Ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough starter fed - active and bubbly
- 2 1/2 cups warm water
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 teaspoons baker\\\'s artisan sea salt
- 4 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 6 cups all-purpose flour
- 15 oz Pizza Sauce
- Toppings: mozzarella cheese, fresh mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, Parmesan cheese
Recipe Description
This Artisan Sourdough Pizza Dough is one of the best recipes I’ve worked with to date, especially if you’re going for that charred crispy edge, puffy crust, and a simple topping. Flavored with a touch of onion and garlic, and a homemade chunky sauce, I think you’re going to love this one.
Recipe Directions
Prepare the Pizza Dough
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In a large bowl, combine the "fed" or active sourdough starter, warm water, extra-virgin olive oil, artisan sea salt, granulated sugar, dried minced onion, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and 3 cups of the all-purpose flour. Mix together by hand with a wooden spoon or dough whisk until combined.
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Continue mixing in the remaining all-purpose flour until the dough comes together in a ball. The dough may still be sticky at this point. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to set out on the counter overnight.
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The next morning, turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and stretch and fold the dough two or three times until it comes together in a nice ball.
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Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to use, a minimum of 4 hours or up to 5 days.
Make the Sauce
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Prepare the sauce about 30 minutes before you're ready to assemble the pizza. Gather your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.
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Place the plum tomatoes in a large bowl. Crush them with your hands until there are no big pieces.
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In a small saucepan, mix together the hand-crushed tomatoes, red wine vinegar, granulated sugar, Italian seasoning, dried minced onion, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, garlic powder and seasoned salt.
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Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
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Pour over unbaked pizza dough. This will make enough for two large pizzas or about 1 1/2 cups. You may also use this for dipping sauce.
Ready to Bake - Shape the Dough
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Place a large baking stone on the lowest rack of your oven. Preheat oven to 550 degrees (F) with convection air turned on, 45-60 minutes prior to baking to give your oven and the baking stone plenty of time to heat.If your oven doesn't go to 550 degrees, simply turn it up to it's highest temperature. This may alter the time needed for baking, so adjust as needed, checking often for doneness.
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When you're ready to make the pizza, remove the bowl of dough from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature, about 25-30 minutes prior to making the pizza.
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Depending on how many pizzas you want to make, divide the dough in half or in quarters, for up to four 12" pizzas. For simplicity sake, we will make 2 pizzas for these instructions.
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On a lightly floured surface, form each piece of dough into a ball. Using your fingers, gently press each ball into a 10" circle, being careful not to touch the outer edge of the dough.It is important not to touch the outer edges of the dough to help ensure that puffy, airy crust that we are striving for. Simply press from the center of the dough outward until you have reached twelve inches.
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Carefully, transfer the pressed dough onto a 13" piece of parchment paper. Once again, gently press the dough easing it into a 12" circle (and again being careful not to touch the outer edge of the dough.)
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At this point, you will need to trim away any excess parchment paper using a pair of sharp kitchen scissors.
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Once you have trimmed the parchment paper, it's time to place the dough onto a pizza peel to assemble the pizza.
Assemble the Pizza
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With the pizza dough on the pizza peel, assemble the toppings.
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Drizzle the hand-crushed tomato sauce over the pizza, spreading it to the edges.
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Next, sprinkle on the grated mozzarella cheese, followed by the slices of pepperoni. Finish with fresh mozzarella slices mixed in-between the pepperoni.
Bake the Pizza
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Using the pizza peel, slide the pizza (and parchment paper) onto the hot baking stone in the preheated convection oven. Bake for 6-7 minutes until the crust is charred and the mozzarella cheese is lightly browned.It always seems that I remove the pizza too soon from the oven and wish that it had baked longer. I have learned that when I think it is done, to bide my time and allow it to bake just a little bit longer. So, maybe 8 minutes, tops.
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Remove the pizza from the oven and place it on a serving tray, discarding the parchment paper from underneath. Keep warm, uncovered, until ready to serve.
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Repeat with remaining pizzas. Once all the pizzas have baked, slice into 4-8 pieces and serve warm.
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If desired, serve pizza with freshly grated parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.
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This recipe will make up to four 12" pizzas and serve up to 8 people.
