I mix the following in the Kitchen Aid, then let proof till doubled. I crank up the oven to 550F with a travertine floor tile in it (bottom rack), pizza cooks in six minutes.
1 cup warm water
1/2 tsp. yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 cups bread flour
1 tbsp olive oil
This is pretty close to what we do. Our adjustments...
1 and 1/4 cups warm water (about 110F prior to putting in bowl)
3 cups unbleached flour (sometimes subbing in 1/2 cup of semolina flour)
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 and 1/2 tsp yeast
Usually, I cheat and just dump it all in a bread maker and let it run through the mix and first rise cycles (about 100 minutes total on ours), then remove the dough, knead/punch down lightly, divide in half, and place in two smallish oiled bowls. Cover with plastic wrap, then into the fridge for at least a day. Day two or three is even better. Can be used immediately, too, but never quite develops the same nice "chew.".... it's a lighter version, but still tasty. Hand tosses beautifully most of the time after a day in the fridge. A little fragile if used immediately.
We bake at our oven's highest setting (550F) on a large thick stone placed on the lowest rack, preheated for at least 30 minutes. The lowest rack gives us the fastest rise of the crust with some nice slightly charred bubbles, a good crisp bottom, and toppings that aren't overdone. We used to cook two pizzas at once on two stones with one on a middle rack, but stopped doing that and just cook one at a time; the oven stays hotter, the results are better, and the pizza on the bottom rack always came out better anyway.
I'm getting hungry... making gnudis tonight!!
