Before you begin

Turn the light in your oven on to create a warm proofing environment. Do not turn the oven on.

For the sauce

1. Add all of the sauce ingredients to a small bowl. Taste and adjust, then cover and set aside. If making a day ahead, refrigerate until ready to use.
2. If using diced tomatoes, pulse all ingredients in a food processor until it’s broken down but textured (semi-chunky). It should not be completely smooth.

Prep toppings + prepare pan

1. Shred your cheese, then refrigerate until ready to use. Don’t chop your basil until you’re ready to garnish, to prevent it from oxidizing.
2. Pour about 3 to 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to your pizza pan, and be sure to spread the oil along the sides of the pan. Set aside.

For the dough

1. Add the flour, granulated sugar, yeast, and diastatic malt powder (if using) the bowl of your stand mixer and whisk to combine. Pour in the warm water, and mix to combine until no dry pockets of flour remain. When the dough comes together in a sticky yet cohesive ball, cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.
2. After 15 minutes, hook the bowl to the stand mixer and attach the dough hook. Sprinkle the salt over the dough, and mix on medium speed (speed 6 on a KitchenAid) for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough begins to pull away from the bottom of the bowl. See video for visual reference.
3. Use a plastic bowl scraper or rubber spatula to transfer the dough from the mixer bowl to a floured surface.
4. Knead it into a smooth ball for 1 minute. It’s a sticky dough, so don’t freak out. Just add a little more flour (to your hands as well) to help bring it together, about 2 to 3 tablespoons. You’re only adding enough flour to help you gather it into the oiled pan.
5. Place the dough in the center of the oiled pizza pan, and cover the pan (not the dough) with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest for 15-20 minutes in the turned-off oven with just the light on.
6. After 15 to 20 minutes, it’s time to stretch the dough. Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil to your hands and gently press the dough out towards all corners of the pizza pan (it WILL NOT reach the corners and that’s okay, we’re just trying to coax it). Use the palms of your hands and the base of your fingers to gently stretch the dough, lifting it if you need to. See video for reference. If the dough isn’t cooperating (not stretching AT ALL), it needs a little more time to rest (about 10-15 more minutes) before trying again.
7. Once the dough is stretched, cover the pan (not the dough) with plastic wrap and proof for 2 hours (up to 3 hours) in a warm spot. The turned-off oven with the light on is great, but you’ll need to remove the pizza at least 30 minutes before it’s time to preheat the oven. Continue to keep the dough warm by covering it with a tea towel while the oven preheats to 450 degrees F. Example: if you started proofing at 1pm, remove the dough from the oven at 2:30pm and preheat the oven. Set the oven rack to the lower position (about 5 inches above the heating element).
8. After proofing for 2 to 3 hours, the dough should be doubled in size and reaching all corners of the pizza pan (see video for reference). Your oven should have been preheating for at least 30 minutes.

Build the pizza

1. Add small sporadic dollops of Toom Garlic Dip all over the dough, if using.
2. Cover the dough with cheese all the way to the edges of the pan (the amount used here is up to you). I ended up using all of the cheese, but you can use less. I always add a tiny pinch of fine salt to mozzarella because it’s bland, but you don’t have to (and you don’t need much at all). If using the pizza seasoning, add it to the cheese.
3. Arrange the pepperoni all over the cheese, as much or as little as you want.
4. Finish with two to three stripes of the prepared sauce. Just think about how you plan to slice it in order to determine how many sauce stripes and how thick or thin you want them. You could also just dollop the sauce all over, it really doesn’t matter.
5. Bake the pizza on the lower rack of your 450 degree F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cheese in the center is bubbling and lightly spotted brown. Heads up, this can get a little smoky.
6. Remove the pizza from the oven and let it rest in the pan for 2 to 3 minutes. Gently run a butter knife or small offset spatula along the sides of the pizza to loosen it, then transfer it to a baking rack to cool for 5 minutes before cutting.
7. Garnish with parmigiana reggiano, fresh basil.
8. Cut into 6 or 8 slices and serve.
9. Enjoy.