Ingredients
- 3-1/2 cups lukewarm water (no hotter than 100 F)
- 1 Tablespoon granulated yeast
- 1 to 1 1/2 Tablespoons kosher salt
- 7-1/2 cups (scoop and sweep) unbleached all-purpose flour
- Flour, cornmeal or parchment paper for the pizza peel.
Preparation
Step 1
Warm the water slightly: It should feel just a little warmer than body temperature.
Add yeast and salt to the water in a lidded (not airtight) plastic food container or food grade bucket. Don’t worry about getting them to dissolve completely.
Add all of the flour and mix with a wooden spoon, a 14-cup food processor (with dough attachment) or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with paddle). Don’t knead; it isn’t necessary. You’re finished when everything is uniformly moistened, without dry patches.
Allow the dough to rise; Cover the dough with a lid (not airtight) but leave it open a crack for the first 48 hours to prevent a buildup of gases; after that you can usually seal it. Do not punch down the dough.
After rising, refrigerate the dough and use it over the next 14 days it will develop sourdough characteristics over that time. Fully refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and is easier to work with than dough at room temperature.
The dough can also be frozen in ½-pound portions in an airtight container for up to four weeks; defrost overnight in the refrigerator prior to baking day. Makes enough dough for eight 12-inch pizzas.