SOURDOUGH PIZZA DOUGH

MAKES ABOUT 2¼ POUNDS (1 KG) DOUGH, ENOUGH FOR FOUR 12-INCH PIZZAS

If you have an active bread starter, you can use it here in place of our sourdough starter. If using our starter, it should be ready to mix into pizza dough on Day 6 (after fermenting 12 to 18 hours on Day 5). On that day, mix up the pizza dough in the morning and, by midday, the dough will be ready to shape and bake into pizza for lunch. Or you can chill your dough ball and bake the pizza later that evening. So if you’re starting from scratch without commercial yeast, you should be able to mix up the starter one weekend, and then bake pizza the following weekend. Most of that time you just let the fermentation happen. The total hands-on time is only about 45 minutes.

31/3 cups (420 g) unbleached, unbromated all-purpose flour

1½ cups (360 g) cool (about 65ºF) water

1 cup (210 g) stiff Sourdough Starter (here)

1¾ teaspoons (10 g) fine sea salt

TO MIX: Put the flour, water, and starter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low speed for 1 minute. It will look loose and shaggy. Scatter salt over the mixture and let everything sit at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes.

Set the mixer to medium-low speed and mix until the dough comes together, 3 to 7 minutes, depending on your mixer. If you have an instant-read thermometer, take the dough’s temperature: It should be 75ºF to 78ºF. If it’s greater or less than that, adjust the water temperature the next time you make dough.

TO FOLD: Lightly oil a large bowl and scrape the dough into the bowl. To create structure in the dough, fold it: This takes about 10 seconds; simply dig one of your hands underneath the dough, lift it up, and gently stretch the dough until it feels like it’s resisting (maybe 6-inch stretching), then fold the stretched part back onto the dough. It should feel loose since this is the first set of folding. Turn the bowl a quarter turn, then stretch and fold again. Repeat, turning the bowl and stretching and folding different parts of the dough four or five times, then invert the dough in the bowl so the folded parts are underneath.

Repeat folding the dough like this once every ½ hour for 3 hours. After the last fold, wait 20 minutes before you divide the dough. At that point, the dough should have developed more gluten, feel fuller and puffy, and be ready to roll into a ball.

TO ROLL INTO A BALL: For 12-inch pizzas, divide the dough into four equal pieces—each should weigh about 250 g. Very lightly flour your hands and a work surface—not too much because you want the dough to stick so you can stretch it. Imagine the piece of dough in front of you is a half-full water balloon. Use your hands to drag the balloon to one side, tightening it so it fills with air and swells up on that side (here, image A). Use the friction on the work surface to drag and stretch the dough. When the balloon is full, fold the thinner edge of the dough underneath (here, image B). Repeat this process a few times, dragging the dough and folding the edges underneath until you have gone all around the outer edges of the dough. At that point, you should have a nice round, smooth ball of dough, maybe with some folds underneath. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect. Let the dough rest for 1 hour at room temperature before shaping. Or cover it and chill for up to 24 hours, then warm at room temp for 30 minutes before shaping.

Crank your oven on full bore, usually 500ºF for home ovens. If you have convection, turn it on. If using a baking stone, put it on a rack in the center of the oven. You’ll need the broiler later, so if it’s on the roof of the oven, position the top rack 4 to 5 inches from the broiler. (If you have a separate broiler—sometimes beneath the oven floor—no need for the top rack.) If using a cast-iron pan, set one rack in the center, and then one rack 4 to 5 inches from the broiler, if it’s at the top of the oven.

TO SHAPE: For a classic 12-inch round pizza with a rim, lightly flour your work surface again, then invert one dough ball onto it. Poke your fingers around the edge of the ball to begin creating a rim (here, image C). Then poke your fingers around the center to begin stretching the dough, keeping the rim you just made. Now put one hand gently on top of the dough to secure it, then grab the rim gently with your other hand and stretch it away from the center, picking up the dough slightly as you go (here, image D). Repeat stretching all around the edge of the rim until you have a nice 12-inch circle of dough. It goes faster if you pick up the dough and stretch it by draping and rotating it over the backs of your hands, but that takes some practice. Use immediately. Or, to freeze the shaped dough, lightly oil a plastic bag and seal the dough in it; freeze for up to 1 week and thaw before topping and baking.

TO BAKE ON A BAKING STONE: Put the stretched dough on a lightly floured pizza peel or rimless baking sheet. Top the pizza, then slide it onto the hot baking stone. When fully risen and the rim starts to brown, after 5 to 7 minutes, use the peel to transfer the pizza under the broiler. Broil until the pizza is blistered and charred in a few spots, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the pizza to the oven floor to crisp up the bottom crust, 5 to 10 seconds, depending on the heat of your oven floor.

TO BAKE IN A CAST-IRON PAN: Heat a large (12- to 14-inch) cast-iron skillet on the stovetop over medium heat. Slide the stretched dough into the hot skillet, then turn the burner to low. Quickly top the pizza, then put the pan of pizza in the oven and bake until the rim browns lightly, 5 to 7 minutes. Move the pan under the broiler and broil until blistered and charred, 1 to 2 minutes.

OPTIONS

RUSTIC WALNUT BREAD: Add 1½ cups toasted chopped walnuts to the fully mixed dough. Fold and rest as directed. Shape into a round or oval loaf, and bake at 400ºF for about 30 minutes.

GARLIC KNOTS: Portion half the dough into 12 pieces about 50 g each. Gently cook 5 thinly sliced garlic cloves in 1 cup olive oil over low heat until mellowed in taste but not browned, about 15 minutes. Lightly oil a 12-cup muffin tin with olive oil. Roll each piece of dough into a rope that is 7 to 9 inches long. Tie in a single or double knot and place in the oiled muffin cups. Top each with about 1 tablespoon of the garlic oil mixture; add some red pepper flakes if you like. Let proof (rise) at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Bake in a 400ºF oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.