| Total Formula |
| 240 | g Flour (100%) |
| 180 to 192 | g Water (75% - 80%) |
| 5 | g Diastatic Malt Powder (2%) |
| 5 | g Sugar (2%) |
| 5 | g Salt (2%) |
| 0.625 | g Instant Yeast (0.25%) |
| 12 | g Extra Virgin Olive Oil (5%) |
| For Levain 25% starter |
| 48 | g Sourdough Starter (Barm, 100% hydration) |
| 12 | g Whole Wheat Flour (Optional, or replace with bread flour) |
| 60 | g All Purpose or Bread Flour |
| 72 | g Water |
| 192 | g Total Levain |
| Flour Mix for Final Dough |
| 24 | g Vital Wheat Gluten (10% of TFW) |
| 120 | g Bread Flour |
| 144 | Total Flour |
| For Final Dough |
| 84 to 96 | g Lukewarm Water |
| 192 | g Levain (All of the above) |
| 5 | g Diastatic Malt Powder |
| 5 | g Sugar |
| 0.625 | g instant yeast (optional) (adjusted) |
| 5 | g Kosher Salt |
| 12 | g Extra Virgin Olive Oil |
| Preparing the Levain |
| 1. | Weigh out your starter into a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining flour and water for the levain. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to sit until double in size, about 4 hour depending on your starter. You may optionally move to the refrigerator overnight, or continue to making the final dough. |
| Preparing the Final Dough |
| 1. | Begin by measuring out the flour mixture and adding to the levain in the mixing bowl. Add remaining dry ingredients. Then add oil and water, and mix all ingredients thoroughly, taking care that the flour mixture is hydrated evenly. You may wish to cover and allow to sit for about 20 minutes to allow even hydration. |
| 2. | Prepare the counter by spraying oil on it. Empty the dough onto the oiled spot. Wet your hands before handling the dough so that it will not stick, and then grab two ends of the dough, and stretch it out horizontally until it is approximately three times its original width. Then fold the edges over one another like folding a letter. Rotate 90 degrees, stretch the dough, and fold it in once more. Move the dough back into a well-oiled bowl, cover, and wait for 10 minutes. Then perform another round of stretching and folding. Overall, you will want to perform 4 to 6 rounds of stretching and folding. Once you have finished, the dough should be very sticky but smooth. |
| 3. | Divide the dough evenly into the number of balls you would like. For each ball, oil the inside of a small plastic bag and seal the dough within. It can be frozen, or placed in the refrigerator. Allowing it to stay in the fridge for 1 to 3 days before eating will bring out a deeper flavor. |
| Final Fermentation and Shaping |
| 1. | Remove a ball of dough from the refrigerator to a lightly floured surface. Again, the best way to handle the dough is to run your hands under cold water before touching it. Press the ball of dough down into a rough ball shape. |
| 2. | Stretch the dough into a rough rectangular shape, trying not to tear the surface. Fold the right and left sides down, underneath the dough, so that they form a seam on the bottom side in the middle. Next, fold the top and bottom so that they form a seam in the middle, and squeeze the dough together on the bottom to try to seal it, while shaping into a ball. Place the ball with the seam side down on the counter, spray with spray oil, and cover with plastic wrap. |
| 3. | Allow the ball of dough to rise for approximately 2 to 3 hours (longer if not using extra yeast), or until the ball has doubled in size. If after an hour, the ball has already doubled in size, repeat step 2 and allow to double once more, for 2 hours of total fermentation. |
| 4. | Place your pizza stone (or baking steel) in the oven on the second to highest rack, and preheat for at least half an hour at 500 degrees. |
| 5. | Tear off a piece of parchment paper approximately the size of your baking surface, spray lightly with spray oil, and dust with semolina or cornmeal (if desired). |
| 6. | To shape the pizza, sprinkle flour all over the dough, and on both sides of your hands. Gently lift up the dough onto the back of your hands, and begin to gently rotate while stretching outwards. Remember that you want to distribute the dough onto a wider surface area in order to avoid tearing. Sprinkle on more flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking. |
| 7. | Once the dough has reached your desired size, or if you feel you cannot stretch it further without tearing, place it quickly on the parchment paper. If it needs further stretching, gently pull it outwards, trying to maintain even thickness. If any tears or overly thin spots occur, you can cut a small piece of dough off from the edge where it is thickest, stretch it out, and press it down on top of the area that needs patched. |
| 8. | Top the pizza as desired. Excessive moisture in toppings should be avoided. Do not overload with sauce, as you probably do not need as much as you think. |
| 9. | Move the pizza and parchment paper onto the back of a baking sheet or a pizza peel, and use this to transfer the pizza with the parchment paper directly on top of your baking stone. Cook for 6 1/2 minutes. Once the 6 1/2 minutes is done, flip on the broiler and cook for an additional minute. Note that every oven is different, and you will probably have to experiment in order to find the best way to get a combination of crispy bottom and cooked but not burned on top for your oven. It can be a good idea to freeze the cheese to prevent it from melting too quickly and getting broken up by boiling sauce. |
| 10. | Remove the pizza from the oven using the same baking sheet, and transfer (without the parchment paper) to a wire cooling rack. Add salt and pepper and any ingredients you want to add afterwards, such as basil leaves or thinly sliced prosciutto. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing. |