I have written in a previous blog entry about my starter Bubbles who turned 20 years old this year. My, how they grow up so fast!
Sourdough starters are the gift that keeps on giving. You feed them and they grow and then once they are ready to bake with, you save some of the starter to be put away for another baking adventure. Sourdough starters are NOT just to make bread with. You can make spectacular pizzas as well.
I felt a yen for pizza and thought it would be great to have a home made one on Saturday night with my family. You know the kind I mean– deep dish topped with all sorts of toppings and lots of cheese!! Since I want to make pizza on Saturday, I started feeding my sweet Bubbles on the Wednesday before. I am feeding her three times a day for three days to get her nice and strong and bubbly! Tomorrow I will save some of Bubbles to be put in the fridge for another time and build a dough for the pizza with another portion of the starter.
Sourdough breads can ferment for a long time because the yeast is totally wild and natural. Once I make the dough, which is quite easy to put together, I leave it to rise for about 3-4 hours.
Once risen, I press the dough out into an oiled sheet pan with at least 1 inch high sides and put on the toppings. Be creative with the toppings. Anything goes: pesto, any type of olives, all types of cheeses and meats. Be sure that your meats are already cooked through before they go on top of the pizza. One trick before baking is to drizzle the entire pizza with some olive oil. it really helps the browning of the cheeses and the crust.
The oven should be pre-heated for about an hour at the highest temperature that your oven can go. My oven goes as high as 550 degrees. Then bake the pizza until the crust is nice and brown and the cheese is ooey and gooey!!! Trust me when I say that you will know when it is ready.
Happy Baking!
Chef Gail