New York Sicilian Pizza

For the dough

1. Place water into a bowl large enough to hold both the water and all the dry ingredients and still have room to spare. Mix together dry ingredients in another bowl.
2. Add dry ingredients to water a bit at a time and mix thoroughly to form a dry rough mass. Pour the oil over the dough, mix again, and place the rough shaggy dough onto a work surface.
3. Knead the dough for 5-7 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, place a clean bowl inverted over the dough and wait for 30-45 minutes before resuming. Return to kneading (just make sure to knead for at least a total of 5-7 minutes).
4. Place the bowl over the dough once more and let sit for 30-40 minutes to warm up before forming the dough ball.
5. After 40 minutes pull the dough toward its end repeatedly to form a smooth ball. Pinch the seam side and place the dough ball seam side down into an oiled bowl (about 2 teaspoons olive oil) and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours but preferably 24 -72 hours before using.

For the NY Sicilian Pizza

1. Take the dough out of the fridge for 60 minutes prior to use. Do not uncover the bowl.
2. Pour and spread the olive oil into a 14-inch square pan and drop the dough ball into it. Try to stretch with your fingers to fill the pan for a couple of minutes. The dough will not be able to be stretched on the first try. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough warm up for 30-45 minutes and try to stretch again. If unsuccessful, cover one more time and wait another 30-45 minutes. Press the dough into the corners to form a crust.
3. Mix the salt into the tomatoes. Spread 4-6 ounces of the tomato sauce onto the dough (just a very thin layer) then cover with plastic wrap. Place the pan on top of the oven or a sunny windowsill to warm and rise for 3 hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 430f and set one rack to the lowest level and the other to the top 1/3 of the oven. Once the oven is to temp and the dough has risen enough par-bake the pizza on the lowest rack for 12 minutes or until the bottom of the pizza is lightly golden and the dough has firmed up.
5. Remove the pizza and top with the mozzarella cheese, leaving 1/2-inch of the perimeter without any cheese. Spoon the sauce on top of the pizza in diagonal lines (you might not need all of the sauce) and cook on the higher set rack for 12 minutes more.
6. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with grated Pecorino Romano and Sicilian oregano. Cook for 1 minute more. You can broil the top for 30 seconds or so for more color but watch very carefully! Enjoy!