2 packages dry yeast

2 cups warm (not hot) tap water

1 to 2 tablespoons salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

5 cups flour

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. (If you're using a pizza baking stone, preheat oven for at least 20 minutes to heat stone thoroughly.)

In a mixing bowl or the bowl of a food processor, mix together yeast and warm water. Add salt and olive oil, and stir or pulse, and add flour 1/2 cup at a time. Keep adding flour to the mixture until dough begins to form a ball and is not sticky.

Remove dough to a floured work surface and divide in half. Place each half in a plastic food storage bag and let rise 5 or 6 hours for best consistency.

If you're baking the pizza on a cookie sheet, sprinkle flour lightly on the sheet and pat out dough to desired shape and size. If baking on a pizza stone, lightly flour a wooden pizza paddle, or peel, and pat out dough on the peel.

At this point, crusts can be frozen for later use or used immediately. To freeze, place entire cookie sheet with crust in the freezer. When it is frozen, remove crust from sheet, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and return to freezer. When ready to use, simply put toppings on frozen crust and bake as directed.

If you're using the crust immediately, add desired toppings. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.