The key to this dough is to handle it gently and give it a long rest, ranging from 12 hours to 3 days. This allows the dough to develop flavor and tenderness. If you don’t need all the dough at once, you can store the remaining half in the refrigerator to use later in the week. To maintain the bubbles that have formed and achieve a light and crisp crust, it’s recommended to pat the dough out with your fingertips rather than using a rolling pin. Rolling can cause the bubbles to deflate. While using a heavy-duty mixer is convenient for mixing the ingredients, you can also mix them in a bowl with a wooden spoon. Both methods work well. It’s important to note that you should make the dough the night before you plan to use it, as it requires an overnight rest to fully develop its flavor.
Makes enough for two 12-inch pizzas, one 12-inch double-crust stuffed pizza, or one 17- × -10-inch pizza
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for shaping the dough
- ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 2½ teaspoons salt
- 1⅔ cups water
INSTRUCTIONS:
- To make the dough: In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the dough hook or in a large bowl with a wooden spoon, stir together the flour, yeast, and salt.
- Gradually add the water while mixing on low speed, or gradually stir in the water with the wooden spoon. Mix just until the dough forms a shaggy-looking ball, about 3 minutes. Avoid overworking the dough.
- If using a mixer, turn the dough out into another bowl. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest at cool room temperature for 12 to 18 hours until doubled in size, with small bubbles appearing on the surface. Alternatively, you can store the dough in the refrigerator for up to 3 days until you’re ready to bake it.
- About 1 hour before baking: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently stretch and pat it into a rectangle, being careful not to squeeze out the air bubbles. If making two pizzas or a stuffed pizza, cut the dough in half and form balls by pulling the edges of the dough under and pinching them together. Place the dough balls seam side down on a lightly floured board. Dust the tops with flour and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Let them rest for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven and pizza stone: Arrange an oven rack in the upper third of the oven if using a pizza stone or in the middle if using a baking sheet. Place the stone on the rack (do not preheat the baking sheet).
- Preheat the oven to the highest temperature, between 500°F to 550°F, and let it preheat for 1 hour. Once the oven is fully preheated, switch on the broiler and let it heat for 10 minutes.
- Add the desired toppings and bake according to your chosen pizza recipe.
VARIATION:
- For Whole Wheat Pizza Dough, substitute 1½ cups of whole wheat flour for 1½ cups of the unbleached all-purpose flour.
