Directions:

Pour water into large mixing bowl; add salt and stir or swish until salt is dissolved.

Add yeast to water, letting it rest there for a minute to hydrate, then swish around until it's dissolved.

Add flour, mixing by hand or spatula, stirring gently to integrate ingredients into a single mass of dough. Then lightly knead dough, folding dough back and forth into a unified mass, for a minute or two to incorporate some air into the dough.

Let dough rest for 15 minutes, then knead again on a lightly floured countertop with floured hands for 2-3 minutes, without adding more flour, incorporating air into the dough as you fold and knead it, until dough is smooth all around.

Place dough ball seam side down in lightly oiled dough tub and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Hold dough for 20 minutes, covered, at room temperature for first rise.

Divide dough in half (each one will make one large pizza crust). Moderately flour a work surface and with floured hands, gently ease dough out of tub onto work surface.

Shape each dough half into a medium-tight round shape:

1. Take a piece of dough, stretch 1/3 of it sideways until it resists, then fold it back over the main piece of dough. Repeat, working your way around the dough and forming it into a round. The dough ball will develop tension and form smooth outer skin as you repeat folding action. Stop when dough is roughly circular shape.

2. Flip dough over and put seam on work area cleared of flour. Cup your hands around the back of the dough ball as you face it, and with pinky fingers of both hands, make contact with dough ball where it meets surface of countertop. Pull the entire dough ball 4-5 inches toward you on the clean, unfloured surface, leading with pinkies and applying enough downward pressure as you pull so dough ball grips work surface and doesn't just slide across it. As you pull, the ball will tighten up.

3. Give the dough a turn and repeat this tightening step one or two more times until dough is rounded; avoid any visible tears on the outer skin of the dough (it should be smooth).

Repeat process with remaining ball of dough. Place dough balls on lightly floured dinner plates or a baking sheet, leaving space between them to allow for expansion. Lightly flour tops, cover airtight with plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 8-10 hours.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Roll pizza dough out onto pizza stones, top with desired toppings, and bake in heated oven for 8-12 minutes, depending on desired doneness. Alternatively, roll dough out and bake for 3 minutes before adding toppings, and then bake for another 5-8 minutes.