No Knead Pizza Dough

(recipe from My Bread, by Jim Lahey)

Makes: enough dough for two pies baked in 13×18-inch rimmed baking sheets

• 3 3/4 cups bread flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast
• 3/4 teaspoon table salt
• 3/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/3 cups water
• extra virgin olive oil for pan

In a bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Add the water, and using a spoon, your hand, or a baker’s plastic bench scraper, mix together until blended — this should take a couple of minutes.

Cover the dough and let rise at room temperature for about 2 hours.

Dump out the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut it in half. Use both pieces, or save one in the refrigerator (use a zip lock bag) for up to 1 day. Oil a 13×18 inch rimmed baking sheet liberally with good extra virgin olive oil. Then gently plop the dough on the pan and stretch and press it out to the edges. If it springs back wait five minutes and then proceed. The dough is very thin. If it tears, piece it back together.

Let’s make a simple yet ahh-mazing cheese pizza!

Ahh-mazing Cheese Pizza

(slightly adapted from My Bread, by Jim Lahey)

Makes enough for ONE 13 x 18 inch pizza

• 1- 14 1/2 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• a few pinches of red pepper flakes
• 6 large leaves of fresh basil, chopped
• 12 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese for topping

Preheat the oven to 500° F.

Use a blender or food processor to pulse together the tomatoes, juice, olive oil and salt until they are chunky. The mixture will be quite liquidy.

Spread the tomato sauce evenly over the dough, going all the way to the edges. Make sure no sauce piles up in the center of the pie. Sprinkle with a few pinches of red pepper flakes, top with chopped basil and tear pieces of the fresh mozzarella and scatter it over the pie.

Bake for 18-20 minutes until the edges are slightly charred. Sprinkle with extra basil and fresh Parmesan cheese and serve hot or at room temperature.