Pizza, New York Style

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Prepare the Dough

• This dough can be started 18 hours, 12 hours, or 6 hours before cooking. Check out the yeast calculator in the notes below.
• Dissolve the sugar in water, then sprinkle yeast on top. Let the yeast dissolve, then stir.
• Add the flour and salt, and mix with a large spoon until a shaggy dough forms.
• During the first half of the rise, with wet hands, perform 4 sets of stretch and folds no closer than 30 minutes apart. Optionally, if the dough still feels loose, do an additional set or two until the dough tightens up.
• How to stretch and fold

Shape the Dough

• After the final set, shape the dough into a taut ball for an 18-inch crust. For two 12-inch crusts, divide the dough and shape into two balls.
• Transfer the dough to a floured surface and cover it. You can either use a floured counter with a large bowl over it, or a tray with a lid. Fine semolina flour works well, but any flour is fine.

Prepare the Sauce

• Add all the sauce ingredients to a blender and blend for 20 seconds on medium speed.
• If you don't have a blender, mince the garlic and basil and stir them into the tomatoes along with the salt, sugar, and oregano.

Preheat the Oven

• 30 minutes before baking, preheat your oven to its maximum temperature.

Shape the Crust

• Flour a work surface and transfer the dough to it.
• Make an indentation about an inch from the edge to form the crust, leaving as much air as possible in the outer edges.
• Stretch the dough from the indentation, expanding the center until it reaches your desired diameter, up to 18 inches.

First Bake

• Lightly brush or rub oil over the dough. Add sauce, then bake until the crust just starts to brown.
• For a darker crust, bake for a few more minutes after the initial browning.

Add Toppings

• Once the crust is baked, add your toppings.
• Return the pizza to the oven and bake until the cheese begins to brown.

Cool the Pizza

• Let the pizza cool on a rack or raised surface to keep the bottom crust crispy.

TIPS:

• Yeast calculator: 24 hours - one pinch (.2 g); 18 hours - 1/8 tsp (.5 g); 12 hours - 1/4 tsp (1 g); 6 hours - 1/2 tsp (2 g)
• Check out YouTube videos for how to do a set of stretches and folds. This is a typical process for making sourdough.
• Don't use a rolling pin.
• The best cheese blend I have found is half shredded low-moisture mozzarella and half block whole milk mozzarella.
• There are about 2800 total calories between this dough, sauce, and a half-pound of cheese with no toppings.