Homemade Pizza

We got this recipe from bonappetit.com. It has been the best pizza dough recipe we have ever had and it's so easy! The crust comes out nice and chewy and flavorful!

** You must make the dough at least 18 hours before you need it. We usually do it the night before.**

INGREDIENTS:
7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp. fine sea salt
1/2 tsp active dry yeast

DIRECTIONS:
Whisk flour, salt and yeast ina medium bowl. While stirring with a wood en spoon, gradually add 3 cups of water; stir until well incorporated. Mix dough gently with your hands ot bring it toghether and form into a rough ball. transfer to a large clean bowl. Coer with plastic wrap and let dough rise at room teperature ina draft-free area until surface is covered with tiny bubble and ough has more than doubled in size, about 18 hours.
Transfer dough to a floured work surface. Gently shap in to a rough rectangle. Divide into 6 equal portions. Working with 1 portion at a time, gather 4 corners to center to create 4 folds. Turn seam side down and mole gently into a ball. Dust dough with flour; set aside on work surface or a floured baking sheet. Repeat with remaining portions.
Let dough rest, covered with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, until soft and pliable, about 1 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made up to 3 days ahead. Wrap each dough ball seperately in plastic wrap and chill. unwrap and let rest at room temperature on a lightely floured work surface, covered with plastic wrap, for 2-3 hours before shaping.

TO MAKE THE PIZZAS:
During hte last hour of dough's resting, prepare oven, if using a pizza stone, arrange a rack in upper third of oven and place stone on rack; preheat oven to it's hottest setting 500-550 degrees, for 1 hour. If using a baking sheet, arrange a rack in middle of oven and preheat to the oven's hottest setting 500-550 degrees. (You don't need to preheat the baking sheet).
Working with 1 dough ball ata time, dust dough generously with flour and place on a floured work surface. Gently shape dough into a 10" to 12" disk as follows:
Sprinkle your hands with flour and with your hands spaced a few inches apart, begin stretching the dough, starting at the edges, while miving it in a circular motion. Resist the urge to flattent he dough too much; you want to retain as many small bublles as possible. Continue gently rotating and stretching the dough across the work surface until it is roughly 8" in diameter.
Transfer the dough to your knuckles. Slowly rotate the dough witle gently stretching the edges - letting gravity do the work until you've got a 10"-12" shape. Don't worry about making a perfect circle. the pie will have more character if it is oblong.
Flop the dough onto a lightly flour pizza stone or baking sheet and gently pull the edges outward. Timing is critical here!

TOPPING THE PIZZA:
Drizzle some olive oil on the dough and sprinkle sea salt.
Place desired toppings on dough and put immediately into the oven.

BAKING:
Bake the pizza for 8 minutes at your oven's hottest temperature and then turn to broil and broil about 2 minutes to get a nice browning. Immediately remove from the oven and take off of stone/baking sheet. ENJOY!

TOPPINGS:
Here is a list of some of our favorite toppings;

For the sauce: Take 1 can of italian stewed tomatoes. Puree to desired consistency and that's it!

Grilled chicken with mozarella, fresh basil and carmelized onions, pepporoni ** Our Favorite**
Pepporoni, mozarella
Ham, pineapple

We also like to top it with some crushed red pepper before eating.