Ingredients
330 ml warm water
14 g active dry yeast
60 ml olive oil
60 ml melted butter
10 g white sugar
8 g fine salt
120 g cornmeal
450 g all-purpose flour
10 ml olive oil, divided
900 ml pizza sauce
115 g sliced provolone cheese
225 g fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed
450 g spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
115 g shredded part-skim, low-moisture mozzarella cheese
60 g Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
15 ml olive oil
Directions
Step 1
In a stand mixer bowl with a paddle attachment, pour in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the water and let it dissolve for about 10 minutes. Add olive oil, melted butter, sugar, salt, cornmeal, and most of the flour in that order. Knead the dough, occasionally scraping down the sides and adding more flour as needed, until it becomes smooth and elastic.
Step 2
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knead in extra flour if necessary. Roll the dough into a ball and place it in a bowl greased with 5 ml of olive oil. Cover the bowl with a plate and let the dough rise in a warm spot until it doubles in volume, which takes 1 to 2 hours.
Step 3
While the dough is rising, simmer the pizza sauce in a pot over low heat until it becomes very thick, which should take 1 to 1.5 hours.
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 220°C.
Step 5
Poke the dough to deflate it and then transfer it onto your work surface. Press and stretch the dough into a round shape that is 7.5 to 10 cm larger than a 30 cm cast iron skillet. Brush the skillet with 7.5 ml of olive oil. Place the dough into the skillet, stretching and pulling to evenly distribute it over the bottom and sides of the skillet.
Step 6
Layer the fillings and toppings in the following order: Lay the provolone cheese over the bottom of the crust. Scatter the fresh mozzarella over the provolone, then add the Italian sausage and firm mozzarella. Generously ladle pizza sauce over the top. Grate Parmesan cheese over the pizza sauce, then fold the edges of the crust in towards the center to seal in the sides. Drizzle 15 ml of olive oil over the crust and center of the pizza.
Step 7
Bake the pizza in the center of the preheated oven until the crust sounds hollow when tapped and the pizza is beautifully browned, which should take about 35 minutes. Let the pizza rest for 10 minutes before slicing.