Hudi's Pizza Dough

Pro tip — if you’re going to buy it, pick up your dough in advance and let it sit in your fridge for three to four days before using it. It will ferment a little and develop a stronger gluten structure. Which means it will be easier to stretch and taste better. The instructions for balling the dough are the same as the ones I give below for fresh dough. But if you want to make your dough from scratch, here’s how I do it (modified slightly for simplicity).

Directions

1. Pour all the ingredients into the mixer with a dough hook and mix for eight minutes.

2. Put the dough into a large, covered container at room temperature to rest. Every hour or so stretch the dough and fold it back into itself to form a rough ball (do not knead, just stretch). Do this two to three times.

3. Let rest overnight at room temp.

4. In the morning, punch the dough back into a rough ball and split into five even parts, each of which will become an eight-ounce (225-gram) dough. Roll each part into a ball and lightly coat in flour.

5. Flour the surface of either five covered containers or two 9×13- inch (23×33-centimeter) pans and place the balls inside. They should be placed far away from each other so they won’t touch when they expand.

6. Place in the fridge for three hours before you plan to bake them. (The dough can be made up to three days in advance but is best if used within 24–48 hours.)