Sourdough Pizza Dough

 Check out that golden crust. 

... and those jalapeños and Polish ham!

The last two times I've made this recipe (most famously for 'Chefski's family one weekend, followed by mine the next), the pizza's flown off the plate before I had a chance to photograph it. They say third time's a charm, and the fact that I've made it thrice has got to mean something good :)

Making pizza dough using sourdough starter is not only a great way to use your starter, but the resulting dough's got a richer, mildly tangier flavor than your average dough. It's so good, I am now convinced that even my other recipe could use a day's rest in the fridge before I use it. Here's to the power of slow fermentation!

Sourdough Pizza Dough 

Adapted from The New York Times which is adapted from “Artisan Breads Every Day,” by Peter Reinhart (Ten Speed Press, 2009)

Ingredients

1.25 cups of stiff starter 

1.25 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup bread flour

1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup water, room temperature

4 teaspoons salt

Directions 

1. In a medium bowl combine starter and water and mix with a wooden spoon until soupy.

2. In a larger bowl, combine flours and salt and whisk together to blend. 

3. Add starter mix to flours and stir with a wooden spoon until you start to form a ball in the center of bowl. Let dough rest for five minutes.

4. Knead dough inside the bowl for 5-7 minutes until all the flour is incorporated and you have a smooth ball.

5. Cover with plastic and let rest for 3-4 hours (because I planned on freezing this, I let it rest for 2.5 hours, just so that some of the flavors started to develop, then went on to step 6).

6. Cut dough into 4 or 5 pieces, depending on whether you want 12-inch or 9-inch pizzas. (At this point I separated the balls into their own ziplocks and stored in the freezer). 

7. (After defrosting, or if following the real-time schedule) Turn out each piece onto a lightly floured surface and knead 2-3 times until smooth. 

8. Place each piece in a large enough bowl or bin to allow it to double in size. Cover with plastic wrap, loosely, right atop the dough, and cover lid of container. 

9. Refrigerate for 24-48 hours before shaping and baking.

10. To bake: Top as desired, and bake atop parchment paper (trust me, this dough tends to stick) in a super-hot oven (as hot as possible) for 10 minutes, following the directions from the last pizza I made, until cooked and bubbly. 

Why make one at a time when you can make two?