Cecilia's Sourdough Pizza Base

This sourdough pizza base is not terribly complicated. You may have noticed that none of my recipes are very complicated. In fact I am a horror for cutting corners, but not with this recipe. This is a smooth, sequential, simple sourdough pizza base.

Even though I make it the night before, you can also make it the morning of your pizza dinner as long as the day is warm and you are prepared to give it a good 6-12 hours to rise. I know that 6-12 hours is a huge window for the dough to rise but all sourdough responds differently depending on the season. If it is warm and humid it will move fast. Cold and wintry it will take longer. The longer and cooler, the better the taste so you win both ways. But I encourage you to listen to the dough.

Ingredients

• 500g Janie’s Mill Italian Style Pizza Flour
• 375 warm Water
• 100g active and bubbly sourdough starter

Instructions

1. I mix my dough with my stand mixer using a dough hook, but you can mix with your fingers or your favorite mixing tool. Mix until incorporated. This will take no longer than four minutes.
2. Let the dough sit for 30 minutes. This is the pre-ferment period.
3. Turn the dough out onto the counter, pat it down with wet hands and stipple in 10g salt. (After the pre-ferment you don’t want to add un-fermented flour, and the dough will be a bit sticky initially, so use wet or oily hands).
4. Stretch and Fold with damp hands.
5. Let the dough sit for another 30 minutes.
6. Stretch one more time and then place the dough into an oiled bowl and sit out on the counter between 6 and 12 hours. (If it is a hot humid summer night it may only need to sit for a few hours.)
7. In the morning divide the dough into your favorite-sized balls, creating nice round balls by turning and tucking the dough under, either in your hand or on the counter. You will use a movement similar to tucking the sheet under the mattress.
8. Then place the dough balls into their separate containers with lids and store in the fridge until it is time to make your pizza. (Or use it straight away). The dough can store in your refrigerator for a couple of days.
9. Allow the dough to warm to room temperature before you stretch it out into a pizza base.

The pizza pictured above and below was Red Pear and Sharp White Cheddar Cheese. When we work with only a few ingredients, it is important to have the very best to ensure that each taste in the profile can shine. So, find good sharp aged cheddar cheese and a wonderful perfect pear. I drizzled just a touch of good Californian olive oil on top of the base before covering it with grated cheddar cheese. Toss the pear lightly in hot browned butter. Arrange the pear on top of the cheese. Sprinkle with a touch of lemon zest. Bake at 500F for 20 minutes then broil for 2 minutes to carmelize the pear.

I use my Baking Steel to cook pizza. Create your pizza on a pizza paddle sprinkled with Janie’s Mill cornmeal, so it launches easily onto the baking steel. Make sure your baking steel is very hot. Mine lives in the oven so the moment I turn on the oven it begins to heat up.

I have been experimenting with all kinds of pizza recipes - here is the yeast pizza base I use when I am in a hurry.