Ingredients

FOR THE DOUGH:
• 2 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 1 cup water, heated to 110 degrees
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 1/2 cups (1 lb 2 oz) all-purpose flour, plus more if needed
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil for greasing pan
• grated parmesan for garnish
FOR THE SAUCE:
• 2 1/2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes (about 6)
• 29 oz tomato puree (3 cups)
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

FOR THE DOUGH:
1. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast with the warm water and sugar. Stir to dissolve and let stand 5 minutes until it looks foamy.
2. Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the flour to the bowl. Dissolve salt in 2 tablespoons of water and add it to the mixture. Pour in 1/4 cup olive oil. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium. Stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Mix until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding more flour if necessary. The dough should be like warm, elastic play-doh when it’s done. (Note: If you don’t have a stand mixer with dough hook, just knead it old-school by hand until you’ve reached the right consistency.)
3. Form the dough into a round and place in an oiled bowl, turn to coat the entire ball with oil so it doesn’t form a skin. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
4. One hour before baking, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position, place baking stone on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. (Note: If you don’t have a baking stone, use an overturned rimmed baking sheet.)
5. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and coat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Place the dough on the baking sheet, slide it around to coat the bottom and sides with oil, then flip dough over and slide it around again. Using fingertips, press dough out toward edges of pan, taking care not to tear it. (If dough resists stretching, let it relax for 5 to 10 minutes before trying to walk it out again.) Using a fork, poke entire surface of dough 25-30 times, popping any large bubbles. Cover pan with plastic and let dough rest for 30 minutes. The dough should become slightly bubbly.
6. Place pan on baking stone (or overturned baking sheet) and lower oven temperature to 425 degrees. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes (or until top is lightly golden). Top with tomato sauce, rotate pan, and bake for another 10 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove the tomato pie from the pan by lifting the overhanging parchment paper and return to the rack to finish cooling. (Note: If you didn’t use the paper, loosen the pie from the pan using a metal spatula while it’s still warm to prevent sticking.) Top with some grated parmesan and serve warm or at room temperature.
FOR THE SAUCE:
7. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
8. Slice the tomatoes in half, or quarters if they’re large. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and roast in oven for 30 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, combine the rest of the ingredients in a large saucepan and let simmer until thickened. Add roasted tomatoes when they’re done and mix until there are no large chunks (you can puree the roasted tomatoes first if you want to get precise about it). Continue to simmer until most of the water has evaporated and the sauce is thick. Set aside for the tomato pie. (Note: This can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator in an air-tight container until ready to use. You’ll have more sauce than you need for the pie.)