Red Fife Artisanal Pizza

Mixing & Storing the Dough: Mix the yeast, salt, sweetener, olive oil and apple cider vinegar with the water in a 5-quart bowl or a lidded (not airtight) food container (I use my crockpot with lid).

Mix in the remaining dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon or a stand mixer. If not using a machine, you may need to use your hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.

Cover (not airtight) and allow it to rest at room temperature for 12-24 hours.

The dough can be used after resting but it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate it in a lidded (not airtight) container and use for pizza or flatbread over the next 7 days (the fermented taste will increase as the week progresses). Or store the dough for up to 4 weeks in the freezer in 1/2 pound portions. When using frozen dough, thaw it in the  refrigerator overnight before use.

Baking Instructions
This is how we make a delicious thin crust pizza. There's lots of ways to bake a pizza out there, feel free to bake however you like, thisis just how we do it:

Prepare your toppings in advance. Thirty minutes before you're ready to bake, preheat a baking stone at your oven's highest
temperature, placed in the bottom third of the oven.

Prepare a pizza peel with flour or cornmeal to prevent pizza from sticking to it when you slide it into the oven.

Divide 1 lb of dough into two balls. Sprinkle the surface of your dough balls with flour so they won't stick to your hands. Roll out your first dough ball onto your prepared pizza peel to produce a 1/8-inch-thick round. When you're finished the dough round will be about 10 inches across, and should have enough flour or cornmeal under it to move easily when you shake the peel.

Add the toppings (sausage is a favourite). We prefer using well-spaced chunks of cheese, which gradually melt and spread (giving the crust a longer opportunity to crisp before the toppings burn).

Slide the pizza onto the preheated stone. This can sometimes be a challenge. With practice it gets easier! As the pizza is cooking, we start preparing our second pizza.

Check for doneness in 8 to 10 minutes. Once done, use a spatula to transfer the pizza onto a plate or baking sheet. Allow to cool slightly so the cheese sets.

Buon appetito!