Neapolitan Pizza with Dry Yeast

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cupswater
• 8 1/3 cupsLe 5 Stagioni Pizza Napoletana flour
• 1 1/2 tbspsalt
• 1/4 tspdry yeast
• refined semolina, for stretching
• tomato sauce
• sliced mozzarella
• whole basil leaves
• extra-virgin olive oil

Steps

1. Put the 2 1/2 cups water and 1/4 tsp dry yeast in a large mixing bowl.
2. Mix with your hands to activate the yeast.
3. Add the 8 1/3 cups flour slowly, mixing with your hands.
4. Once all the flour is in, add the 1 1/2 tbsp salt. Keep the yeast and the salt going in as far apart in time as you can.
5. Work the dough. Add any flour still left.
6. When the dough starts to form, turn the bowl over onto the bench.
7. Put flour on the bench in front of the dough, not on top. Knead the dough into it, letting it take as much as it needs.
8. Knead hard for 15-25 minutes. Brace with one foot and put your weight into it. Start a timer so you know how long you have gone. Nothing else to do while you knead.
9. Check the dough near the end of the 15-25 minutes: it is ready when it springs back when pressed in the middle, or reads 23-26°C on a thermometer. If not, keep kneading and check again. Then go to the next step.
10. Cover with a damp cloth. Rest at least 2 hours on the bench, out of the fridge. Set a timer for 2 hours. While it rests: wash the mixing bowl and clean the bench.
11. When the timer goes, divide the dough into 6 equal dough balls.
12. Put the balls in a sealed container. Rest 2-4 hours more, out of the fridge. Set a timer for 2 hours.
13. While the dough balls rest: heat the oven to its maximum, 450-500°F.
14. While the dough balls rest: set out the semolina, tomato sauce, sliced mozzarella, whole basil leaves, olive oil and a ladle. This is the topping station.
15. When the dough is ready, sprinkle one dough ball with semolina.
16. Stretch it gently until flat, with a rounded outer crust.
17. Ladle on tomato sauce. Swirl it outward. Leave the crust bare.
18. Add sliced mozzarella and basil.
19. Drizzle with olive oil, starting in the middle and circling outward.
20. Stretch the pizza a few more times.
21. Put it in the oven.
22. Bake until the crust is crisp and the mozzarella is fully melted. The source gives no bake time, so stay at the oven and watch the first one.
23. Take it out. Rest 1-2 minutes.
24. Cut into 4 or 8 slices.
25. Go back to the semolina step and repeat with the next dough ball, until all 6 are done.

Notes

To make ahead: once the dough balls have slightly doubled on the bench, refrigerate them overnight. Take them out 4-5 hours before making pizza. The source gives no bake time, so watch the first one. Halve everything for 3 pizzas.