This is a higher hydration pizza dough, similar to my Lazy Man Pizza Crust, but with a more open crumb and lighter texture. It’s more trouble to work with, though; the dough is very sticky and requires practice to stretch.

Ingredients

  • 288 grams all-purpose or bread flour
  • 1/2 tablespoon salt
  • 7 ounces water
  • 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
  • 1/2 tablespoon honey
  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

  1. Whisk flour and salt together; set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine water, yeast, and honey. Mix until yeast and honey are dissolved.
  3. Add roughly half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, and mix with a stiff spatula until combined.
  4. Add olive oil and mix until incorporated.
  5. Add remaining flour and mix until completely combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  6. Give the dough another quick mix with the spatula. Transfer to a sealable container, cover, and let ferment at room temperature for 18–24 hours.
  7. 3 hours before baking, transfer dough to a floured surface and divide into 2 equal portions. Form each portion into a ball, and drop into a lightly oiled container. Cover and let rest again at room temperature.
  8. Preheat oven to maximum heat (e.g. 500 or 550 degrees). If using a pizza stone or steel, preheat it as well.
  9. Drop the proofed dough ball into a semolina flour bath and begin shaping it by hand. The dough will be very sticky, so use a bench scraper to help stretch and shape it. If the dough resists stretching, let it rest for 5–10 minutes and try again.
  10. Place on pizza peel dusted with fine cornmeal. Quickly add sauce, cheese, and toppings as desired. Shake peel to make sure pizza isn’t sticking.
  11. Slide pizza onto preheated steel, stone, or pan. Bake until bottom is crisp and shows dark brown spots. Remove to cooling rack until cool enough to cut.