Ingredients
1 recipe Pizza Dough, refrigerated for at least 8 hours
Unbleached bread flour or semolina, for dusting
1-1/3 cups whole-milk ricotta
1-1/3 cups grated low-moisture mozzarella or provolone
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for brushing
2-1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
Pizza Dough
1 pound (3-1/2 cups) unbleached bread flour; more as needed
2 teaspoons granulated sugar or honey
1-1/2 teaspoons table salt (or 2-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt)
1-1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1-1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; more as needed
Semolina flour (optional)
Directions
1. Take the dough out of the refrigerator, set it on a lightly oiled work surface, & divide in to 4 equal pieces of about 7 ounces each. Roll each piece in to a tight ball. Line a baking sheet with parchment & lightly oil it with olive oil or cooking spray. Set each ball at least an inch apart on the parchment. Lightly spray or brush the balls with olive oil & cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the dough warm up & relax at room temperature for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
2. in the event you have a baking stone, put it on the middle rack of the oven. If not, set a rimmed baking sheet upside down on the middle rack to serve as a baking platform. Heat the oven (regular or convection) to its highest setting. Fill a little bowl with bread flour or semolina, & dust a 12-inch-square area of a neat work surface with a generous amount. Prepare a peel for transferring the pizzas to the oven by dusting the peel with bread flour or semolina. (If you don't have a peel, use a rimless cookie sheet or the back of a rimmed baking sheet, also dusted with flour.)
3. Shape the dough: With floured hands, transfer one of the dough balls to the floured work surface. Sprinkle the dough lightly with flour & gently press it with your fingertips in to a round disk--you're trying to merely spread the dough, not squeeze all the gas from it. With floured hands, carefully lift the disk of dough & rest it on the back of your hands & knuckles. Using the tips of your thumbs, stretch the periphery as you slowly rotate the dough until it is 10 to 12 inches in diameter. The edge ought to be the only place where you exert any pressure. If necessary, let the dough hang off one of your hands so that gravity provides some of the stretch. Despite the pressure on the edge, it will stay thicker than the inner section of the dough, which ought to be paper narrow. Don't pull the dough forcefully in to a circular shape or it will stretch from the middle & possibly rip. If the dough begins to resist & keeps shrinking back in to a smaller circle, lay it on the floured work surface & let it rest for about 2 minutes. While it is resting you can start to stretch & shape another dough ball. Return later to the first dough & finish shaping it.
4. Top the pizza: In a little bowl, stir together the cheeses, olive oil, oregano, & thyme. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
5. Lay the formed pizza dough on the floured peel & spread one-quarter of the cheese mixture evenly over the dough, leaving 1/2 inch of the outer rim topping-free.
6. Bake the pizza: Carefully slide the pizza onto the baking stone using a jerking motion to get it to slide. If it sticks to the peel, carefully lift the stuck section & toss a little flour under it. Bake until the edge is puffy & brown with a slight char & the underside is brown & crisp, 5 to 7 minutes (the hotter the oven, the quicker & better it will cook). Rotate it after 3 minutes for even browning. Remove the pizza from the oven with either the peel or a long metal spatula & put it on a cutting board. While the first pizza is cooking, shape & top the remaining pizzas.
7. Leftovers: in the event you choose not to make all the pizzas, bake any remaining formed dough as untopped pizza, brushed with olive or garlic oil prior to baking, & serve or save as flatbread.
Pizza Dough
merge the flour, sugar or honey, salt, yeast, & olive oil in a immense mixing bowl or in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Add 11 fluid ounces (1-1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons) chilled (60 degrees to 65 degrees F) water. With a immense spoon or the paddle attachment of the electric mixer on low speed, mix until the dough comes together in a coarse ball, 2 to 3 minutes by hand or 1 to 2 minutes in the mixer. Let the dough rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
Knead the dough: If using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook. Knead the dough for 2 to 3 minutes, either by hand on a lightly floured work surface or with the mixer's dough hook on medium-low speed. As you knead, add more flour or water as needed to produce a ball of dough that is smooth, supple, & tacky but not sticky. When poked with a neat finger, the dough ought to peel off like a Post-it note, leaving only a slight residue. It may stick slightly to the bottom of the mixing bowl but not to the sides.
Chill the dough: Lightly oil a bowl that's one time the size of the dough. Roll the dough in the bowl to coat it with the oil, cover the top of the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, & refrigerate for at least 8 hours & up to 3 days. It will rise slowly in the refrigerator but will stop growing two times chilled. If the plastic bulges, release the carbon dioxide buildup by lifting one fringe of the plastic wrap (like burping it) & then reseal. Use the dough for pizzas, calzones, or stromboli as directed in the recipes.
Make Ahead: It's best to mix the dough at least a day before you plan to bake. The dough keeps for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or for 3 months in the freezer. To freeze the dough: After kneading the dough, divide it in to 4 pieces for pizzas or calzones or 2 pieces for stromboli. Freeze each ball in its own zip-top freezer bag. They'll ferment in the freezer, & this counts as the rise. Before using, thaw in their bags overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours. Then treat the dough exactly as you would regular overnighted dough, continuing with the directions for making pizzas, calzones, or stromboli.
Variations: Whole Wheat Pizza Dough: Replace 25% to 50% of the flour with an equal amount of whole wheat flour. It may be necessary to add more all-purpose flour as you knead. Your aim is to produce a ball of dough that is smooth, supple, & tacky but not sticky. It may stick slightly to the bottom of the mixing bowl but not to sides of the bowl. When poked with a neat finger, the dough ought to peel off like a post-it note leaving only a slight residue.
Cornmeal Pizza Dough: Replace 25% to 50% of the flour with an equal amount of cornmeal. Start with the same water as in regular dough & alter from there, adding more flour until the dough, when poked with a neat finger, peels off like a post-it note, leaving only a slight residue. You may require to add up to 10 tablespoons of flour to get the right consistency: supple & tacky (almost but not sticky).The amount of additional flour will be contingent on the type of cornmeal. Polenta, for example, absorbs much more slowly than fine grind cornmeal. Because cornmeal often takes a little longer to fully hydrate, you'll find that the dough will firm up slightly as it cools in the fridge.
