Easy No Knead Pizza Focaccia

Instructions

For the dough -

1. Warm your water to around 40-45C. If you don't have a thermometer, the water should feel just slightly warm when you touch. It should not feel hot. It should feel pleasantly warm.
2. Take a large bowl as the dough will rise to almost 3 times its actual size. In the bowl add the water, yeast and jaggery. Give it a stir.
3. If you are using Active dry yeast, leave this mixture for 10-15 minutes until it turns frothy. If you are using Instant yeast, you can straight away add the flours.
4. Add the aata (whole wheat flour) and maida (all purpose flour) to the bowl, followed by salt and extra virgin olive oil. Give it a very good mix with a silicon or wooden spatula. All the dry flour should be evenly incorporated.
5. Whisk this dough with the spatula for 2-3 minutes. Cover it with a lid or foil or plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place for 30 minutes to prove.
6. After 30 minutes, uncover the dough, dip your hands in some water, grab one part of the dough from one of the edges, stretch it up and drop it on the opposite side of the bowl. Repeat this process until you have covered dough all around the bowl. This is one round of stretch and fold.
7. Cover the dough again and set it aside in a warm place for another 30 mins.
8. Perform one more round of stretch and fold all around the dough. Cover the dough again and set it aside in a warm place for another 30 mins. We have to do this stretch and fold technique 4-5 times in total (at the very least 3 times).
9. After the final stretch and fold, drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top of the dough and spread it over the top surface. Cover the dough and leave it at room temperature for 1 hr or place the dough in the fridge overnight.
10. Keeping the dough in the fridge will give you a fluffier texture.
11. Now take a 9X16 pan or two 8 inch or 9 inch cast iron skillets. Grease it with 2 tbsp of olive oil. If you want to use a parchment paper, add the olive oil on top of the parchment paper.
12. Add the dough to the prepared pan and gently stretch it to the edges as evenly as you can.
13. Cover the dough with a kitchen town or a clean cloth and keep it in a warm place to prove for around 1-2 hours until the dough doubles in size.
14. When the dough is proving in the pan, it is time to make the pizza sauce.

For the pizza sauce -

1. Add the chopped tomatoes, garlic and basil in a blender jar and blend it until a smooth paste forms. If needed, add 1 tbsp of water.
2. Place a pan on medium heat and add extra virgin olive oil. Add the blended tomato mixture along with salt and jaggery.
3. Let it come to a boil, reduce the flame to low and cover the pan. Cook it until the sauce thickens. Switch off the heat.
4. Add in the crushed black peppers and give it a final mix.

For the pizza

1. Once the dough has doubled in size, gently spread the pizza sauce all over the top. Add some extra virgin olive oil and grease your fingertips too.
2. Now gently spread the pizza sauce lightly and press down into the dough with all your fingers and thumb. Be gentle but press deep into the dough. Repeat this all over the top of the dough.
3. Bake this in the lower rack of a preheated oven at 200C for around 15 minutes depending on your oven, until the top starts to turns golden.
4. Take the pan out of the oven and add grated cheese all over the top. Bake it for another 10-15 minutes until all the cheese is nicely melted.
5. Slice the pizza into wedges or squares, top with some fresh basil and enjoy!