Nancy Silverton's Tomato-Oregano Pizza

In a medium bowl, crumble 1/2 teaspoon of the yeast into 1/2 cup of lukewarm water. Let stand until the yeast dissolves, 3 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup of the bread flour until incorporated. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the sponge is bubbly and thickened, 12 to 18 hours.

Lightly coat a large bowl with olive oil. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the sponge with 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons of lukewarm water. With the mixer at low speed, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of yeast and 3 1/4 cups of bread flour and mix until combined, scraping down the side of the bowl, 2 minutes. Add the salt and mix at medium speed until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, 7 minutes. Scrape the dough onto a floured surface and knead into a ball; transfer to the prepared bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface. Fold the top and bottom of the dough toward the center, then fold in the right and left sides; flip the dough over and return it to the bowl, folded side down. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 hour.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide into nine 4-ounce pieces. Shape each one into a ball and transfer to the baking sheet; brush the tops with oil. Loosely cover with a kitchen towel and let stand for 1 hour.

In a food processor, puree the tomatoes until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the remaining ingredients except the garnishes.

Preheat the oven to 500°. Lightly grease four 8-inch cake pans with oil. Place 1 ball of dough in the cake pan and use your fingers to press and flatten the dough until it covers the bottom of the pan. Spread 3 tablespoons of the sauce all over the dough. Repeat with 3 more dough balls and more sauce. Bake the pizzas for about 10 minutes, until the bottoms are crisp and golden. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with sea salt and oregano; serve hot. Repeat with the remaining dough and sauce.