a red letter day in foodie history

It is a fairly well known fact that I, Meg, really can't bake. Sarah's the baker. I'm the everything-elser. But, my new year's resolution for 2009 is to bake more, and I got started a day early today with an easy whole wheat pizza dough recipe from Everyday Food.

Makes 2-1 lb balls, or 8 individual pizzas: 20 mins. prep + 1 hour to rest

• 1 1/2 C warm water (I used hot water from my sink)
• 2 packets (1/4 oz each) active dry yeast
• 1/4 C olive oil, plus more to oil the bowl the dough will be resting in
• 2 T sugar
• 2 t course salt
• 2 C all-purpose flour, leveled
• 2 C whole wheat flour, leveled

1. Place water in a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast. Let stand until foamy (I saw a couple bubbles in the center of the bowl), about 5 minutes. Brush another large bowl with oil.
2. In the bowl with yeast, whisk sugar, oil and salt. Stir in flours with a wooden spoon until a sticky dough forms. Transfer to oiled bowl; brush top of dough with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; let stand in a warm spot until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
   
3. Turn dough out (plop it out of the bowl) onto a well floured surface. (I just floured my counter top, it really wasn't a big deal to clean up.) With floured hands, knead until smooth, about 15 seconds. Divide into balls.

To freeze 2-1lb balls: set each ball on a plate and freeze for 1 hour until firm. Then freeze in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

To freeze 8 individual pizzas: divide each ball into 4 pieces and stretch the pieces with your hands into 5-inch disks. Freeze shells on parchment lined baking sheets, then move to a freezer bag with a parchment sheet separating each disk. Here's a finished product, topped with basil and goat cheese, sprinkled with oregano, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, plus the other guys sitting in my freezer. If I can make these successfully, rest assured anyone can.