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ATK’s Lan Lam’s new recipe for a Neapolitan-style pie. Using a clever bread-making technique, Lan creates a dough that anyone can stretch with ease and that bakes up impossibly light and airy. Engaging your oven’s broiler delivers the telltale leopard-spot browning without a fancy pizza oven.
Whisk 79 grams water and 16 grams 00 pizza flour in medium bowl until no lumps remain. Microwave until mixture thickens to stiff, smooth, pudding-like consistency that forms mound when dropped from end of whisk into bowl, about 60 seconds, whisking halfway through microwaving.
Add 118 grams water to flour paste and whisk until smooth. Transfer to large bowl.
Add 2½ teaspoons table salt, 1¼ teaspoons sugar, and remaining 265 grams water and whisk until salt and sugar have dissolved.
Whisk in ½ teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast and let sit until yeast has dissolved, about 30 seconds.
Add 591 grams 00 pizza flour. Holding edge of bowl with one hand, use other hand to mix and squeeze flour into liquid until sticky, shaggy dough forms (dough will be very sticky). Scrape any dough from hand back into bowl. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
Grasping edge of dough with your fingertips, gently lift and fold edge toward middle. Rotate bowl 45 degrees; fold again. Rotate bowl and fold 6 more times (total of 8 folds). Cover and let rest at room temperature for 90 minutes.
Lightly grease rimmed baking sheet. Transfer dough (will still be very sticky) to well-floured counter and divide into 4 pieces.
Working with 1 piece at a time, fold edges of dough toward center to form ball. Pinch seams closed and flip over. Cup both hands beneath dough and slide hands forward and back to create smooth taut ball. Transfer to prepared sheet. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 18 or up to 36 hours.
Process 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes and ½ teaspoon table salt with immersion blender or food processor until just smooth, 20 to 60 seconds.
One hour before baking pizza, remove dough, ¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, and 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese from fridge.
Adjust oven rack 9 inches from broiler element, place baking steel or stone on rack, and heat oven to 550 degrees. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet.
When one hour has elapsed, uncover one dough ball on sheet tray and sprinkle heaping tablespoon of semolina over top. Smooth semolina over surface of ball allowing excess to fall around ball. Slide bench scraper under about ¼ of dough, pushing excess semolina beneath dough. Remove scraper, and repeat, working around ball to release it from sheet. Invert ball onto lightly floured counter. Re-cover sheet pan and set aside.
Lightly flour any sticky areas of dough. Gently press into 7-inch circle, popping any bubbles that are larger than ½-inch. Beginning at center of dough and working upwards and outwards, use fingertips to firmly flatten and stretch upper half of round, stopping 1 inch from edge of dough to form rim.
Slide fingertips of both hands beneath top of dough and, grasping to avoid rim, flip dough over so flattened half is at bottom. Repeat flattening and stretching motion until you have an 8- to 9-inch round with 1-inch wide rim.
Make a fist with one hand and hold it over center of dough. Using other hand, pick up top of dough round and drape it over fist. Make a fist with other hand and place it next to fist under dough, then use fists to lift dough off counter. Letting dough hang down, gently draw fists away from each other to stretch dough. Rotate dough over your fists while continuing to stretch until dough reaches 11-inch round. Lay dough onto floured peel.
Spread 2 tablespoons tomato sauce over surface of dough. Sprinkle one-quarter of Pecorino evenly over sauce followed by one-quarter of mozzarella.
Slide pizza onto steel and turn on broiler. Broil until rim is well-browned with charred spots and underside of pizza is spotty brown, 4 to 5 minutes.
Transfer pizza to prepared rack. Turn off broiler and return oven to 550 degrees. Top pizza with basil. Let cool until cheese and sauce set up slightly, about 1 minute. Serve immediately. Repeat steps 7 through 12 with remaining dough balls and toppings to make 3 more pizzas.