1. To make the sponge, put 425 grams of the water, yeast, rye flour, wheat germ and half your flour (368.5 grams) in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir with a wooden spoon or your hand to combine.

2. Wrap the bowl tightly in plastic wrap, then tie the perimeter with kitchen twine or another piece of plastic wrap to further seal the bowl. Set the dough aside and rest at room temperature (ideally 20 to 21 °C) for 1 ½ hours. 

   Note: You can also let it rest overnight in the fridge if you prefer. (This is Nancy’s go-to method.)

3. Add the remaining 198 grams of water to your sponge, plus the remaining half of the bread flour and the barley malt or honey. Fit the mixer with a dough hook, place the bowl on the mixer stand and mix the dough on low speed for 2 minutes.

4. Add the 14 grams of salt and mix on high speed for 10 minutes, or until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Note that the dough won’t pull so much that it cleans the bowl, but if the dough isn’t pulling away from the sides, throw a small handful of flour into the bowl to make it less sticky.

5. When the dough is done mixing, use olive oil to lightly grease a large bowl (one big enough to hold the dough when it doubles in size).

6. Turn the dough out of the mixer and into the oiled bowl. Wrap the bowl tightly in plastic wrap and tie the perimeter with kitchen twine or another piece of plastic wrap to further seal. Let the dough rest at room temperature (ideally 20 to 21 °C) for 45 minutes.

7. Lightly flour a work surface, then set your dough directly on it. Acting as if the round has four sides, fold the edges of the dough toward the centre. Turn the dough over and set it back in the bowl, folded side down. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap again and set it aside for 45 minutes. Repeat this step one more time for the second fold.

8. Lightly flour your work surface once more and set the dough on it. Divide it into 6 equal portions (each should weigh about 250 grams) using a pizza bench scraper. Alternatively, if you want smaller pizzettes (as in Nancy’s accompanying video), you can weigh out thirteen 115 gram pieces.

9. Lightly flour your hands, then gather each portion of dough into a taut ball. Generously dust a baking sheet with flour, then dip the bottom of the ball in flour and place the dough round on the baking sheet. 

10. Cover the baking sheet with a dishcloth and proof at moderate room temperature ( 20 to 21 °C) for an hour. Alternatively, you can skip transferring the dough to a baking sheet and leave it on the counter to proof instead. 

11. Follow the Scuola di Pizza instructions below to stretch the dough and bake the pizzas.

Scuola di Pizza:

1. When prepping the dough, time it so it’s ready right when you want to make your pizzas. 

2. Preheat your Ooni oven and the baking stone to 500 °C; use an infrared thermometer for a fast, accurate reading.

   Tip: If using a conventional oven, remove the oven racks and place a pizza stone on the floor of the oven; let it preheat for at least an hour. A pizza stone absorbs and distributes heat evenly, which will result in a crispier crust. Make sure to buy a quality stone that won’t crack from extreme heat. In a pinch, you can also use the underside of a thick baking sheet.

3. Choose which pizza(s) you want to make and prepare all of the necessary ingredients. Create a pizza station that includes bowls of olive oil, kosher salt, Nancy’s Passata di Pomodoro, and any toppings you want on your pizzas.

4. Keep a bowl of flour at hand for dusting your countertop. Have a bowl of semolina ready to dust your pizza peel (the tool with a long handle and a large, flat surface for sliding pizzas in and out of the oven). 

5. Once the dough is ready, generously flour your work surface and place one round of dough in the centre of the floured surface. And, if you haven’t already done this, now’s a good time to pour yourself a glass of wine.

6. Use your fingertips as if you were playing piano keys to gently tap on the centre of the dough, flattening it slightly. Leave a 1-inch (2.5 centimetre) ring around the rim untouched to create your crust.

7. Pick up the dough, then make fists with both hands and turn them toward your body. Place the top edge of the dough on your fists so the majority of the round dangles downward against the backs of your hands, away from your body.

8. Rotate the dough gently around your fists (kind of like the hands of a clock) so the dough continuously stretches downward into an even circle. Once the dough has stretched to about 10 inches in diameter, lay it down on the flour-dusted surface. Top your pizza according to the recipe you’ve chosen, making sure to leave a 1-inch rim with no sauce or toppings around the edge.

9. Dust your peel with semolina and slide it under your pizza with one swift push. (You’re less likely to tear your dough with one solid push of the peel than you are with several tentative pushes.) Reshape it on the peel as needed. Shake your peel gently to check if the pizza will slide off easily into the oven. If it’s sticking to the peel, carefully lift one side of the dough and throw some more semolina under it; do this from a few different angles until you’re confident that semolina is under the entire base.

10. Launch the pizza into your Ooni oven. If using a conventional oven, open the door and slide the dough onto the preheated pizza stone, again moving decisively. Pull the peel toward you in one swift motion to leave the pizza on the stone. 

11. Bake the pizza until golden brown and the cornicione, or rim, is crisp and blistered, about 1 to 2 minutes, or 8 to 12 minutes in a conventional oven. (Cooking times will vary depending on the power of your oven.) While your pizza bakes, clear a space on a bamboo serving peel or clean, dry cutting board to set your baked pizza on.

12. Once the pizza is done, slide the peel under the crust, remove it from the oven and place it on the prepared serving peel or cutting board. Use a pizza cutter to slice the pizza. Nancy slices hers into four wedges at the pizzeria, but for parties, she often cuts them into eight pieces so guests each get a slice while it’s still hot.

13. Make another pizza.