Lahey No-Knead Pizza

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Mix the flour, salt, and yeast in a large bowl.

  2. Add the water and mix until well-combined.

  3. Cover and let rise at room temperature until it has more than doubled (about 18h in a room at 72°F).

  4. Divide the dough into four pieces and form each piece into a ball [1,2].

  5. 1 hour before you want to eat, place a pizza stone in the lowest rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 550°F (or as hot as possible).

  6. Toss or stretch the dough until it's about 12" in diameter [3], then place on a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal.

  7. Add toppings sparingly.

  8. Bake for 6-9 minutes.

Footnotes

  1. To form dough into a ball, start with the right side of the dough and pull it toward the center; then do the same with the left, top, and bottom.
    Repeat until the surface of the ball is smooth and taut. Place the ball seam-side down, and allow it to rest for a few minutes to seal the seam.
    Dust with flour if the ball gets too sticky.

  2. If you don't intend to use the dough right away, wrap the balls individually in plastic and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Return to room temperature by leaving them out on the counter, covered in a damp cloth, for 2 to 3 hours before needed.

  3. Don't use a rolling pin to shape the dough. This squeezes the air out of dough and makes the crust turn out dense.

References