Sourdough Pizza Bases

These delicious sourdough pizza bases are thick and slightly chewy. They have so much texture and flavour that a simple topping is best. The dough itself is the star.

I’m finally putting up my sourdough pizza base recipe! A good sourdough starter is the basis of any good sourdough bread and the same goes for this pizza dough. Once you’ve got that sorted your on your way to pizza perfection!

This pizza recipe is really quite simple ( I wanted to create a basic and fuss-free one) , but you do still need time to let the dough ferment.

Here’s a break down of the recipe and what it needs so you can see how to work it around your schedule.

• Sourdough starter, it can be fed the night before or in the morning
• An autolyse period of at least half an hour (this is the mixing of the flour and water you use in your dough. Letting is sit helps activate the gluten).
• The addition of the starter and salt to the dough, then a brisk but brutal kneading for 6 minutes (the slap and fold kneading method is best for this.)
• One set of coil folds 15 minutes later to help create a smooth ball of dough.
• A bench proof for 4 hours, before it is pe-shaped into two rounds
• A fridge proof for at least 4 hours but up to 24.

If I fed my starter the night before, I can start the autolyse at 7am, knead the dough at 7:30 and leave it to bench proof until midday. After that I can pre-shape the dough balls, pop them in the refrigerator until I’m ready to roll them out and bake them that night.

If I feed my starter in the morning, (say 9am) then I usually start the autolyse at around 3pm, knead at 3:30pm and leave it to proof on the bench until around 8pm. Then I pre-shape and refrigerate the dough balls and keep them cold until until I’m ready to roll them out and bake them the following evening.

Kneading and Fermenting

The pizza dough has only one coil fold, unlike my bread, and instead has a rougher slap and fold knead. This is because creating those delicate gluten structures isn’t quite as important in a flatter pizza dough as it is in a bread loaf. A 6 minute rough knead creates the structure that’s kneaded. (Needed 😉 …get it?)

A slap and fold is literally when you slap the dough down hard on a clean bench and fold it over. Slap, and fold and repeat. Speed is key, especially if you’re working with sticky dough. It may stick to your fingers but sheer force and speed will rip if off your hands as you slap it down. After a while you’ll feel the dough strengthen and become more elastic.

I usually play 2 x 3 minutes songs while kneading so I know I’ve completed the whole 6 minutes.

Then place the dough in a glass or ceramic tray, let it sit for 15 minutes and then give it one round of gentle coil folds (there’s a video of coil folding here) just to give the dough some tension and create a smooth top.

Now leave the dough to sit and bulk ferment on the bench for four hours.

After this time, tip the dough onto a lightly floured bench and cut it into two even sized pieces. Lay a piece flat on the bench, take a side of the piece of dough and bring it into the middle. Continue with all the sides of the dough until you have created a little dough parcel. Now flip it upside down so the smooth side is showing. With the palms of your hands, spin the dough parcel around to create a circle. Repeat with the second piece.

Place these pieces on a floured tray to pop in the refrigerator. You can cover them with a damp tea towel to stop the dough drying out.

Leave these to proof in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or until baking time.

When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 230 degrees Celsius and preheat a tray.

Roll each piece of dough out on some baking paper, into a 30cm circle. Once it’s rolled, starting from the middle, press the dough outwards so the inner circumference is thinner and there is a thicker crust around the pizza base.

Spoon on your favourite sauce and toppings. Our favourite is a simple balsamic tomato sauce, fresh oregano and mozzarella cheese.

Balsamic Tomato Sauce

1 diced onion, 3 cloves garlic chopped, browned in a pan with a splash of oil, for 8 minutes. Add 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan.

Add in 1 can chopped tomatoes, 1/2 tbsp dried oregano, 1 tsp salt and black pepper to taste. Simmer on medium heat for 5-8 minutes before blitzing into a sauce.

Bake the pizzas for 11-13 minutes until puffed and browned to your liking.

Have you made this? Tag me and let me know! @home_grown_happinessnz