Pizza "Neapolitano"

Ingredients:

Dough

• 1.5 cups + 2 tablespoons warm water (38°C-43°C)
• 3/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 4 cups flour + extra for dusting
• 2.5 tsp coarse salt
• Olive oil for greasing
• Corn flour, for sprinkling

Toppings

• 1 can (800 g) canned whole peeled tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
• 220 g fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
• Olive oil to drizzle
• Torn basil, for sprinkling

Preparation:

1. Knead the dough:

   
   In a small bowl, combine the warm water and yeast, stirring to dissolve. Combine the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture and stir to form a loose dough. The dough should be sticky. If it feels too wet and sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour. If it is too stiff, add a little water. Transfer to a lightly oiled work surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 3 minutes. Cover the dough with an inverted bowl and let rise slightly, 30 minutes. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and form each into a ball; place them 3 inches apart on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Lightly brush the tops of the dough with olive oil and cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
2. Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 2 hours before baking; let it sit, covered, at room temperature. An hour before baking, place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the center rack of the oven and preheat to 260°C (or 287°C, if your oven model allows it).

3. Prepare the sauce:

   
   Combine tomatoes and their juices with 1 teaspoon of salt in a blender and blend until smooth.
4. Generously dust a pizza peel or an inverted baking sheet with cornmeal. Dust your hands with cornmeal and place 1 ball of dough on the cornmeal-covered peel. Gently stretch the dough into a circle 20-25 cm in diameter, re-flouring your hands as needed and being careful not to deflate the dough. Spread about 1/4 cup tomato sauce over the pizza crust; top with a quarter of the mozzarella. Drizzle with 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil and season with salt.
5. Slide the pizza off the peel and onto the hot stone and bake until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling, 7-9 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and sprinkle with basil. Let cool for 2 minutes, then slice. Repeat with the remaining dough to make 3 more pizzas.
   
   

   Note

   
   Leaving the dough in the refrigerator overnight will improve the texture of the crust.