Sourdough Pizza Crust

This crust is on King Arthur Flour website but it is also included in the little booklet that they send you when you buy sourdough starter.  I highly recommend.  I made the waffles too:  also excellent.

When I first made this I followed the recipe exactly but after making it a few times I made a few adjustments.  Nothing major, just some tweaks that worked for me.

The toppings are up to you.  But as a long time pizza maker, with bought pizza crust, my husband says less is better.  And these toppings are put on by him.

Just a note:  I highly recommend a scale and an instant read thermometer.  If you are not interested in doing this more than once, by all means measure with cups and guess the temperature.  But if you are remotely serious about bread baking, I highly recommend both.

1 cup (227 grams) discard or ripe sourdough starter (I have used both, depending on what I have more of)

1/2 cup (113 grams) hot water

2-1/2 cups (298 grams) King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon instant or active dry yeast

4 teaspoons Pizza Dough Flavor, optional (I have never used this but I just bought a jar, may give it a try next time)

Combine all the ingredients.  Mix then knead the dough, by hand, mixer, or bread machine, until smooth and slightly sticky.  Let it rise in a lightly greased, covered container until just about doubled in bulk, 2 to 4 hours, depending on whether you use ripe or discard starter.

Divide the dough in half.

Shape each into a flattened disk and place on an oiled rimmed cookie sheet.  I pour some oil on the cookie sheet and spread with a brush.   Gently press the dough into a 12 inch circle, letting it rest for about 15 minutes if it starts to shrink back. Repeating this until you get the size.  I give myself about 45 minutes to an hour to make this happen.

After you have reached your desired size, let the dough rise until it’s a little puffy.  This can take up to an hour, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.

While it’s rising, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Gather your toppings.

About 1/4 or 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, homemade or bottled, for each pizza.  For bottled I like Rao’s.

I use about 4 ounces of mozzerrella cheese for each pizza, cut thinly.

And about 1/4 cup of finely shredded Parmesan cheese, for each pizza, what ever your favorite is, I like Stella.

And if you have them, roasted tomatoes:  this recipe is from my daughter, and you can make this ahead of time, in the morning the night before.  Just refrigerate if you make them the night before:

in a glass pie plate, fill the pie plate with small cherry tomatoes, stems removed (if they are really large, cut in half)

place 3-4 crushed garlic in between the tomatoes

sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

cover with a nice coating of extra virgin olive oil.

Bake in the oven (450 degrees) for 25 minutes

Viola, roasted tomatoes

This is also very good on little slices of banquette with cheese, yum!!

So, this is how you decorate your pie:  place tomato sauce first, if using roasted tomatoes, place them next, about 1/3 of what you have roasted.  Smash the tomatoes so they’re flat.  Next add the mozzarella and then sprinkle with the Parmesan.

Place in the oven for 13-15 minutes, turning the pizza 1/2 way through.  Check on it after 13 minutes to make sure the bottom and toppings have not burned.

place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl:

mix then knead:

doubled:

divide in half:

about 12 inches and a little puffy:

add tomato sauce:

then roasted tomatoes (optional), mozzarella cheese and Parmesan:

bake:

slice:

roasted tomatoes ready to go in the oven:

after 25 minutes:

you can see my husband did not use all of them:

and serve, yum!