Caprese Pizza Recipe

Prepare the pizza dough. In a large bowl, use a spoon to combine the all-purpose flour, active dry yeast and water. 

When the dough is almost mixed and the lumps are mostly gone, add the salt, and then the oil. (See notes 2.)  

Flip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it gently by folding the dough in half, over itself, towards you. Grab the dough by the two corners facing you, and pick it up like an envelope, and turn it 90 degrees, and place it back on the floured board. Repeat this motion a few times, without really kneading the bread. Fold and turn, fold and turn. It will seem very sticky at first, but when you get the hang of it, it gets easier. When the dough becomes elastic, place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, and let rest for 15 minutes. Repeat the folding and resting step 2-3 more times. Do not knead and just fold the dough. By the 3rd time, the dough will be springy and not sticky. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover it very tightly and let it rise in the produce drawer of the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. It should have doubled in volume. If not, it means that the fridge is too cold and it needs to rise at room temperature. Preheat the oven to the hottest setting it has (250°C/480°F).

Lightly flour a board and gently flatten with hands the dough starting from the center to create a depression for the topping. Don’t press too much instead caress with fingertips and palms to flatten the dough to fit it into the pan. The important thing is not to be violent with the dough. You want to be very gentle, massage the dough, and seek to retain the bubbles of air that have formed overnight. When the dough is the same size as the pan, gently lift it on your forearms, not on your fingers, and place it on the pan. You can also put the dough directly in the oiled pan and gently stretch it with your fingertips. 

Let the dough rise for 15 minutes and bake until golden.

Make the topping. Cut the tomatoes into pieces and lightly salt them. After a few minutes drain the juice they have released. 

Distribute the tomatoes on top of the pizza, add the mozzarella slices, the basil and the olive oil. You can either serve it now or heat it a few minutes in the oven over medium heat without really baking the topping.

Serve and enjoy!