Pizza Bianca Romana

Method

1. Weigh 1 kg of type 0 flour into a large bowl.
2. Weigh 750 ml of cold refrigerator-temperature water.
3. Make a well in the flour, pour in a little more than half of the water, and add 1 g of compressed fresh yeast. Begin mixing.
4. Add 20 g of extra virgin olive oil and 8–10 g of honey (or malt syrup). Continue mixing.
5. Add a generous amount of high-quality integral sea salt (e.g., Camargue green salt) and the remaining water gradually. Knead by hand until the dough comes together.
6. Turn the dough onto a lightly oiled work surface. Slap and fold the dough repeatedly for about 10–15 minutes until it becomes smooth, elastic, and very soft.
7. Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let it rise at room temperature (below 23°C) for 12 hours, until it has tripled in volume.
8. After 12 hours, generously oil a clean work surface and turn the dough out. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces of about 350 g each.
9. Gently fold each piece into a smooth ball without deflating the bubbles. Place the balls on a well-oiled baking tray, spaced apart.
10. Drizzle each ball with more olive oil and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Let them rest for 20–30 minutes.
11. Preheat your oven to its maximum setting (home oven: 250°C; if using a pizza stone, heat the stone for at least 30 minutes).
12. On the oiled surface, gently stretch each dough ball into a round or oval shape, taking care not to press out the gas.
13. Transfer the stretched dough onto the hot pizza stone or baking steel using a peel. Bake at high heat until golden and crispy (home oven: about 10–15 minutes; professional oven: a few minutes at 350°C then reduced).
14. Remove from the oven, brush with a little more olive oil if desired, and serve immediately.