Ingredients:

• 350gr of 00 flour
• 70% of warm water
• 7gr of salt
• 15gr of Fresh Yeast

Directions:

• Put the flour in a large bowl
• Create a hole in the middle and put the yeast into it plus some of the water. Mix the water with the yeast until it is dissolved and then gradually bring in the flour.
• Slowly add the rest of the water into the bowl mixing with flour at the same time. Mix with hands or plastic dough scraper until incorporated. Let rest for 15-20 minutes, covered (note that we have not added the salt yet). This process is called autolyse and helps the dough to become easier to handle and develop.
• Add salt over the dough. Mix with wet hands to incorporate all the ingredients.
• You then use the “stretch and fold” method to develop the gluten and make the dough stretchy. Note that you don’t need to knead the dough vigorously for 10-15 minutes as traditional recipes call for.
• Stretch and fold three times in 15min, 30min and 45 min intervals respectively. Cover and let rest in between.
• Basically, with stretch and fold method you wet your hands and then grab a corner of the dough, stretch it by pulling upwards and then bring it over until it meets the opposite one. By doing so you basically stretch the dough and fold it over the rest of the dough. Do this for all 4 corners. You need a little bit of imagination here to see the corners as dough is usually round.
• Cover and let rest for at least 6 hours. The dough will rise quite a lot so please use a large enough bowl. You will also see bubbles at the end of the 6 hours process.
• With floured hand, scoop dough onto a large floured surface. Shape into an oval and cut into 2 equal pieces (approx. 310gr each).
• Preheat oven to highest temperature (mine is 250 degrees and works fine). Preheat for at least 20 minutes with a pizza stone inside the oven (if you have one). I don’t, and I use a heavy black tray (the one that came with the oven) which works very well when placed in the bottom of the oven and preheat.
• Shape each piece into a medium-tight ball and place on a floured baking sheet. Top with a sprinkle of flour, cover and let rest for 30 minutes. This will make the dough less firm helping with shaping.
• If timing is an issue here, you can refrigerate for up to a day before shaping the balls.
• Shape the balls (one at the time) by punching each side with fingers. Roll fists under the rim of the dough to allow the dough to stretch naturally. If you cannot master this technique you can use a pin roll, but you will lose some or all the air that would have given your pizza a more professional look.
• Transfer the dough onto a floured pizza peel and top with your favourite sauce and toppings. Sauce must be cold otherwise dough will stick on the peel.
• Gently slide the dough onto the pizza stone or tray and bake for 7-8 minutes with full oven temperature (again mine is 250 degrees).
• Take it out with the pizza peel.
• Slice and serve!
• Go back to make the second one…Enjoy!!