Autolyse (60 minutes)
In a large pot, combine 300 grams of all-purpose flour and 210 grams of warm water. Mix just until all the flour has been hydrated. Cover and let the flours rest at least 60 minutes.
Make Dough (10 minutes)
Add the starter to the dough. Incorporate the starter by squeezing it through your fingers.
Oil is not part of the original Italian dough recipe, but this is because Italian pizzas are cooked in open wood ovens at a higher temperature (700 degrees F). Therefore the cooking is faster (4 minutes), so the dough doesn’t have time to dry up. Humidity is indeed a key factor for dough softness and taste. When cooking at 500 degrees F, a bit of oil can preserve the dough from drying up.
Sprinkle 6 grams of salt (and 20 grams of olive oil if necessary) over the dough. Poke your fingers into the dough to press some salt (and oil) deep inside, then fold over itself about a dozen times or so to incorporate the salt (and oil).
Knead for 2 minutes. Cover the bowl again; the bulk fermentation has begun. If the environment is cold and/or dry, then keep the bowl in the microwave with a small bowl of boiled water.
Bulk Fermentation (~4 hours)
During the first two hours stretch-and-fold the dough every 20 minutes. For each stretch-and-fold, first wet your hand to prevent excessive sticking. Then reach under the dough, grab the bottom and pull up the dough up as far as possible, and then turn it back on top of itself. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat 7 more times. Recover the bowl. If the environment is cold and/or dry, re-boil the water before putting the dough back in the microwave.
If your dough does not seem very elastic, you can repeat the stretch-and-fold process two more times, with a thirty-minute rest in between each. If the dough becomes difficult to stretch and does not want to bounce back, let it rest.
For the final two hours, just let the dough rest. Bulk fermentation is complete when the dough has doubled in size, has a few nice big bubbles on the surface, and a slightly shiny appearance.
Proof (2 hours or overnight)
If baking immediately, allow the dough to prove at room temperature for two hours, or until it slowly springs back when poked. If time allows, proof in the fridge for 8-12 hours. This allows the gluten to develop further and results in much better flavor.
Preheat
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. If using pizza stone, preheat it for 1 hour.
Divide and Shape (10 minutes)
Take the dough out of the container onto your unfloured work surface. Sprinkle some flour on top of your dough and divide in two equal halves. Take a half, flip it over and pull each of 4 edges from under onto the top. Flip the folded dough over so the seam is on the unfloured work surface. The work surface grabs the bottom of the dough slightly as you form the boule (ball). Place your fingers on the lower back side of the boule and pull it a few inches towards you. Rotate the boule and repeat until the loose boule is formed with a taught, smooth surface. Be careful to do this process gently so as not to release the gases that have allowed the dough to rise. Repeat with the other half.
Stretch each boule into a 12 inch pizza. Do not use a rolling pin! Sprinkle a pizza peel with cornmeal and place pizza dough on the peel. Cover with pizza ingredients. Bake for as long as necessary.
Notes
This recipe contains 325 grams of flour and 235 grams of water which results in 72% hydration. This assumes that the starter is at 100% hydration.