Simple Sourdough Pizza Crust

Name: Simple Sourdough Pizza Crust
Prep time: 1440 min
Total time: 1500 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 375 g Water (375 g water (or less, see notes above)); 100 g Sourdough Starter (100 g sourdough starter, active and bubbly, see notes above); 10 g Table Salt (10 g salt); 500 g All-Purpose Flour (500 g all-purpose or bread flour); 2 tbsp Tomato Sauce (2 tablespoons tomato sauce); 1 oz Mozzarella Cheese (1 to 2 oz mozzarella — up to 2); 0 pieces Parmigiano Reggiano (handful of grated Parmigiano Reggiano (less than an ounce) + grated Parmigiano Reggiano, about 1/4 to 1/3 cup + handful grated Parmigiano Reggiano); 0 pieces Extra Virgin Olive Oil (drizzle olive oil + extra-virgin olive oil + 1/4 cup olive oil); 0 pieces Sea Salt (pinch sea salt + Sea salt, such as Maldon + sea salt); 1 handful Kale (a couple handfuls of baby or Tuscan kale); 1 clove Garlic (1 to 2 cloves garlic — up to 2); 3 tbsp Crème Fraîche (2 tablespoons crème fraîche + 1 to 2 tablespoons crème fraîche — up to 2); ¼ cup Scallion (1/4 cup minced scallions or ramps); 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes)

A sourdough-based pizza crust with multiple topping variations: classic Margherita, kale with crème fraîche, and a scallion oil version. Involves a long fermentation for flavor development.

1500 minItalian

Servings4

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Vegetarian
Pescatarian
Halal

Ingredients

For 4 servings

Water375 g · 375 g water (or less, see notes above)
Sourdough Starter100 g · 100 g sourdough starter, active and bubbly, see notes above
Table Salt10 g · 10 g salt
All-Purpose Flour500 g · 500 g all-purpose or bread flour
Tomato Sauce2 tbsp · 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
Mozzarella Cheese1 oz · 1 to 2 oz mozzarella — up to 2
Parmigiano Reggiano0 pieces · handful of grated Parmigiano Reggiano (less than an ounce) + grated Parmigiano Reggiano, about 1/4 to 1/3 cup + handful grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Extra Virgin Olive Oil0 pieces · drizzle olive oil + extra-virgin olive oil + 1/4 cup olive oil
Sea Salt0 pieces · pinch sea salt + Sea salt, such as Maldon + sea salt
Kale1 handful · a couple handfuls of baby or Tuscan kale
Garlic1 clove · 1 to 2 cloves garlic — up to 2
Crème Fraîche3 tbsp · 2 tablespoons crème fraîche + 1 to 2 tablespoons crème fraîche — up to 2
Scallion¼ cup · 1/4 cup minced scallions or ramps
Red Pepper Flakes1 tsp · 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

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Steps

1Mix the dough: Place the starter, salt, and water in a large bowl. Stir with a spatula to combine — it doesn’t have to be uniformly mixed. Add the flour. Mix again until the flour is completely incorporated. Transfer to a straight-sided vessel (if you have one.) Cover vessel with tea towel or cloth bowl cover and let stand 30 minutes.
2Stretch and fold: after 30 minutes have passed, reach into the vessel and pull the dough up and into the center. Turn the vessel quarter turns and continue this pulling 8 to 10 times. See video for guidance. Let the dough rest for another 30 minutes; then repeat the stretching and folding. If possible, repeat this cycle twice more for a total of 4 stretch and folds. By the 4th cycle, you will notice a huge difference in the texture of the dough: it will be smoother, stronger, and more elastic.
3Bulk fermentation: Cover vessel with a tea towel or bowl cover and set aside to rise at room temperature (70ºF/21ºC) for 4 to 18 hours (the time will vary depending on the time of year, the strength of your starter, and the temperature of your kitchen; see notes above) or until the dough has roughly doubled in volume. Note: Do not use your oven with the light on for the bulk fermentation — it is too warm for the dough. When determining when the bulk fermentation is done, it is best to rely on visual cues (doubling in volume) as opposed to time.
4Portion and shape: Turn the dough out onto a work surface and shape into a rough ball, using as much flour as needed — the dough will be sticky. Using a bench scraper, divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Sprinkle portions with flour. With floured hands, roll each portion into a ball, using the pinkie-edges of your hands to pinch the dough underneath each ball. Transfer each round of dough to a plastic quart container, cover, and store in fridge for at least 6 hours or up to 3 days or transfer to the freezer for up to 1 week.
5Make the pizzas: Pull out a round (or more) of dough from the fridge one hour before you plan on baking. Dust dough with flour and place on a floured work surface. Let sit untouched for about an hour (a little longer or shorter is fine). Place a Baking Steel or pizza stone in the top third of your oven. Set oven to 550ºF. Heat oven for at least 45 minutes but ideally 1 hour prior to baking.
6Shape the dough: Gently shape dough into a 10-inch (roughly) round handling it as minimally as possible. Lay a sheet of parchment paper on top of a pizza peel. Transfer the dough round to the parchment-lined peel.
7Top and Bake - Margherita: To make a classic Margherita-style pizza, spread 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce over the surface of the dough. Top with mozzarella to taste. Sprinkle with parmesan to taste. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Shimmy the pizza, parchment paper and all into the oven. Bake pizza until top is blistered, about 5-6 minutes. Transfer to cutting board. Sprinkle with basil, if you have it. Cut and serve. Discard parchment paper.
8Top and Bake - Kale and Crème Fraîche: To make a kale and crème fraîche pizza, place the kale in a small bowl, drizzle with olive oil, season with sea salt, and toss. Spoon crème fraîche over the dough leaving a 1/2-inch border or so—I use about a tablespoon per pizza. Sprinkle with minced garlic and a handful of grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Top with the kale. Shimmy the pizza, parchment paper and all into the oven. Bake pizza until top is blistered, about 5 – 6 minutes. Transfer to cutting board. Cut and serve. Discard parchment paper.
9Top and Bake - Naked with Scallion Oil: To make a naked pizza with scallion oil, heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a skillet with 1/4 cup of minced scallions (or ramps!) and 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. Keep it over low heat while you make the pizza. Spoon crème fraîche over the dough leaving a 1/2-inch border or so—I use about a tablespoon per pizza. Sprinkle with a handful of grated parmesan. Shimmy the pizza, parchment paper and all into the oven. Bake pizza until top is blistered, about 5 – 6 minutes. Transfer to cutting board. At this point, the scallions should be starting to “frizzle”. If they aren’t, crank up the heat until the oil is sizzling. Spoon a few tablespoons of the hot oil over the pizza (you’ll have extra oil). Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt. Cut and serve.