Ingredients
2 ½ cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 packets active dry yeast (if you’re using bulk yeast, use 4 ½ teaspoons)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
7 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour - or a blend of the two! (I’ve achieved excellent results with all combos)
1 level tablespoon fine sea salt
Method
In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Mix in the yeast with a fork, breaking up big clumps, and follow with the olive oil. Give a quick stir and let it sit for 20 minutes, until foamy and puffed up in the bowl.
Start adding your flour one cup at a time and stir.
After the first cup, sprinkle the salt over the mixture evenly. Keep adding flour. After adding the fifth cup, assess - if it’s still quite wet, inch towards 6 cups.
If it’s dry enough to start kneading, for 5-10 minutes, adding flour to make the dough smooth and elastic.
When the dough is smooth and elastic, sprinkle some flour over it and cover with a warm damp cloth.
Let it rise in a warm room or a closed oven for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
You can then either cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate, or use it immediately.
When you’re ready to use, preheat your oven to 200°C.
Flour your table and your hands, and roughly shape dough into a flat circle, about an inch thick. Then place the disc on both your fists and imagine making little vertical fist pumps with your hands rotating slightly. The dough will naturally stretch by its own weight. Stop when it reaches a thickness of about 7-8mm. Use a rolling pin to carefully even out.
Top with your toppings and bake until pizza edges turn brown.