Friday night has been pizza night at our home for decades, but since it is my night off, I like to get take-and-bake pizza. This started with some neighbors who operated Towering Pizza in Orem, Utah. They claimed it was the cheese that was pilled on that made the difference, but it may have been their crust.
I am one of those guys who won’t waste any crust and I am happy to eat anyone else’s too. So I will be making pizza again tonight, if for nothing else but the crust.
The dough has been in the fridge all night just waiting for me to roll it out and give it some fantastic toppings. However, our self-isolation due to the coronavirus has left us a bit short on some supplies, so I think we I’ll have to get creative with the ham, canned olives, peppers, canned Italian tomatoes, and cheese that we have on hand.
Tip from Josh Rink at the Taste of Home Kitchen: “Chilling the dough is a must. Besides slowing the [rise] so it can develop more flavor, it hydrates the flour and relaxes the gluten for an easier roll-out experience.“
Those of you who bake with sourdough already know it’s all about the flavor. King Arthur Flour promises in the case of pizza dough, “the open crumb and distinctive hearty taste of sourdough are well suited to bold toppings and well-aged cheeses.”
Sadly their recipe calls for a bit of baker’s yeast, so between Breadtopia and King Arthur, I think I have developed one that will work well. At least it did for me.
Stir down your mature starter before measuring 1 cup (240g) into a mixer’s large bowl. (Note: Remember to feed the remaining start for next time.)
Add the water, flour, and salt.
Mix and knead for about 7 minutes in a mixer with the dough hook, until the dough comes clean from the side of the bowl while mixing.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled container.
Cover and let rise until almost doubled in bulk. Breadtopia, suggests that when “it has approximately doubled. I tend to leave the dough at room temperature for a few hours and then put it in the refrigerator for a day or so, and finally pull it out when it is fully risen or close to fully risen and just needing a few more hours at room temperature.”
Towards the end of the rise time, preheat your oven to 450°F.
Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a flattened disk. Pan Baked Pizza
If using pans, coat two 12″ round pizza pans with olive oil, brushing to coat the bottom.
King Arthur explains, “place the dough in the pans, cover, and let rest for 15 minutes. After this rest, gently press the dough toward the edges of the pans. If it starts to shrink back, cover it
and let it
rest for 15 minutes before continuing.
“Sauce and top as you like, but don’t add cheese yet. Bake thin-crust pizzas for 5 minutes before removing them from the oven and adding cheese. For thick-crust pizza, bake for 10 minutes before removing it from the oven and adding cheese. Return to the oven and bake for 5 to 7 more minutes, until the cheese is melted.”
Store leftover pizza covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Stone Baked Pizza
Breadtoopia explains that you, “lay your pizza dough on a piece of parchment paper or floured/corn-mealed pizza peel. Stretch and adjust the dough a little more, aiming to position one edge of the pizza all the way at the front edge of the peel if that is what you’re using. When you insert the peel into the oven, the front edge of the dough will “catch” on the hot stone, making it easier to slide the peel out from under the pizza.
“Now top your pizza dough to your liking and put it in the oven. If you leave it on the peel for more than a few minutes, it may begin to stick to the peel, so keep your assembly line moving or use parchment paper.
“For a pizza stone or steel, bake for 7 minutes, then switch to broil for 1 minute more. Keep the oven on broil for an additional minute before you load the next pizza. This helps reheat the stone before you switch back to bake mode…
“Remove the pizza from the oven with a peel, spatula, or even by tugging on a corner of the parchment paper.
“Put the pizza on a rack if not eating right away (this keeps the bottom crispy), or on a plate or a steel/aluminum sheet to serve.”
This was my first time making sourdough pizza crust. We were delighted with its crispy bottom and how well it held up to the toppings we loaded onto it. We will be making this again real soon.
If you need other topping ideas, Josh tells you how to make The Best Sausage Pizza here. He promises that it will rival your pizzeria’s best effort:
Author: Darryl Alder lives with his wife in Riverside Lodge, which is their home, along the Provo River in Utah. He is a retired career Scouter and outdoorsman who spent many hours over a campfire using a Dutch oven and loves sharing recipes for the kitchen and the campfire alike. You'll find many of his recipes on this blog and can follow him on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.
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