- Preheat your oven to 500-550 Fahrenheit. In this recipe we used the Gusto wood oven. If you are using a single chambered oven, you will want to maintain that temp by controlling the size of your fire (whether wood or gas).
To Make the Dough in a Stand Mixer:
Combine all dry ingredients (flour, yeast, and salt) in a mixer and begin by mixing by hand. Add dough hook and start mixer at LOW speed. Slowly add the water while the mixer is running. Mix on low until flour and water have combined to make a uniform dough ball. You may need to scrape the sides of the bowl from time to time to assist in incorporation (make sure to turn the mixer off if scraping the bowl). Turn the mixer off once the dough ball is created and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Start the mixer again after resting and set to medium/low speed and mix for another 10 minutes. Dough should be fully incorporated at this point and should not stick to the sides of the bowl. Remove the dough hook, reform the dough into a nice ball and place into a bowl and cover either with plastic wrap, or a damp cloth. Allow to rest and rise for 2 hours or until doubled in size. During this rising time, knead the dough every 30 minutes. This kneading can be done with the stretch and fold method inside the rising container. Rest for 2 hours.
Stretching the Dough Into Place
On the morning of the bake (no less than 3 hours before you want to bake the pie), remove the dough from the refrigerator. Place the dough ball onto a well oiled pan. Stretch the dough to the edges, cover and allow to rest for 30 minutes. Then stretch the dough again to the edges. Repeat this every half hour until the dough stays in the corners of the pan. Cover the dough and pan and allow it to double or triple in size (1-2 hours). At this point the dough will be light and airy.
Make the Sauce
To make the sauce, add the olive oil to a pan with the garlic. Preheat until the garlic begins to saute and sizzle. At this point add the crushed tomatoes and the rest of the spices. Simmer for 15 minutes or so making sure to stir often.
Assembling pizza and Par-Baking
Once the dough has been stretched into the pan and rested, you are ready to Par-top and Bake. First evenly top the dough with pepperoni, followed by a very light layer of cheese (making sure not to add too much to the edges just yet. Cover with some aluminum foil and bake for 5-6 minutes and then rotate 180 degrees and bake for another 6 minutes. After 12 minutes remove from the oven and remove the Aluminum Foil and place back into the oven to bake for an additional 10 minutes (rotating every couple of minutes until evenly browned).
Remove and enjoy
Remove the pizza from the oven and enjoy!!
