Roman-Style Pizza

For the dough, combine flour, yeast, and water in a large bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until almost all the flour is incorporated and a shaggy dough forms. (Approximately 2-3 minutes)

Add salt and olive oil to the dough. Continue mixing with the spoon for about 3 minutes until a smooth, very soft, and sticky dough develops. Clean off the spoon and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

Perform the first set of rotating folds: Leaving the dough in the bowl, dampen your hand, reach under the dough at the edge of the bowl, pull it up, and stretch it over the top. Rotate the bowl a few inches and repeat this process about 10-12 times. Then, gather the dough into a ball as best you can, turning the smoothest side up. Cover the bowl, and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Repeat this stretch, fold, and rest process two more times.

Transfer the dough to an oiled container with a lid. Rub the dough with a few drops of olive oil and cover. Refrigerate for 24 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter. With damp hands, gently press and stretch the dough into a square, approximately 15 inches wide. Fold the square in half, and then in half again, to create a rectangle. Fold the rectangle into thirds, and turn it over so that the seam side is down.

Shape the dough back into a neat ball using damp hands. Transfer the dough to an oiled container, rub with a few drops of olive oil, and cover. Refrigerate for an additional 24 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it stand on the counter for 1 hour to come to room temperature.

Meanwhile, prepare the toppings: Cook and stir the sausage in a skillet over medium heat until browned and crumbly, breaking up any clumps with a spatula. (Approximately 10 minutes). Remove the sausage from the pan and set it aside to cool. Add the diced peppers and onions to the same skillet, and cook and stir just until they begin to soften. (Approximately 3-5 minutes). Remove the vegetables from the pan and set them aside.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (250 degrees C). Generously oil a sheet pan with olive oil. You can also place a sheet of parchment paper on the pan to prevent sticking.

Transfer the dough to the prepared sheet pan. Use oiled fingers to press the dough into a rectangle that almost covers the pan. If the dough is too elastic to stay in place, let it rest for a minute, and then continue stretching and pressing it into place.

Drizzle a teaspoon of olive oil over the dough and brush to coat evenly.

Bake the crust in the preheated oven until golden brown. (Approximately 15 minutes). Remove the pizza crust to a cooling rack to cool to room temperature (about 15 minutes). Remove the parchment paper from the pan (if used), then return the crust to the pan.

Spread the crust with pizza sauce, scatter the cooked sausage and vegetables over the sauce, sprinkle with mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheese, and finish with a dusting of Parmesan cheese.

Bake the pizza in the preheated oven until the edges are well browned. (Approximately 15 minutes). Remove the pizza to a cooling rack and let it cool for 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving.