Dave's Sourdough Pizza

From Dave's Diary, April 2, 2020

I made Sour Dough Pizza last night and it was amazing. It was the first time since 1971 I was successful. I will comment on each of these pictures.

Before these pictures I mixed "00" Italian Antimo Caputo flour with some water and let stand for an hour. Then I added my sour dough starter. I use more than I have seen suggested, almost a cup. I put a little pepper and garlic salt in. Then the most important thing is to rehydrate to 80% so that means using 450 grams of total flour, including the starter to 360 grams of water. It will be real wet so much so you either have to wet your hands or put some flour on them to manipulate the dough.

By manipulate I mean folding so you pick up the dough and fold it over a few times every 30 minutes for 2.5 hours. SO no kneading just gentle manipulation.

Then I put it in a bag with a little olive oil and let rise for 3 hours.

Next it is placed on a mat with some flour (or rice flour is better).

I then slowly spread, pulled it out gently to 11 inches in diameter and flipped it out on to a perforated pan

Sometimes we use pesto sauce, just a little

Then a little cheese, mozzarella and cheddar, again not as much as I usually have done

Then a few mushrooms, peppers, onions and spicy salami, again for this time, I left some stuff, not what I usually do

The pizza is cooked on the BBQ, over a stone

When it is done it has risen a lot

With nice air pockets

and sometimes even more pockets, so sour.