Neapolitan-Style Margherita Pizza with Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil

Mix the dough. The day before, stir the yeast into the 260ml cool water in the large bowl, add the flour and mix by hand until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest for 20 minutes, then sprinkle over the salt and knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and springy. The dough will feel soft and slightly tacky, so resist adding much flour; the early rest lets the flour hydrate, making kneading quicker.

First rise. Cover the bowl and leave the dough at room temperature for 2 hours. It should look slightly risen and feel airy. This short warm rise gets the yeast going before the long chill.

Ball and chill. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces of about 165g. Fold the edges of each into the centre, turn it seam-down and curve your hands around it to tighten it into a smooth ball. Place each in a lightly floured lidded container and refrigerate for 24-48 hours; the slow, cold rise develops flavour and relaxes the gluten so the dough stretches easily.

Bring to room temperature. Take the balls out of the fridge 2 hours before baking and leave them covered at room temperature. They are ready when they look puffy and soft. Cold dough fights back when stretched, while warmed dough relaxes and holds its shape.

Preheat stone and oven. Set the stone or steel on the top shelf, about 15cm below the grill (broiler), and heat the oven to its highest setting, at least 250°C (fan ovens 250°C fan or their maximum), for at least 45 minutes and ideally 1 hour. A fully heated stone stores enough energy to cook the base fast, giving a crisp, spotted underside. An oven thermometer helps, as many ovens run cooler than the dial suggests.

Prepare sauce and cheese. Drain the tomatoes in the sieve for 10 minutes and discard the juice, then blend until just smooth, giving about 250g sauce, roughly 4 tbsp per pizza. Pat the torn mozzarella dry on kitchen paper and leave it there while you shape the first base. Removing excess liquid from both keeps the pizza from turning soggy.

Shape by hand. Flour one ball well and press the centre flat with your fingertips, leaving a 2cm rim untouched. Lift it and stretch it over the backs of your hands, turning, to a 25cm round, then lay it on the semolina-dusted peel. Skip the rolling pin, which squeezes out the gas the rim needs to puff.

Top the base. Spread 4 tbsp sauce thinly to within 2cm of the edge, scatter over a quarter of the mozzarella and drizzle with 1 tsp of the oil. Give the peel a small shake to check the base slides freely. A light hand with toppings lets the dough cook through quickly.

Bake under the grill. Switch the grill (broiler) to high, slide the pizza onto the stone or steel and bake for 5-7 minutes, turning once halfway. It is ready when the rim is puffed and blistered with dark spots, the cheese has melted and the underside is browned when lifted with a spatula. If the top races ahead of the base, switch the grill off for the last 1-2 minutes; afterwards return to top heat and let the stone recover for 5 minutes between pizzas.

Finish and repeat. Move the pizza to the wire rack, scatter over 4 basil leaves and the rest of its oil, and rest for 1 minute so the topping settles before cutting. Resting on a rack keeps the base from steaming and softening. Repeat with the remaining dough.