Pizza al Taglio Dough

2 2/3 cups (14 2/3 ounces) bread flour
1 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) water, room temperature
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 teaspoons table salt
Vegetable or olive oil

Whisk flour and yeast together in medium bowl.  Add room-temperature water and oil and stir with wooden spoon until shaggy mass forms and no dry flour remains.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes.  Sprinkle salt over dough and mix until fully incorporated.  Cover bowl with plastic and let dough rest for 20 minutes.

Using wet hands, fold dough over itself by gently lifting and folding edge of dough toward middle.  Turn bowl 90 degrees; fold again.  Turn bowl and fold dough 4 more times (a total of 6 turns).  Cover bowl with plastic and let dough rest for 20 minutes.  Repeat folding technique, turning bowl each time, until dough tightens slightly, 3 to 6 turns total.  Cover bowl with plastic and let dough rest for 10 minutes.

Liberally oil the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch baking pan.  Transfer dough to prepared pan and coat top of dough lightly with oil.  Gently press dough into a 10 by 7-inch oval of even thickness.   Cover pan tightly with plastic and refrigerate for at least 16 hours or up to 24 hours.

After the 16-24 hours rest time, brush top of dough with 2 tablespoons oil.  Oil rimmed baking sheet, including rim.  Invert prepared sheet on top of pan and flip, allowing dough to fall onto sheet (you may need to lift pan and nudge dough at 1 end to release).  Using your fingertips, gently dimple dough into an even thickness and stretch toward edges of baking sheet to form 15 by 11-inch oval.  Lightly oil top of dough, cover loosely with plastic, and let rest until slightly puffy, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

Thirty minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 F.  Just before baking, use your fingertips to gently dimple dough into even thickness, pressing into corners of baking sheet. 

Spread dough with 1/2 cup of any sauce, if desired, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil, spreading it evenly over the surface.  Add toppings if desired.  Transfer baking sheet to oven and bake until bottom of crust is evenly browned and top is lightly browned in spots, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.

Transfer baking sheet to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes.  Run knife around rim of sheet to loosen pizza.  Transfer pizza to cutting board and cut into 8 rectangles.  Add any additional toppings as desired.

Serves 4 to 6.

From America's Test Kitchen, with minor changes