1tablespoonlight tasting oil like grapeseed or olive oilplus more for work surface
Toppings (this is enough for two pizzas):
½cupbasil pesto
16ouncesmozzarellashredded
½red pepperchopped
8ouncessmoked salmonskin removed and flaked into smaller pieces
Fresh arugula leaves
Instructions
Make dough:
In a large bowl, stir the dry ingredients (bread flour, granulated sugar, yeast, and salt) together. Add the water and stir using a silicon spatula until there’s no dry pockets of flour. Add 1 tablespoon oil to dough and stir to combine evenly.
3 & 3/4 cups bread flour, 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast, 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, 1 & 1/3 cups cold water, 1 tablespoon light tasting oil like grapeseed or olive oil
Shape into a smooth round ball. Place in a lightly oiled bowl at least twice as big as the dough ball. Turn the dough over in the bowl and rub it around so there is a light coating of oil all over the dough ball. Use your hands if necessary.
Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap leave it on counter for 1 to 2 hours to rest.
Move bowl to fridge, still covered, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days.
Start the pizza making process:
Remove dough from refrigerator and divide in half. Shape each half into smooth, tight ball.
(If you’re only making one pizza, place the other dough ball back in the fridge, tightly covered).
Cover dough ball tightly with plastic wrap, and let it come up to room temperature, this can take a couple of hours.
Shape and top the pizza:
Place a pizza stone in the oven on a lower rack and preheat the oven with the pizza stone to 450° F for at least 30 minutes before cooking the pizza.
Place a sheet of parchment paper on a work surface. Spread 1 teaspoon oil on the parchment paper, and spread the oil out with your hands so that it’s a thin layer of oil. Turn dough out into middle of oiled parchment paper.
Spread dough out with your oiled fingers, and stretch it into 13-inch round, leaving 1 inch of outer edge slightly thicker than center.
Using the back of spoon spread about ¼ cup pesto in thin layer over surface of dough, leaving ¼-inch border around edge. Sprinkle with 8 ounces of shredded mozzarella evenly over sauce. Sprinkle with chopped red pepper and flaked smoked salmon.
½ cup basil pesto, 16 ounces mozzarella, ½ red pepper, 8 ounces smoked salmon
The pizza is ready to pop in the preheated oven on the pizza stone.
Bake the pizza:
(If you don’t own a pizza peel a cookie sheet with no edges works as well.)
Carefully slide the pizza and the parchment paper onto a pizza peel, and transfer the parchment and pizza onto the hot pizza stone in the oven. The pizza peel is only for transferring, do not leave the cookie sheet or pizza peel in the oven.
Bake at 450° F without convection until the crust is well browned and cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown, about 10 to 12 minutes, rotating pizza halfway through, if necessary.
Remove pizza and place on wire rack for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
Sprinkle with fresh arugula leaves, slice, and serve.
Fresh arugula leaves
Video
Notes
Makes two 13-inch pizzas. Each pizza makes 4 servings.