• Oil a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil (you can line it with parchment paper first, if you want); set aside.
• In a small mixing bowl combine the active dry yeast and warm water. Let sit 5-10 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast mixture, sourdough discard, flour, salt and olive oil. Stir the ingredients together with a spoon until a shaggy dough forms
• Turn out the dough onto an unfloured work surface, and knead by hand 3-4 minutes until a cohesive and semi-smooth dough forms. It will still have a slightly rough surface but it will make a nice dough ball. Bench rest 10 minutes covered.
• Divide it into the desired number of portions, depending on the size of the pizzas you want to make. This recipe yields enough for 2 medium-sized pizzas or 4 individual pizzas.
• Shape the dough: Start with one piece of dough and fold all four corners into the center. Flip it over, seam-side down and then tighten the dough into a ball by cupping it in both hands and pulling it towards you. Rotate and repeat. Place shaped dough on an oiled baking sheet and repeat with remaining pieces.
• Place each ball on the oiled sheet. Rub a little olive oil on the top of the dough. Wrap each tightly in plastic wrap (this prevents skin from forming on the dough) and place in the refrigerator for 24-72 hours.
• About 30 – 60 minutes before you plan to shape and cook the pizzas, remove the dough from the refrigerator.

How to shape this pizza dough:

• Before I shape and build my first pizza, one of my personal preferences is to make sure I have all of my ingredients on hand and my oven is preheated to at least 500°F with a stone or baking sheet inside.
• Lightly dust a work surface with semolina flour. Take one piece of dough and place on the semolina. Lightly flour your hands in either Caputo flour or semolina and make an indentation around the dough where you want the crust to end. This allows you to maintain a fatter crust while you thin and stretch the rest of the pizza dough. I typically make the crust about ½ inch thick for a 12 inch pizza, but it is up to you. A thinner crust will allow you to make a larger pizza but you will not get as thick and fluffy a crust.
• Starting from the outside edges, underneath the crust indentation, gently begin stretching the dough by placing the fingers of both hands on the dough and pulling apart while it is still resting on the work surface. Rotate the dough counter clockwise and then repeat the stretching and pulling, gradually making the pizza larger and the center dough thinner.
• Stop when your pizza diameter is approximately 10-12 inches.
• Transfer the pizza with extra bench flour or semolina onto a pizza peel for easy transfer and a nice crispy crust. I like to build the pizza on the peel to maintain the shape and make it easier!
• Spread up to 1/3 cup pizza sauce on the pizza, top with shredded low-moisture mozzarella and any other desired toppings. Favorite toppings in my house include: fresh sliced mozzarella, sliced mushrooms, onions and peppers; pepperoni or homemade turkey sausage; and leftover vegetables. Ok, maybe the last one is just me trying to sneak more veggies on my son and husband’s pizza!

How to bake:

• Give the pizza peel a little shake to check and make sure that the pizza moves freely. If not, the trick is to lift and toss a little flour or semolina under the spot that is sticking.
• Open the door of the preheated oven and slide the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone using the peel. I find it easiest to line it up in the back and let it slide off the peel into place as you remove the peel. Alternately just put the baking sheet with the pizza in the preheated oven.
• 500°F is hot, so a pizza of this size will bake quickly. It will only take 5-7 minutes on a pizza stone. Baked on a baking sheet, it will be closer to 8-10 minutes.
• When the pizza crust is golden brown and puffed, take a peek underneath the crust using tongs. If the bottom is crispy and golden, then the pizza is done!
• Use tongs to remove it from the stone, or oven mitts to remove the baking sheet from the oven. Use tongs to transfer the pizza to a cutting board, and slice!