Sourdough Discard Pizza
Servings: 2 personal-size pizzas
Ingredients
- 2 to 2⅛ cups all-purpose flour plus more for kneading and shaping
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ cup warm water 105° to 115°F
- ¼ cup hot water
- 1 cup unfed discarded starter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for greasing the proofing bowl
- cornmeal for sprinkling
- pizza toppings
Instructions
- Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Use a wire whisk or fork to combine.
- In a medium bowl or measuring cup, combine the yeast, sugar and ¼ cup warm water. Set aside for 10 to 15 minutes, until bubbly and foamy.
- In a smaller bowl or measuring cup, combine the sourdough discard and ¼ cup hot water. (This will help warm up the cold discard.)
- Once the yeast mixture has become bubbly and foamy, stir in the olive oil and discarded starter.
- Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
- Knead the dough in the bowl a few times to incorporate the flour. Add more flour if the dough is extremely sticky.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 4 or 5 minutes.
- Grease the bowl with olive oil, return the dough to it and cover with a towel. Let proof for about 1½ hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Fifteen minutes before finishing proofing the dough, preheat the oven at 500°F. If using a baking stone to bake the pizza, place it in the center of the oven to heat. If you don't use a pizza stone, bake your pizza in a large cast-iron pan or on a baking sheet (these do not need to be heated).
- Punch down the dough and divide it into two halves. If you want to bake only one pizza, put one ball in the refrigerator in a container and use it within 2 to 3 days. The dough also freezes well. Remove it from the freezer several hours before you make the pizza or thaw it out overnight in the refrigerator.
- Roll the dough into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, flatten it out with your knuckles into a circle about 5 inches in diameter. Rest the dough on the back of your fists, hands together. Move your hands apart while simultaneously tossing the dough a few feet in the air. Catch the spinning dough on the back of your fists and repeat until you've formed a circle 9 or 10 inches in diameter. Or if you prefer, roll out the dough with a rolling pin to your desired thickness.
- Sprinkle the pizza peel, cast-iron pan or cookie sheet with cornmeal. Place the formed dough on the cornmeal and spread on your desired toppings. With a quick flick of the wrist, slip the pizza from the peel onto the baking stone. Or place the cast-iron pan or baking sheet in the oven.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges have lightly browned. Broil for minute longer to brown the top. If using the baking stone, slide the pizza peel under the pizza to remove it from the oven.
Notes
All of my sourdough recipes call for a 100 percent hydration sourdough starter, meaning the starter contains equal parts water and flour by weight (not volume).