Mix together 30 grams starter, 30 grams flour and 30 grams water. Cover and let rest for about 3 hours until bubbly and active. Before mixing, take the temperature of the sourdough starter and flour. If it is colder than the 75-80 degree range, use warm water to mix the levain. If the ingredients are warmer than 75-80 degrees, use cooler water. You can substitute 100% hydration ripe sourdough starter for the levain in this recipe.

Mix together the flour, water and ripe levain with a dough whisk, your hands or with a stand mixer.

After the dough forms a ball, add the salt and crimp/cut/squeeze the dough with your fingers until the salt is thoroughly mixed in with the dough. Wet your hands as needed and pick up one side of the dough and fold it over on itself. Repeat until the dough is smooth and the salt is all mixed in. You won't feel the salt anymore once it's sufficiently mixed in.

Bulk Fermentation: Cover the dough and let rise for 3 hours at 78 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cold Bulk Fermentation (Refrigerated Rise): Cover the dough and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. This will give the best flavor to your dough and allow you to plan ahead for your pizza night. If you want to bake the same day, skip this step and proceed with shaping the dough balls.

Pre-Shape Dough into Balls: Prepare a pan with a light drizzle of olive oil. Use a bench knife to separate the dough into 6 pieces, around 150 grams each. Pick up a piece of dough and pull/pinch up the sides until it forms a ball. Roll the ball on the counter using your hand in a cupping shape to seal the ball and create tension. Place the dough ball in the pan and repeat with the other balls of dough.

Proof the Dough: Cover the dough balls and let rise for about 3 hours at warm room temperature (78 degrees F). After the dough has risen and puffed up, it can be used immediately for pizza or placed in the refrigerator for a couple hours if needed.

Prepare to Bake:Home Oven with Pizza Stone: Prepare your home oven to bake the pizza. Move the rack to the highest setting in your oven. Put a pizza stone on the rack. You can use a circular pizza stone specifically for pizza or a rectangular stone. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.Pizza Oven: Turn the pizza oven on. Preheat the pizza oven for 30 minutes to about 700 degrees Fahrenheit.

Shaping Pizzas: Prepare: a piece of parchment paper to bake in a home oven. Prepare a cutting board or pizza peel if using a pizza oven. Sprinkle semolina flour or cornmeal on the parchment/cutting board. This creates some friction for the pizza to slide around and not stick (especially useful if you are baking in a pizza oven).Shape: Liberally flour your countertop. Take a risen dough ball out of the proofing pan and set it in the flour. Cover both sides of the dough and your hands with flour. Use your fingertips to gently press down the dough from the middle of the dough out toward the edges. Do your best not to press any gas out at the rim/edge of the dough. You want the crust/edge to rise as high as possible. At this point you can lift the dough up and put it on your knuckles, rotating your hands in a circular motion to stretch the dough. Set dough on the prepared parchment paper or cutting board. Make sure the pizza dough can move around a bit. If it sticks, add a little more semolina/cornmeal or flour to the bottom of the pizza dough. Each piece of dough makes about an 8 inch pizza.

Topping the Pizzas: Top your pizza with sauce, good quality mozzarella (not pre-shredded if you can help it) and any toppings you’d like. Reserve toppings that don’t hold up as well in the oven (e.g.: prosciutto/fresh herbs/arugula) to put on after the pizza is baked.

Baking PizzasHome Oven: Turn the oven on to high broil. Using a pizza peel, broil for 1-2 minutes (watch closely). Depending on your oven you may need to change the setting to BAKE 500-550 degrees F instead of broil. Rotate the pizza after 1-2 minutes and bake for another minute or two. It will depend a lot on your home oven how long each pizza will bake for. The crust should be evenly golden with a few scattered black/charred spots. Let cool for a minute before slicing and enjoying!Pizza Oven: Follow the directions on your pizza oven. Bake at around 700 degrees F. If needed for your model of pizza oven, rotate the pizza after about 30-40 seconds and bake until the crust is golden with a few scattered black/charred spots. Let cool for a minute before slicing and enjoying.

In a blender, blend together the whole or crushed tomatoes, olive oil and salt. Add crushed red pepper if desired.