48-Hour Cold-Ferment Pizza Dough with a No-Cook San Marzano Sauce

This is the dough we make when there is time to plan ahead. Mix it on Wednesday, forget about it in the fridge, and by Friday you have a dough that opens easily, blisters in the oven and tastes like it came from a pizzeria. The sauce takes five minutes and never touches the stove.

The dough

• 1,000 g Caputo Pizzeria 00 flour
• 650 g cool water
• 28 g Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 2 g SAF Red instant yeast (about 2/3 teaspoon)
• 15 g extra virgin olive oil (optional, helps browning in a home oven)
• Semolina for dusting the peel

Baking in a home oven or deck oven? Swap up to half of the 00 for King Arthur Lancelot high gluten flour. The extra protein browns better at lower temperatures and gives a chewier, New York style crust.

Day 1: mix

1. Whisk the yeast into the flour in a large bowl or mixer.
2. Add about 600 g of the water and mix until no dry flour remains. Rest 20 minutes so the flour hydrates.
3. Add the salt and the remaining water a little at a time, then the olive oil if using. Mix or knead 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and springs back when pressed.
4. Cover and rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
5. Move the covered bowl to the fridge.

Day 2: ball

1. Turn the cold dough onto a lightly floured counter and divide into six pieces of about 280 g.
2. Shape each into a tight ball by folding the edges underneath and rolling it against the counter.
3. Place in a lightly oiled container or proofing tray, cover well and return to the fridge for another 24 to 48 hours.

Bake day

1. Pull the dough balls 2 to 3 hours before baking so they come to room temperature. They should look puffy and feel soft.
2. Heat your oven as hot as it goes with a stone or steel inside for at least 45 minutes. In a pizza oven, follow the manufacturer's guidance for the stone temperature.
3. Dust the counter and peel with semolina. Press the dough from the center outward, leaving a rim, and stretch it over your knuckles to about 12 inches.
4. Sauce, top, slide and bake until the crust is blistered and the cheese is bubbling.

The no-cook San Marzano sauce

• 1 can DOP San Marzano tomatoes with basil
• Kosher salt to taste, start with 1 teaspoon
• A pinch of whole oregano, crushed between your palms
• A few basil leaves
• A splash of extra virgin olive oil

Drain off some of the thin liquid, then crush the tomatoes by hand or pulse briefly in a food mill. Stir in the salt, oregano, basil and oil. That is it. The sauce cooks on the pizza, which keeps it bright and sweet. It keeps in the fridge for about five days, and the big can covers a full night of pizza for a crowd.

Three ways to top it

• Margherita: sauce, mozzarella, basil after the bake and a drizzle of olive oil.
• Calabrian hot honey: sauce, mozzarella, chopped Calabrian chiles, then wildflower honey warmed with a spoonful of the chile oil over the top.
• Puttanesca white pie: olive oil, minced garlic, mozzarella, Castelvetrano olives, capers and anchovy fillets, finished with crushed red pepper.

Troubleshooting

• Dough tears when stretching: it is still cold or underproofed. Give it another 30 to 60 minutes at room temperature.
• Dough sticks to the peel: use more semolina and build the pizza quickly. Give the peel a small shake before it goes in the oven.
• Pale crust in a home oven: add the olive oil, use part high gluten flour and bake on the top rack under the broiler for the last minute.

Want the bigger picture on flour, yeast and tomatoes? Read The Pizza Pantry: how to choose flour, yeast and tomatoes.