Sourdough Pizza

Pizza is just flat bread with toppings and can be made with different types of dough. Everybody who has ever tasted pizza has their favorite pizza sauce and toppings. However, it is not the toppings that make a pizza, it is the dough.

The dough does not have to be made with a sourdough starter but it needs good cold fermentation. Pizza dough kept in the refrigerator for a day or two produces better tasting pizza. The cold temperature allows the flavors to develop. So the next time you make pizza whether with instant yeast or sourdough, all purpose flour or high gluten wheat, thick crust or thin leave the dough in the refrigerator for a day. You will notice the difference in taste.

Pizza dough is flat bread that is very versatile. I used a mix of white whole wheat and all purpose flour for the dough. I fed my starter in the morning. At around 4 pm I mixed the dough. At night before going to bed I divided the dough and rolled it into smooth balls. I covered them and put them in the refrigerator.

The next day around noon, after 12 plus hours of refrigeration, I was ready to bake the pizza. Sometimes if I can, I keep the dough refrigerated longer; until dinner or maybe even lunch the day after. The pizza tastes better.

Today I made pizza topped with my favorite pizza sauce and shredded cotijo cheese. That was the only cheese I had on hand.

Preheat the oven to 475 F. If using a pizza stone and peel, place the stone on the top rack in the oven as it heats. If using a pizza baking sheet, place the sheet on the top rack. A hot oven and a hot cooking surface allow the pizza dough to cook quickly and puff up to create an open crumb. All you need is 7 minutes in the oven.

Meanwhile, on a lightly floured working surface place one of the portions of refrigerated dough. Using your knuckles punch down the center leaving a small 1/4 inch border.

Flour you hands. Pick up the flattened dough with your fingers and using the border as a guide run it through your fingers. Holding the dough up vertically will allow it to expand. You could throw it in the air to expand it too.

Remove the heated baking sheet from the oven. Working quickly place the prepared pizza dough on the sheet.

Cover with sauce and sprinkle the cheese. Return the sheet to the top rack of the oven for 5 minutes. If using a pizza stone, assemble the pizza on a pizza peel and slide it on to the hot stone.

After 5 minutes switch to broil and broil the pizza for 2 minutes. Serve hot. Be prepared to listen to how tasty the pizza is knowing the compliments are for the pizza base and not the toppings.

For the exact list of ingredients refer to the book Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish.