• Combine 3.5 cups of freshly milled flour, warm water, salt, and olive oil in a mixer or bowl. Stir until mixed together. The dough will be rough and shaggy looking. Let rest for 15 minutes.
• After dough has rested, add instant yeast and knead for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth, stretchy, and slightly tacky/sticky.

If Baking Same Day

• Place pizza dough in greased bowl or container and cover. Allow to rise until at least double in size - takes around 40 minutes to an hour.
• Proceed with shaping steps below.

If Storing in Fridge

• Divide dough into two pieces, place in greased plastic bags or container and put in fridge. Store in fridge for 2-3 days.
• When ready to bake pizza, pull out dough and allow it to come to room temperature and proceed with shaping steps below.

If Storing in Freezer

• Divide dough into two pieces, flatten dough out so it can store easier in the fridge. Place in greased plastic bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
• When ready to bake, pull out pizza dough from freezer and allow to thaw on counter or in fridge. If thawed out in fridge, pull out early enough so dough can warm to room temperature. Proceed with shaping steps below.

Shaping the Pizza

• When ready to make pizza, shaping matters! Do not use a rolling pin because that will flatten out pizza too much and not allow it to rise as well.
• Watch video for a better idea of how to shape.
• Generously flour your working surface and start to stretch the pizza dough out into a circle (or whatever shape you want). Use a pizza docker or hands to do this.
• For a New York-style pizza, make sure the entire pizza dough is about 1/4 inch thin or a little bit more. Do not form a crust, that is done during baking.
• Halfway through shaping, transfer pizza dough to a heavily floured pizza peel or parchment paper. Keep shaping until done.
• Add whatever toppings you like! Do not fold the crust over. To make a crust, just spread your toppings over the pizza until they're about 1/2 inch away from the edge. Wherever your toppings stop, that is where the crust will be. Proceed with baking below:

To Bake in Pizza Oven

• Before you start shaping your pizza, follow the pizza oven instructions to preheat. You want it as hot as possible.
• Whenever the pizza oven is at temperature, use a pizza peel to transfer prepared pizza into pizza oven. Most likely this will cook a pizza in 1.5 - 2 minutes. Rotate pizza halfway through.
• Slice and enjoy!

To Bake in Oven with Pizza Stone/Steel

• Preheat oven to as hot as your oven will go. Make sure you baking stone or steel is already inside oven so that will preheat as well.
• When oven is fully preheated and stone/steel is hot, slide your pizza onto the baking stone/steel with a pizza peel. Bake pizza for about 8 minutes (for me my oven goes to 525 degrees and in 8 minutes it's done. If your oven is hotter, less time is needed). You know when pizza is done when the bottom of the pizza is slightly browned and the crust doesn't fill mushy.
• After baking, place under the broiler for an additional 1-2 minutes until it gets a little more browned on the crust.
• Slice and enjoy!

To Bake in Oven without Pizza Stone/Steel

• Preheat oven to as hot as your oven will go.
• When you shape your pizza, shape it on parchment paper.
• When oven is fully preheated, slide parchment paper onto your oven rack (using a pizza peel will make this easier, but a flat baking sheet will work too).
• Depending on how hot your oven is, bake pizza for about 8 minutes until it's dough is cooked.
• After baking, place under the broiler for an additional 1-2 minutes until it gets a little more browned on the crust.
• Slice and enjoy!