1. Stir yeast into 1/2 warm water, mixing completely.
2. Blend in 1 cup of flour, mixing well.
3. Cover bowl and let rise in warm place for half an hour or so or till the starter is full of bubbles.
4. Stir the salt into the remaining flour, mix well, and add to the starter.
5. Pour in all but 1/4 cup of the water, and start beating by machine at slow speed and gradually increase to medium, or mix completely by hand.
6. Knead for a good 5 minutes, adding additional drops of water till as needed till the dough is smooth.
7. When it forms a smooth ball that includes all the flour from the sides of the bowl, transfer to a floured board and knead several times till smooth and elastic, and holds it's shape when bent back and forth between your hands.
8. Form dough into a ball, dust with flour, and place in a lightly floured bowl.
9. Cover and let rise till doubled, about 2 hours.
10. To finish the dough, turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 2 minutes.
11. You may now use it by either forming into 8 individual pizzas, or divide it into 4 pieces, making one pizza for two and freezing the rest into 3 remaining balls, well wrapped.

1. Bring the butter to room temperature.
2. Mix the butter and flour together just until crumbly.
3. Add the sugar, egg and wine, mixing into a soft dough.
4. Shape the dough into one or two balls, and refrigerate, wrapped in plastic wrap until ready to use.

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix with a fork just until ingredients are combined and flour is thoroughly moistened. Batter will be lumpy. Scrape into greased and floured loaf pan. Dot with pats of butter. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Serve hot.

1. With an electric mixer at low speed, mix the powdered sugar and butter together. Once combined, add vanilla and milk. Increase speed of mixer to medium and beat for 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth and of spreading consistency.
2. To frost a cake, first brush away any loose crumbs from cooled cake. If frosting layers, place the bottom layer rounded side down on a plate. Spread about 1/3 cup of frosting to with 1/2-inch of cake's edge. Place the top layer rounded side up. Coat the side of the cake first with a thin layer of frosting to seal in the crumbs, then frost the side making a rim about 1/4-inch high around the top. Finally, spread remaining frosting on top, just to the frosting-made rim.

Biga
Mix the yeast and water together, and then slowly start adding the flour, mixing well. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for up to 6 hours. Refrigerate overnight.
Bread
Place the water in a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast overtop and mix well. Let sit 10 minutes until bubbly. Add the biga, flour, and salt and stir with a wooden spoon (or mix with your hands) until everything is mixed. The dough will be fairly wet and sticky at this point. Cover and let stand in a warm spot for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours until doubled in volume.

Punch down the dough, folding it over on itself two or three times, cover and let rise once more until doubled, about 1 hour. If you choose, you could refrigerate your dough at this time and leave it overnight to prepare the next day.

Turn out your dough onto a floured baking sheet, and without overworking it too much shape into one large or two smaller round or oval shaped loaves, using as much extra flour as needed to keep it from sticking. Slash across the tops of the loaves with a serrated knife or razor just prior to baking.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and place a casserole dish with boiling water on the lower oven rack. Bake your bread 30 minutes, turn the baking sheet around, and reduce the heat to 300 degrees and bake for another 30-45 minutes. At this point your bread should be golden brown and should sound hollow when you tap the bottom. Allow the bread to cool to room temperature and serve.