Homemade sourdough pizza with a chewy crust made with 4 ingredients and topped with gooey mozzarella and tangy marinara.
I don't think I've ever met a single soul in life who doesn't like pizza; there are so many varieties, variations and toppings to form your perfect pie. But, what do they all have in common? A beautiful blank canvas aka: a pillowy, chewy crust! Now, there are two different ends of the spectrum, from a crispy thin crust to a thick Chicago style deep dish and everything in between. Right in the middle lies my sourdough pizza crust. Its:
flavorful
chewy
crispy on the outside
soft on the inside
perfectly bubbly
I like to plan pizza nights a few days in advance and enjoy having the dough ready to go on nights when all I have to do is heat the oven and add the toppings. It's a perfect meal to have prepped and ready to bake, and a great way to involve friends and/or family to build their own pizzas! Who doesn't love a homemade pizza party?
BAKING TIP: PREHEATING A PIZZA STONE OR BAKING SHEET BEFORE BAKING WILL GIVE THE PIZZA A CRISPY CRUST AND A NICE RISE
tips before starting/TROUBLESHOOTING:
Tip #1:
Definitely make sure you allot yourself enough time to prep the dough before you intend to bake it off. It's a small process, but once you get into a groove of making this recipe a few times, it'll be easy as pie. *wink*
TIP #2:
If you don't have access to a pizza stone, preheating a cookie sheet is the next best alternative to get a crispy crust and nice rise. I like to flip my cookie sheet over and use the bottom side up to place the pizza on- don't forget the cornmeal so it doesn't stick!
TIP #3:
Climate and humidity are big factors in relation to the bulk fermentation (rise). Keep an eye on the dough and ensure it does not over proof/rise more than double it's size. A hot environment will speed your fermentation exponentially and lessen the time needed for bulk fermentation, while a cold environment will delay the time. If your kitchen is cold or prone to a draft, I recommend keeping your bowl in your oven TURNED OFF and the oven light on. This will give a relatively warm environment for your dough to rise away from any drafts from windows or AC units.
NO KNEAD SOURDOUGH PIZZA
Prep time: Cook time: Yield:
6 Hours 15 Minutes 2-12 in. Pizzas
ingredients
350 g. Filtered Water
120 g. Active Sourdough Starter*
75 g. Whole Wheat Flour**
425 g. Bread Flour***
10 g. Kosher Salt****
*for topping/baking*
Cornmeal for dusting
Drizzle of Olive oil
Garlic cloves or powder as desired
Tomato sauce
Plant-based mozzarella cheese
Fresh basil
Heirloom Tomatoes
Anything else you love to top your pizza with! :)
*extra tools for ease/quality*
Preferred pizza stone
Silicone baking mat or parchment paper
Bench scraper
METHOD
ALLOW 6 HOURS TO HAVE ACCESS TO DOUGH FOR PREP. (I start in the morning and make sure I'll be home for the 6 hours following to tend to the dough before putting it in the refrigerator).
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and lightly mix together to incorporate; just making sure most of the dry flour is absorbed. Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside for 30 minutes; this will be our autolyze.
Lightly wet hands and gently grab and lift 1 side of the dough up and onto itself in the bowl. Rotate your bowl 90 degrees and repeat until 8-10 folds are done. Let sit covered with a towel for another 30 minutes.
Repeat step 3 for another set of folds, and let sit in the bowl covered with a kitchen towel for 3-6 hours for bulk fermentation (or until doubled in size! Temperature will be a factor).
Turn dough out onto a clean counter and divide into 2 equal pieces.
Take one piece and start to shape into a ball by pinching sides together and flipping over with a bench scraper. Proceed to pull the dough toward you with both hands while tucking pinky fingers under the ball to pull taught. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
Place both shaped balls of dough into lightly oiled containers or bowls- making sure they have adequate space for the dough to grow in size. Set aside covered for 1 hour, then place in refrigerator overnight or up to 2-3 days.
When ready to bake, take dough out and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
While dough is coming to room temperature, preheat oven with a pizza stone inside to 500°F/260°C.
For easy transfer to pizza stone, start shaping pizza dough into a 12 inch circle on a silicone baking mat/parchment paper dusted with cornmeal to prevent the bottom from sticking. Let sit for 10 minutes for the dough to rest in between shaping if it keeps springing back.
Carefully take pizza stone out of the oven and place on a protected surface or provided rack.
Dust a small amount of cornmeal directly onto the pizza stone and quickly and carefully transfer shaped dough by sliding the edge onto the top and continuing to slide off to fit the stone.
Working quickly, brush olive oil over outer crust and top pizza with preferred toppings.
Bake for 13-15 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before slicing and enjoy!
NOTES
*Using an active sourdough starter is vital for proper rise and flavor. I like to feed my starter at night and use it first thing in the morning.
**You can omit the whole wheat flour in this recipe for bread flour or all purpose
***Bread flour can be omitted with All-purpose, but I cannot guarantee the same results.
****Kosher salt yields a different weight than table salt does; make sure to use kosher or you'll run the risk of your crust being too salty!
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