step 1
Add the Bread Flour (1 3/4 cups) to a large bowl and set aside. In a small bowl, add Water (6 oz), Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (4 tsp), and Active Dry Yeast (as needed). Allow the mixture to sit for about 10 minutes until the yeast activates.
step 2
Once the yeast is activated (should be slightly bubbly), add the water and yeast mixture to the bowl with the flour. Using a wooden spoon, mix the dough until it’s a shaggy ball. Cover the bowl with a dishtowel and allow it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
step 3
After 30 minutes, you want to fold the dough. To fold the dough, wet one hand and stick it under the dough ball, grab the dough and lift out about a quarter of it, stretch it, and fold it over the center of the dough. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat this step. Repeat this process until you have gone all the way around. Once you’ve completed this process, cover the bowl and allow the dough to rest for another 30 minutes.
step 4
After the dough has rested for another 30 minutes, mix the remaining Water (1 oz) with the Salt (2 tsp), and then pour the saltwater over the dough ball. You then want to fold the dough all the way around another time, maybe two times around, which will mix the saltwater into the dough. At this step, you want to gently fold the dough to ensure you don’t break any air pockets.
step 5
Once folded, cover the dough and allow it to ferment in the fridge for 20 to 24 hours.
step 6
Remove the dough from the fridge 1 1/2 hours before you plan on cooking it. This will allow the dough to come to room temperature and it will be easier to work with.
step 7
Generously flour your work surface and your hands. Dump the dough out of the bowl. Remember this dough is 80% hydrated so it will be very sticky. Very gently, using the tips of your fingers, press the dough from the outed edges, moving towards the center, and shape it into a rectangle. You can also grab the corners on the opposite ends and stretch the dough. You want it big enough where it will fit in the quarter sheet tray.
step 8
Drizzle the sheet tray with olive oil and transfer the dough to the tray. Continue stretching the dough to fit the rectangle tray. Cover the dough and allow it to rest for 20 minutes at room temperature.
step 9
While the dough is resting, preheat your oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
step 10
After the dough has rested, continue stretching the dough so it shapes to the sheet tray. Once shaped, top with your toppings of choice and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, on the bottom rack, or until the dough is crisp and cooked through.
