Sourdough Pizza Dough
The allure of sourdough doesn't have to just live in bread world. It can be used to make incredible pizza, too.
This dough is incredibly easy to make, with very minimal handling. It's slowly fermented overnight for maximum flavour and digestibility, before being stretched and baked — hot and fast!
I'm a huge fan of chilli, so atop a base of smoky scamorza affumicata and milky fior di latte base, I use crushed San Marzano tomatoes, and finish with (very) spicy salame piccante. But you can top it exactly how you like it.
This recipe was filmed with Vincenzo's Plate for his YouTube channel.
Ingredients 12
For The Crust
100 g sourdough starter, 100% hydration, ripe
1 9⁄25 cups water, cool
550 g plain flour (00 Flour)
10 g sea salt
semolina flour, for stretching the dough
For The Toppings
1 tin san marzano tomatoes, crushed
extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
pecorino cheese, grated
Bunch basil, fresh
1 stick spicy salami, thinly sliced
230 g smoked scamorza
250 g Pizzarella cheese
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Method 18
Make The Dough
In a mixing bowl, add the to the cool , and stir it through with a spatula until dissolved.
Then, add the , then , and stir together until just combined (no kneading required).
Next, cover tightly with plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Slightly dampen your hands with water, then transfer the dough onto your bench. Stretch, fold, and turn the dough to develop structure for 1-2 minutes.
Shape the dough into a tight ball and place it back in the mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest at room temperature for 2 hours (if it is a particularly cold day, it will need longer, i.e. up to 3 hours).
Transfer the dough onto the bench and divide it into 4 equal portions of 250 g, then shape these into tight balls.
Place the pizza dough balls into a tray or container which has an air-tight seal, allowing some space between them to grow in size.
Refrigerate overnight for a minimum of 12 hours or up to a full day.
Remove the dough from the fridge 1-2 hours before you are ready to start baking, keeping them completely covered so they don’t form a dry skin.
From Here Top The Pizza However You Like
Meanwhile prepare your pizza toppings. Cut the fior di latte into strips and place in a colander to drain. Cut the scamorza affumicata into long strips, and thinly slice the salame piccante.
Dust each pizza dough ball with semolina flour. Then, using a pastry scraper, carefully remove the dough and place it into a bowl with semolina flour.
Carefully coat each side of the dough, then using the flat part of your fingers, gently indent or press the centre to flatten it out without touching the edges. Flip it over and repeat on the other side.
Gently transfer the dough to a pizza peel and continue to flatten, stretching it until it reaches the desired size.
Next, ladle a generous amount of crushed onto the centre of your stretched pizza. Using the back of the spoon, spread the sauce evenly.
Then, add fresh leaves, strips of fior di latte, , and a sprinkle of grated pecorino cheese. To finish, add the and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
Before baking, give the dough one last stretch by hooking your fingers underneath and gently pulling it outward in all directions.
Bake The Pizza
If using a pizza oven, carefully place the pizza in the oven between 350°-400°C. Watch the side of the pizza closest to the flame, and once you see the crust browning, rotate the pizza to ensure even cooking on all sides. If using a conventional oven, go as high in temperature as you can on the bake setting (not fan forced) and use a baking stone.
Finally, bake the pizza for a total of 90 seconds. If using a conventional oven it will take 3-4 minutes.
Anthony Silvio's tips
Are you more of a visual person? Watch the recipe being made on YouTube.
This recipe makes 1 kg of sourdough pizza dough, resulting in 4 x 250 g balls. Simply halve the ingredient amounts for 2 balls, or double the ingredient amounts for 8 balls.
I recommend using a flour with mid-level protein % of around 10%-11.5%. If you use a flour that is higher in protein, such as bread flour, it can be difficult to knead if the dough is too dry, so you will need to increase the water in the recipe slightly as bread flour typically soaks up more water.
It's important to cut your fior di latte at least an hour before using it, and leave it in a colander to drain away any excess moisture. This will help prevent your pizza from becoming too soggy.
My starter is fed at 100% hydration. If you are using a lower hydration starter, you may need to increase the water in the recipe slightly so that you don't end up with a dough that is too dry.
Once you add your starter to the water and see it floating, it’s a sign that it’s "mature" or "ripe" and ready to use in your recipe.
To promote slow fermentation in our dough, we use cool water and rest the sourdough pizza dough overnight in the fridge. This method, consequently, will enable you to achieve maximum flavour and create a dough that is easier to digest.
