All-dressed and baking on a stone

For James MacGuire's tips on making the ultimate crust click here

4 cups (520 g) unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 slightly heaped teaspoon instant yeast

11/2 teaspoons (10 g) salt

13/4 cups (400 mL) water

1. Place the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl and mix just to blend. Pour the water into the centre of the flour mixture, and gently mix with one hand, bringing the flour in from the sides. Mix only enough to incorporate all the flour and form a coarse dough - 60 to 90 seconds should suffice. Cover and allow to rest for five minutes.
2. Once again using one hand to seize the dough and the other to turn the bowl, lift the dough a few inches from the edges and plunge it into the centre of the bowl. Go all the way around the bowl, repeating this movement about 20 times. This should take only about two minutes, but you will probably be surprised by the dough's gain in strength: it will still be rough, but should start to come away from the sides of the bowl and form a ball. Cover, and allow to ferment at about 70F (21C). The fermentation of the kneaded dough should last three hours.
3. After the first hour, fold the dough over itself, as before, but in only four or five movements. Cover. Repeat this after the second hour.
4. At the end of the third hour, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Roll the pieces gently but firmly into two balls. If using immediately, cover with a dish towel and allow to rest while you preheat your oven and prepare your ingredients. If not, place the dough balls on a floured cookie sheet, sprinkle lightly with flour, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
5. To make the pizza: Preheat your oven to 550 degrees F (275C) or the highest temperature it will go, and place a pizza stone in the middle of the oven. For two large or thick-crust pizzas, hand-shape each dough ball into a 10- to 12-inch (25-30 cm) round, slip onto a floured baker's peel (or you can always use an old LP), quickly cover with toppings and slide onto the hot pizza stone. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the crust and cheese are golden brown (the underside of the crust should be a deep golden brown).
6. For smaller or thinner pizzas, cut each ball in half and shape into an 8-inch (20 cm) round (avoid rolling the dough with a rolling pin, which tends to result in a compact and lifeless crust).