Directions

LEVAIN

• Duration: 4 hours at warm room temperature: 74°-76°F (23°-24C)
• Mix the Levain: Warm or cool the water to about 78°F (25C). In a medium jar, mix the levain ingredients until well incorporated and loosely cover. Store in a warm place for 4 hours.

AUTOLYSE

• Duration: 30 minutes at warm room temperature: 74°-76°F (23°-24°C)
• Desired dough temperature (DDT): 78°F (25C)
• Mix the autolyse: Warm or cool the autolyse water so the temperature of the mixed dough meets the DDT for this recipe. Place the flours, malt (if using), and then the water in a large bowl and use wet hands to mix until no dry bits remain. Use a bowl scraper to scrape down the sides of the bowl to keep all the dough in one area at the bottom. Cover the bowl and place it near your levain for 30 minutes.

MIX

• Desired dough temperature (DDT): 78°F (25C)
• Check the levain: It should show signs of readiness but still be quite young and not overly acidic: aerated, soft, a few bubbles on top and at the sides, with an almost sweet, yogurt-like aroma. If the levain is not showing these signs, let ferment 30 minutes more and check again.
• Adjust the water temperature: Take the temperature of the dough and compare it to the DDT for this recipe: If it's higher, use cold water for the remaining water; if it's lower, use warm water.
• Mix the dough: Strengthening this dough is more efficiently done by adding water in two stages. To the autolyse, add about half of the water, the salt, and then the levain. Using wet hands, mix thoroughly until the dough comes together into a shaggy mass. If you prefer, it can also be mixed with a mechanical mixer for fast and easy incorporation.
• Strengthen the dough: Using a wet hand, grab one side of the dough and stretch it up and over to the middle. Rotate the bowl and perform another fold. Continue to perform these folds in the bowl for 5 minutes to strengthen the dough. Let the dough rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes. If the dough feels very wet, slack, and loose, don't add the remaining water. Otherwise, dribble in small amounts of the water and continue to perform folds until the dough comes together, all the water is absorbed, and the dough begins to smooth and hold its shape, about 5 minutes. Then dribble small amounts of the olive oil over the dough and pinch it through with wet hands. Perform more folds until the oil is absorbed and the dough is cohesive, about 3 minutes. At the end of mixing, the dough will look smoother yet still shaggy and be slightly tacky to the touch. If desired, transfer the dough to another container for bulk fermentation.
• Measure the temperature of the dough: Compare it to the DDT and record it as the final dough temperature. Cover the dough with a reusable plastic cover for bulk fermentation.

BULK FERMENTATION

• Duration: 3 hours 30 minutes at warm room temperature: 74°-76°F (23°-24C)
• Folds: 2 sets of stretches and folds at 30-minute intervals
• Set the time and make a note: Write down the current time as the start of bulk fermentation, set a timer for 30 minutes, and let the dough rest in a warm place.
• Stretch and fold: When your timer goes off, give the dough 1 set of stretches and folds. For each set, wet your hands. Grab one side of the dough and lift it up and over to the other side. Rotate the bowl 180 degrees and repeat. Then rotate the bowl one-quarter turn and stretch and fold that side. Rotate the bowl 180 degrees again and finish with a stretch and fold on the last side. The dough should be folded up neatly. Cover and repeat these folds after 30 minutes for a total of 2 sets of stretches and folds. (If you mixed this dough by machine, one or both of these sets may not be needed.)
• Let the dough rest: After the last set, use a bowl scraper and scrape the dough out onto the work surface. Using a bench knife, form the dough into a tight ball by dragging the dough toward you, tightening the surface. Rotate the dough and repeat until the dough is smooth. Transfer it back to the bowl, seam-side down. Cover and let the dough rest for the remainder of bulk fermentation, about 2 hours 30 minutes. At the end of bulk fermentation the dough should have increased in volume 25 to 35 percent and be smooth on top with a few scattered bubbles. If poked, it should feel slightly airy and alive; if it still feels tight and dense, give it 30 minutes to ferment and check again.

DIVIDE AND BALL

• Prepare the proofing vessel: Lightly dust a dough tray or large baking dish with semolina or white flour.
• Divide the dough: Using a bowl scraper, gently scrape the dough onto a clean work surface. Divide the dough into four 285g pieces. You may have a small piece of scrap dough to discard.
• Ball the dough: This is a soft dough that's easiest to ball on the work surface using a bench knife. With your bench knife in your dominant hand, shape each piece of dough into a uniformly tight round with a closed seam on the bottom. Transfer the ball to the prepared dough tray and repeat with the remaining pieces, ensuring at least a few inches between balls to accommodate spreading during proofing.

COLD PROOF

• Duration: Overnight in a home refrigerator: 39°F (4°C)
• Let the dough proof: Cover the tray with its lid or baking dish with reusable plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator to proof overnight.

WARM PROOF

• Duration: About 3 hours at warm room temperature: 74°-76°F (23°-24C)
• Let the dough proof: Remove the dough tray from the refrigerator and place it in a warm place to proof for 3 hours. Check on the dough periodically after 2 hours-the increased whole grains in this dough (and especially the rye) can quickly cause this dough to overproof at warm temperatures. It is ready when it is slightly puffed with small bubbles visible on the surface, soft, relaxed, almost room temperature but still a little cool to the touch, and passes the poke test.

TOP AND BAKE

• Duration: 7 to 9 minutes per pizza at 550°F (290°C)
• Preheat the oven: Place a baking steel or stone on a rack in the top third of the oven and preheat to 550°F (290℃) for 1 hour before your dough is finished proofing.
• Prepare the toppings: Meanwhile, prepare any toppings for the pizza and set up your work surface.
• Stretch the dough: Once the oven is heated, place a dough ball in a bowl partly filled with semolina or white flour to lightly coat one side, then flip it over to coat the other. Stretch it out to about 10 inches in diameter.
• Top the dough: Lightly dust a pizza peel with semolina or white flour. Pick up the dough and gently shake off any excess flour, transfer it to the pizza peel, add any tomato sauce (if using), and if desired, sprinkle on a ring of white sesame seeds about 12 inch wide at the border between the future cornicione (outer rim) and inner crust. Then finish topping it as desired. With dry hands, do a final stretch of the dough by picking up a side and gently pulling it outward. Do this a few times around the circle until the diameter is about 12 inches.
• Bake the dough: Pick up the peel and give it a quick shake to ensure the dough is not sticking. Slide it onto the baking surface. Bake for about 4 minutes, or until the crust is mostly set and starting to color. Then carefully and quickly rotate the pizza 180 degrees using the pizza peel. Continue to bake for 3 minutes more until the crust is almost fully colored, then quickly check the bottom of the pizza by lifting it with the peel: It should be spotted brown and black all over with some lighter brown areas. If it is still pale with large sections of white, bake for an additional 2 minutes and check again. When the cheese is melted and the crust is well colored, remove from the baking surface to a wire rack to cool for a minute before cutting. However, if the top crust and toppings need more color, turn on the broiler and broil for 1 to 2 minutes. Bring the oven and baking surface back up to temperature and repeat.

Makes four 10-inch pizzas.

This recipe has been reprinted with permission from The Perfect Pizza by Maurizio Leo (Penguin Random House).