Whole Wheat Rosemary Pizza Dough

1 1/2 C. warm water
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 t. brown sugar
1 C. whole wheat flour
1 package active dry yeast or 2 t. instant yeast
3 C. all-purpose flour plus extra for kneading
1 1/2 t. salt
1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves removed and chopped

• Mix the dough: In a medium bowl, stir together whole wheat flour, yeast, water, oil, and brown sugar. Add all-purpose flour, salt, and rosemary and stir with a wooden spoon until dough starts to come together. Turn the mixture out onto a floured counter or board.

• Knead the dough: using floured hands, knead the dough, adding extra flour as needed, until it is smooth and slightly tacky rather than sticky, about 5 minutes. Form dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Turn ball in the bowl to coat both sides with oil then cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Set bowl in a warm place and let dough rise until doubled (about 45 minutes to an hour).

• Preheat the oven: After dough has been rising for 15 minutes, prepare your oven. Place a pizza stone on the bottom rack and preheat oven and stone to 500 degrees (or as hot as your oven will go). It is best to let oven preheat for one full hour.

• Divide the dough: When dough has doubled, lightly oil a countertop and turn dough out onto it. With oiled hands, gently deflate the dough. Using a knife or dough scraper, divide dough into four equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball then cover pieces with a towel or lightly greased plastic wrap. Let rest for 20 minutes. At this point, you can put each ball of dough in a ziplock sanwich bag and store in the refrigerator for up to three days. When ready to use, bring to room temperature and proceed with the next step.

• Shape the crusts: Lay a piece of parchment paper on the counter to the side of your oiled work surface. Move the balls of dough to the edge of your work surface and keep them covered. Take one ball of dough out and working on the oiled surface, flatten it slightly with the heel of your palm. Then start pushing the dough out from the center using the side of your hand and working in a circle. When the circle is about 5 inches wide, pick it up and transfer it to a piece of parchment paper. Continue working the dough into a circle, pushing outward with the palm of your hand until the crust is about 10 inches wide. You should end up with a small lip all the way around. Cover crust and let rest for 10 minutes. While the first crust is resting, start forming a second one. After the first crust has rested for 10 minutes, add your toppings.

• Bake pizza: Using a pizza peel or the back of a sheet pan, slide pizza and parchment directly onto your preheated pizza stone. Check pizza after 8 minutes. When crust is golden, remove pizza using a peel or slide pizza back onto baking sheet using a large metal spatula.