Crustbuster

Adapted from Jandre Food Films’ Recreating Ceres (Patreon), a home-oven take on the slice from Ceres on New York’s Lower East Side.

Start with the New York Sourdough. It begins with a levain built from your starter 6–12 hours before mixing, then needs 24–48 hours in the fridge, so plan for 2–3 days ahead.

Prep (while the oven heats)

1. Sauce. Mill the tomatoes and season them well with salt.
2. Fresh mozzarella. Dice it small and press it between paper towels for 30 minutes to pull out the extra liquid.
3. Low-moisture mozzarella. Grate it coarsely. Have the Parmigiano and a fine grater ready.

Bake: home oven

1. Preheat for a full 60 minutes at 550°F with a baking steel on the upper-middle rack, 6–8 inches below the broiler.
2. Stretch on a counter well dusted with rice flour. Press the air from the center out to leave a narrow rim, then stretch over your knuckles to a thin 14–15-inch round. Move it to a peel dusted with rice flour.
3. Top: a thin layer of sauce right up to the rim, a sparse scatter of the fresh mozzarella cubes, then a light, even layer of the grated mozzarella.
4. Bake 7 minutes on the steel with the door closed, to set the bottom.
5. Broil on high for 1–2 minutes. Watch it the whole time. Stop when the rim is blistered dark brown.
6. Rest 2 minutes on a wire rack, so steam doesn’t soften the bottom. Shower with Parmigiano and cut big slices.