Step 1

Place the water in a large bowl. Mix together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

Step 2

Add dry ingredients to water a bit at a time and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon to form a dry rough mass.

Step 3

Pour the oil over the dough, mix it in, and place all the rough dough onto a work surface. A large plastic cutting board works well to avoid any sticking.

Step 4

Knead the dough for 5 minutes.  If the dough is too sticky, place a clean bowl inverted over the dough and wait 30 minutes before resuming.  Return to kneading after 30 minutes and make sure to knead the dough for at least 5 minutes total.

Step 5

Place the bowl over the dough once more and let sit for 30-40 minutes to warm up.

Step 6

Divide the dough into 4 equal-sized balls, weighing them to ensure they are roughly 345 grams (or 12 ounces) each.

Step 7

Pull the dough towards its end repeatedly to form a smooth ball.  Pinch the seam side and leave it on the bottom.  Place the dough balls into an oiled bowl (use 1 tablespoon of olive oil and wipe it all over the bowl) and cover with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for at least 24 hours before using.

Step 8

Remove the dough from the refrigerator at least 2 hours prior to shaping.

Step 9

Add the salt to the crushed tomatoes and mix. Place pizza steel on the second highest rack of the oven. Preheat the oven to the highest temperature for 45 minutes prior to shaping dough. Sprinkle semolina flour onto your wooden pizza peel and sprinkle regular flour onto a large work surface.

Step 10

Carefully remove the dough ball from the container, without degassing, and drop it into a large container with flour. Flip the doughball over, then place the dough ball onto your floured work surface with the sticky side up (the side that faced down in the proofing container is the sticky side).

Step 11

Begin opening the doughball by pressing down on the dough with fingertips to gently stretch it out. Form an outside crust or rim but don't touch the rim. Leave more thickness in the center of the dough. Rotate the dough (2-3 times) and gently stretch it to make it get larger.

Step 12

Bring the dough onto the knuckles of your hands and with the sticky dough side facing up, stretch the dough to form a 15-16" circle. Once the circle is formed place it onto the wooden peel.

Step 13

Make any gentle adjustments to stretch the pizza round, being careful to not deflate the rim. Hold the wooden peel and make sure the pizza moves back and forth. If it sticks at all add more semolina flour under the pizza and test again.

Step 14

Spread the crushed tomato and salt mixture onto the pizza and then the mozzarella cheese taking care to not touch the rim. Sprinkle the oregano and Pecorino Romano onto the pizza.

Step 15

Using an infrared digital thermometer, test that the pizza steel is at least 590f. Once the steel is hot enough carefully launch the pizza onto the steel and close the oven door. Rotate the pizza with a metal peel after 3 minutes and remove with the metal peel when done (approximately 6-7 minutes total cooking time).

Step 16

Use a pizza cutting wheel to cut the pizza into 8 slices and enjoy your homemade New York pizza!