Here’s my best!  Sour dough Pizza & Bread Ever!

Bottom right, thin crust Pizza with artisan cheese,

Prosciutto, red walnuts, and Kalamata olives.

Top, thick crust, Mozzarella cheese, sausage,

salami & vegetables Pizza.

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Pictured left, sausage, bacon & vegetables Pizza.

All paired great with 2014 Rose′ Di Arie,

a blend of Syrah, Primitivo, Grenache & Petite Sirah.

One loaf of sourdough for the week.

Pizza Dough & Bread Recipe

A.  Making dough

1. 4 & 1/2 cups flour, best to use * 12.5%-15% protein, high gluten
2. 1 teaspoon dry yeast, 1/4 cup 80° filtered water for yeast.
3. 1/4 cup sourdough starter*
4. 2 & 1/2  to 3 cups filtered or spring water.
5. 1 tablespoon olive oil
6.  1 teaspoon fine sea salt. * Added after fermentation.

• Measure flour into large mixing bowl.
• Place 80° water in small bowl, sprinkle yeast over.
• Refresh sourdough starter, measure out 1/4 cup.
• Mix 1/2 cup filtered room temperature water into starter.
• Make a well in flour & pour in starter, yeast, 2 cups of water & the oil.
• Mix together using your hands. Using a mixer with dough hook is optional.
• Dough can be adjusted by adding a bit more flour or water.
• Cover with plastic wrap.
• Soft wet dough is preferred. ( Dough can sit 2-3 days in frig.)
• Bulk ferment at lest over night. In refrigerator.

Work dough after fermentation

1. Spread a bit flour a bit on counter, pull dough onto it, a flour dusted plastic dough scrapper works well for this.
2. Add salt mix well by hand.
3. Kneed to velvet smooth, add a bit of water or flour as needed.
4. Separate into 3 portions for Pizza, or two for bread.  If your making 3 different size pizzas, thin, regular & thick size them accordingly.
5. Shape into balls & rest an hour or so.

Perparing pizza dough for toppings

1. Use a rolling pin  or palms & fingers for thin crust.
2. Hands & stretching for medium.
3. Think crust spread olive oil over pan & dough, push to corners.  Rest 1/2 hour, before topping.

Topping Pizza; ingredients should be room temperature. Bake right away.

A.  Thin Crust

Use hottest oven for thin crust & flat breads.  Always dust board with flour or cornmeal before placing pizza dough.  Keep check that no wet spots are sticking to the board, so pizza will slide evenly into oven.  If pizza is sticking to board, lift partly up and re-dust that spot with flour or cornmeal.

Pizza as pictured.  Spread a thin layer of *sauce.  Shavings of artisan cheese, like Fiscalini Bandaged Wrapped Cheddar.  Prosciutto bits, crumbled red walnuts, and chopped spring garlic.  When pizza is done sprinkle with hand crumbled “Kalamata” olives, finely hand grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and garlic infused olive oil.

B.  Medium Crust; oven is not quite as hot for this.

Pizza as pictured.  Spread a layer of *sauce.  Fresh hand grated cheese.  Bits of uncooked bacon, & sausage. Chopped charred peppers and onions.  Chopped spring garlic.  After baking add black olives, garlic oil & Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and garlic infused olive oil.

C.  Thick Crust  (Pan Pizza)  Now the oven is not super hot, maybe 500° or so.

Pizza as pictured.  This is about a, 1 & 1/2  inch thick pizza.  A deeper one would need to be pre-baked before topping.  I used a  9″-11″ ,1″ deep pan.  Spread olive oil all over pan.  Push dough to edges, flip dough so oil is every where.  Push dough to edges again.  Punch with fingers, like your making focaccia.  Let rest an hour or so.  Making the other pizzas while the dough rest works well.

Push dough down again with finger tips.   Spread a layer of sliced fresh Mozzarella cheese, (I used Casa Italiana sliced log) over dough.  Spread a thick layer of *sauce over cheese.  Yes cheese first then sauce.  This gives the sauce more depth, because it’s roasting & infused with all the wood, smoke and previously baked pizza flavors .  Add sausage, salami & vegetables.  The Pizza is will take the longest.  When  mine looked done on the edges, I took it out to check.  It was still a bit doughy in the middle.  My solution was to slice it in-half and place middles to edge.  A few minutes after that it was done.

*Pizza Sauce

Make ahead 1 hour to 3 days ahead.  Refrigerate if made ahead.  Bring to room temperature before using.  There is no need to cook the sauce, it will roast on top the pizza.  Combine in blender or stick blender until smooth.

• 2-3 cups best quality Italian canned crushed tomatoes or chopped seeded home-grown.  The tomatoes don’t need to cook, they will bake on the pizza.
• 2 tablespoons best quality Italian tomato paste, usually comes in a tube.
• 1 teaspoon dry oregano or 2 fresh
• 2 teaspoons crushed garlic
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preparing Bread dough.

1. Spread a bit of flour on counter, pull dough onto it, add salt mix well by hand.
2. Kneed to velvet smooth, add a bit of water or flour as needed.
3. Divide by 2.
4. Rest an hour or so.
5. Shape bread.  To make rounds form a mushroom.  Loafs, form logs.
6. Slide onto flour dusted boards.
7. Slash tops with very sharp knife to release pressure during baking.
8. Let rest 1/2 hour.
9. Slide into oven.
10. When oven temperature feels right.   Slide bread into oven.  Bake until internal temperature is around  190 degrees F with an instant-read thermometer.

*Pizza supply source & great info/     Check here for the best flour reconditions.

http://www.thepizzabible.com/   The Pizza Bible, a community for pizza makers, and the official site for The Pizza Bible book.

*Sourdough starter, sources :

•  Friends of Carl;  http://carlsfriends.net/source.html
• Cultures for Health    http://www.culturesforhealth.com/

Info   Sourdough Home   http://www.sourdoughhome.com/index.php?content=starterprimer

*Sourdough Starter Primer http://www.sourdoughhome.com/index.php?content=starterprimer