By Week 363. Spring 2023. I am 40 years old and standing in my kitchen — the Bench house kitchen, the one that held cancer and divorce and cinnamon rolls — and the stove is on and something is cooking and the house smells like fresh herbs and possibility and this is my life. This is the life I built.
I went for a run this morning — the Saturday routine, the greenbelt, the river, the particular meditation of feet on a path and lungs filling and the body doing what it was told it couldn't do. The running group meets rain or shine.
Mason is 12 and reading everything he can find and examining the world under a microscope with the intensity of a tenured researcher.
Lily is 10 and riding horses with the fearlessness of someone who has never considered the possibility of falling.
I made sourdough with butter this week. The food continues. The food always continues. It is the thread that connects every week to every other week, every year to every other year, every version of me to every other version — the woman on the kitchen floor, the woman at the chemo recliner, the woman at the grill, the woman at the outdoor table under the string lights. All of them, connected by the food they made with their hands. All of them, me.
The sourdough I made this week was about more than bread — it was about hands that know what to do even when the mind is still catching up. I wanted to keep that feeling going, to stay in the rhythm of flour and water and patience, so I pulled out my go-to thin crust dough next. It’s the same meditation in a different form: you knead, you wait, you trust the process. After 363 weeks of trusting the process, it felt exactly right.
Thin Crust Pizza Dough
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 27 min (plus 1 hour rise) | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
- 3/4 cup warm water (about 110°F)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for the bowl
Instructions
- Activate the yeast. In a small bowl, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Stir gently and let sit for 5–7 minutes until foamy. If it doesn’t foam, your yeast may be inactive — start again with a fresh packet.
- Mix the dough. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture and olive oil. Stir until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 6–8 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and just slightly tacky. Add flour one tablespoon at a time only if the dough is sticking badly.
- Let it rise. Lightly oil a clean bowl, place the dough inside, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Shape the crust. Punch down the dough and divide into 2 equal portions for two thin-crust pizzas (or use all of it for one larger pie). On a floured surface, roll each portion out as thin as you like — about 1/8 inch for truly crisp results.
- Top and bake. Transfer the rolled dough to a lightly oiled baking sheet or preheated pizza stone. Add your toppings and bake at 475°F for 10–12 minutes, until the crust is golden and crisp at the edges.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 245 | Protein: 7g | Fat: 4g | Carbs: 45g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 370mg