Baking Class: Sourdough Pizza Crust

I have been enjoying the fresh corn from Smits Farm all summer and have been making all of my favorite corn dishes. One thing I had not made in a while was a corn and zucchini pizza, which is one of my favorite combinations.

I've been working on my sourdough crust and I believe I have found what works best for me. I had originally converted my original conventional yeast recipe into a sourdough recipe without making any other changes with some success, but when I switched to using all 00 flour (which makes the best pizza crust, in my opinion) the dough did not seem to stretch out as far as my earlier white whole wheat/bread flour combination so I tweaked the proportions and came up with this recipe, which is perfect for two large or three smaller pies. If it seems too intimidating to make three pizzas all at the same time, the dough will last up to about six days in the refrigerator and can even be frozen. I am sure this is not going to be my final, final recipe as there is always room for improvement, but I have not felt the need to experiment any further with it which is always a good sign.

Home Cookin v9.81 Chapter: My Recipes SOURDOUGH PIZZA CRUST 175g (about 1 cup) active starter
360g (about 1-1/2 cups) water
585g (about 4-3/4 cups) 00 flour
3 Tbsp olive oil
12g (1-1/2 tsp) salt
6 (1-1/2 tsp) sugar

Add the water to the starter and mix together well. Add the oil, then stir in the sugar and salt.

Add the flour, a cup at a time, until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour as necessary to keep it from sticking.

Form dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use, anywhere from one to five days.

When ready to make the pizza remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Depending on the size of your peel, baking stone and oven separate the dough into two or three balls. Using a little flour if necessary, pat out the dough to your desired thickness and place on the baking sheet or pizza peel. Top as desired and bake in a preheated 450° to 500° oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the top is golden brown and bubbly.

15 February 2020

Exported from Home Cookin v9.81