Place the water in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the plain and whole wheat flour together with the yeast. Add the water to the flour and mix with your fingertips or a spoon until no dry bits remain and the dough starts to come together. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 20 minutes to allow for the autolyse. 

Add the salt and work it into the dough using your hands. If the dough is too stiff, add a little water and knead, using scooping and digging motions to develop the gluten. Continue kneading until the dough just begins to become smooth, about 4 to 5 minutes. 

Tip: If adding more water to the dough, don’t add more than 50 grams.

Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled dough box or stainless steel bowl. Cover with the lid or a clean kitchen towel, set aside, and let it rest for 2 hours at room temperature. Perform a stretch and fold every 20 minutes during the first hour and once during the second hour for a total of 4 folds. 

Tip: Dan prefers to use a coil fold here. To do this, grab the dough at the 10 and 2 position about ⅔ of the way down. Lift the dough until it starts to hang, then tuck it under itself. Repeat this process until there is nothing left to grab onto, and you have a coil shape at each end of the dough. Rotate the bowl or box 180° and repeat this process on the other side.

After 2 hours, put the lid on the box or cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to rest overnight. If there’s no gas production – if you don’t see the dough expanding or bubbles forming – after 2 hours, set the bowl aside at room temperature until the dough has increased in volume by at least 20% before transferring it back to the fridge. (There will be a little more gas development overnight.)

The next day, take the dough out of the fridge. Using a digital scale and dough scraper for accuracy, divide the dough into approximately six 250 to 260-gram dough balls. Place the dough balls on a lightly floured baking tray (just be sure to cover the dough with a kitchen towel) or dough box and cover. Proof at room temperature for 2 to 4 hours or until the dough has doubled in size and is no longer cold to the touch. 

Tip: Once your dough has doubled in size, if you want to freeze any balls to have on hand for later, now is the time! Simply place each ball into a separate lidded container with a light layer of olive oil to prevent sticking and place in the freezer (they will last for up to 3 months).

Before stretching and topping your dough, fire up your oven. Aim for 340 to 370 °C (650 to 700 °F) on your pizza stone. You can check this quickly, accurately and from a safe distance with an infrared thermometer.

Place the first dough ball on a lightly floured surface. Flour your hands and use your fingertips to press the dough into a small, flat disc. Working from the centre, push the dough outwards while spreading your fingers, making the disc slightly bigger. Give it a flip and press it out into a circle of about 12 inches (30 centimetres) in diameter. Gently stretch it further with the back of your hands if needed. 

If making a Margherita pizza: Top the dough with a bit less than 80 grams of crushed tomatoes and 100 grams of freshly torn mozzarella. Drizzle the pizza with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt, if desired. Transfer to a lightly floured pizza peel. 

Launch the pizza into the oven and rotate every 15 to 20 seconds for an even bake. The pizza should be ready in 3 to 4 minutes. 

Remove the pizza from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Drizzle it with more extra-virgin olive oil if desired. Add about 6 to 8 torn pieces of fresh basil, slice, serve and enjoy! Repeat the steps with the second dough ball.