your dough. Push the dough away from you with firm but not Hulk pressure, then flip it on the board, turning the dough 90 degrees. Do it again. And again. And some more. Until your dough has become a springy ball of happy. 

Place your dough ball in a bowl that is at least 3 times the size of your dough ball. Spray oil to coat the bowl first, then spray your dough as well. Cover with a moist paper towel and let it rise for about 45 minutes. The dough should double in size.

Once the dough has risen, it's time to make what you want with it.