Incredibly Good Homemade Pizza

Preparation

1. Dough

   Step 1

   Mix one ¼-oz. envelope instant yeast (about 2¼ tsp.), 2¼ cups (281 g) bread flour, 2¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1½ tsp. sugar, and 1 cup warm water in a large bowl just until flour is hydrated and a very shaggy dough forms, about 1 minute. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature 20 minutes.

   Step 2

   Set a small bowl of room-temperature water on work surface for easy reaching. Uncover dough and, using a damp hand, stretch one side of dough up and over to meet the opposite side; turn bowl 90°. Repeat 3 more times, turning bowl after each. (This constitutes 1 full fold. If dough doesn’t always stretch to meet opposite side, just aim for the middle.) Wet your hands and shake off excess any time the dough begins to feel sticky. Cover dough and let sit 30 minutes (set a timer), then repeat folding process to make 1 full fold. Repeat resting and folding process 3 more times (if you lose count halfway through, just fold one more time and proceed). By the end of the fourth fold, the dough should be significantly smoother and tighter.

   Step 3

   Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and divide into 2 equal pieces with a knife or bench scraper. Using floured hands, shape each portion into a rough ball. Transfer each to a bowl (you can use the unwashed bowl the dough proofed in for 1 portion) and tightly cover with plastic wrap. If using directly, let rise at room temperature until puffy but not necessarily doubled in size, 30–45 minutes. If using later, let rise in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

2. Sauce and Assembly

   Step 4

   Bring 3 garlic cloves, finely grated, one 14-oz. can crushed tomatoes, 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt, ½ tsp. sugar, and ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally; cook until flavors have come together (tomatoes should no longer taste raw), 6–8 minutes. Taste sauce and season with more salt if needed. Remove from heat and set aside (you should have about 1¼ cups).

   Step 5

   Place a rack 6" from heating element (typically the second highest position in oven) and heat broiler. Working with 1 ball at a time, transfer dough to a surface lightly dusted with bread flour and generously dust top with more flour. Stretch dough into a 9"–10" round, leaving it about 1" thicker around the perimeter for the crust. (If dough is not stretching easily, let sit at room temperature 5 minutes before trying again.)

   Step 6

   Heat a dry large stainless-steel skillet over medium. Pour in 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and swirl to coat bottom of pan. Carefully transfer a dough round to pan and immediately cover with a lid. (If you don’t have a lid that fits; use a baking sheet.) Cook until puffy and no longer wet looking, 5–7 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until deep golden brown and charred in spots underneath, about 3 minutes more. (If center puffs as it cooks, press down with a spatula.) Transfer crust to an oven-safe wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Wipe pan out with a paper towel to remove any burnt flour and add 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil. Repeat cooking process with remaining dough round; transfer to a large plate.

   Step 7

   Spread a thin layer of sauce over crust on rack (⅓–½ cup), leaving a 1" border around the perimeter. Top sauce with 5 oz. low-moisture mozzarella, coarsely grated (about 1 cup). Broil, rotating pizza as needed to promote even browning, until crust is blistered and blackened in spots and cheese is melted and browned, about 3 minutes (keep a close eye on your pizza as it will go from pale to blackened very quickly). Let pizza cool 5 minutes on rack, then transfer to another large plate. Top with basil leaves and more red pepper flakes and drizzle with more oil if desired. Transfer remaining crust to wire rack and repeat process with remaining sauce (you may have some sauce left over; just save it for serving with your pizza for dipping your crust into), remaining 5 oz. low-moisture mozzarella, coarsely grated (about 1 cup), and more basil, red pepper flakes, and oil if desired to make another pizza.