If you are at all interested in pizza making, then you have definitely Googled “pizza recipe” many times. The thing is, it seems like 90% of the pizza dough recipes out there are the exact same recipe! They go something along the lines of two teaspoons yeast, white all purpose flour, a bit of salt, pinch of sugar, warm water, yadda yadda yadda..
So how about tonight, you go out on a limb and try this truly unique dough recipe brought to us from sourdo.com! It isn’t quite whole wheat, it isn’t quite white. It’s got a truly interesting texture and flavor and who knows, maybe this could be your new favorite crust. I made it recently and we were pleasantly surprized with the outcome. In fact, I think the pizza photos below are that exact pie (I think). Anyhow, try this recipe out and let me know what you think.
Mix:
1 cup semolina flour
¼ cup corn flour
(not corn meal)
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon rye flour
40 grams gluten flour (â…“ cup)
Add white bread flour to a total weight of 580 grams (4â…” cups)for the mixture
Add:
1½ cups water
1 cup active culture
(Note that my culture may be a little different from yours.
I use equal volumes of water and all purpose flour.)
Knead in bread machine (or a stand mixer).
Add: 1 tsp salt halfway through the mixing cycle.
The completed dough should be a little sticky. If not, a little more water may be needed.
Set overnight in a cool place, 55-60° F.
The quality of the flavor for most breads improves with longer rise times. So when possible, let the first rise occur overnight in a cool place. (55° to 65° F.) But longer rise times strongly depend on the nominal acidity of the culture. If the culture produces a lot of acid, the gluten of the dough will not stand up well to the extended exposure. Also, the quality of the flour can be important. Some flours succumb to acidity more readily than others.
Form into two pies, each about the diameter of a cooking sheet. Although you can use a rolling pin to create the thin dough, it is probably better to coax the dough by hand into the proper shape. You want to avoid losing the entrapped air bubbles. The dough should be very elastic; occasionally you’ll need to dust the dough with flour to avoid it becoming too sticky. After the pies are formed, dust with flour again, cover with a towel and let rise at room temperature.
Let the pies rise on wooden baking boards to minimize sticking. A good coating of flour on the bottom before the last rise helps greatly. To release the pies from the board, flip the board over and let the pies fall by gravity. Add some fresh dry flour to the bottom and flip it right side up again. For toppings just brush on garlic in olive oil and rosemary. A little tomato paste with cheese and deli meat is also good.… Use the toppings sparingly to not overpower the flavor of the crust and to avoid applying too much moisture.
It is best to bake the pies directly on a baking stone. Heat the oven to 550° F. (or as high as your oven will go). Slide pizza onto the stone, then spray oven with a misting bottle (not necessary but helps with the crust). Cook until lightly brown — about five minutes. Cool a couple of minutes on a cooling rack and serve.
Thanks sourdo.com! Also, if you are in need of some great tasting sourdough starters, check them out as well. They offer many mail order sourdough cultures and I have had nothing but good experiences with them.
Central Milling, a company I choose over Giusto’s, King Arthur’s, and all others, is now set up to ship flour to the likes of you and me. For years, the good people at Central Milling have been supplying commercial baking establishments all over the west coast as well as filling the bags of Whole Foods‘ 365 brand flour. They have an INSANE list of organic and traditional flours to choose from, and with the advent of the flat rate shipping box from the USPS, they have an easy and convenient way to get their fine product directly from the mill to your front door. It doesn’t get much more fresh than that!
In Search of the Perfect Pie - Making Pizza At Home 