Herb and Onion Pizzettes

In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the flour with the yeast and 1/4 cup of the water. Let stand in a warm place until foamy, about 30 minutes. Stir in 2 1/4 cups of the flour, the remaining 3/4 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of salt to form a soft dough. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until silky and elastic, about 5 minutes; add just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Punch down the dough, cover and let rise for 30 minutes longer. Turn the dough out onto the work surface and divide it into 16 pieces. Let the dough pieces rest for 10 minutes before shaping them into rounds.

Meanwhile, set a pizza stone on a rack in the bottom third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 500°.

Roll out or stretch 4 pieces of dough into 5-inch rounds. Set the rounds on a lightly floured pizza peel or baking sheet and brush with a little of the oil. Scatter some of the onion, parsley, rosemary and thyme on top and season with salt and pepper. Slide as many pizzettes as will fit onto the pizza stone in the oven and bake for about 7 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Cut the pizzettes into wedges and serve hot. Continue making the pizzettes in batches with the remaining ingredients.