So here's why I do what I do...

Does it have to be King Arthur Flour?
Of course not, but after trying many others I have found their flours to be quite high quality and consistent. And they have white whole wheat flour- not many do. They're also 100% american grown and employee owned.

What is white whole wheat flour?
It is a type of whole wheat flour make from a white strain of the grain (rather than the typical rad). It has all of the nutritional value of whole wheat flour, but since it doesn't have the tannins of red wheat, it doesn't possess the stronger taste that some people find objectionable.

What's with all of the chilled ingredients?
Since we're doing a very long, slow ferment or rise, we don't want to activate the yeast during the mixing and kneading process. Keeping the temperature down does that until we get the dough in the fridge.

Once you've tried it - it's also really easy to do. I'll typically put my mixing bowl on our digital kitchen scale and zero it out (called taring). Add the first ingredient up to the required weight, tare again and add the second ingredient, etc.

What's the advantage of the slow rise?
The short version is it tastes better. With the low temperature and very small amount of yeast, the dough will grow very slowly. But this is a good thing. By slowing the yeast down, it allows certain bacteria that came along for the ride to get a head start in producing extra flavor without the yeast over-rising. Want to know more.. check out Peter Reinhart's books for detailed explanations.

Why the baking stones and why such a high temperature?
There are two challenges with pizza... first getting as much rise out of the dough as possible and second, get the top and bottom to finish at the same time.

Almost all of the rise of the dough occurs in the first 30-60 seconds, before the outside of the dough gets crusty and the yeast dies. The higher the temperature, the higher the "pop."

The stone absorbs large amounts of heat during the preheat and then releases it evenly during the cooking. Plus it helps keep the oven at temperature when the door is opened and closed.

By being in direct contact with the bottom of the crust (other than the parchment paper), the stones cook the dough all the way through from the bottom in the few short minutes that it takes the cheese to melt and brown.

Over time, you may want to experiment with the height of the rack in the oven until you find the spot when the top and bottom arrive at the perfect doneness at the same time.