Foodstuff: Sour d’oh

I took a sourdough bread baking workshop at Rock Bottom Ranch last fall. Each participant received a jar of sourdough starter to take home at the end of the class, ensuring a head start on our boule baking journeys. We were told we had to feed it with equal parts flour and water once a week. What we were not told is that this living organism will multiply and quickly get completely overwhelming, unless you’re baking regularly.

As I have a full-time job (and a part-time food writing gig), my jar of monster starter sat waiting for me in the back of my refrigerator — until it threatened to explode out of its container and take control of my kitchen. Recipes had to be made, and I can only ingest so many loaves of bread before turning into a walking baguette.

So I decided to research recipes that use sourdough “discard,” or the stuff that sits in the fridge, which isn’t prepped for bread baking. I found this recipe for discard pizza dough on the website “Tastes of Lizzy T,” which has a lot of good, specific tips and adjustments based on different equipment and kitchen needs, so I decided to give it a try in advance of a family visit. Behold, a Roberts Family Pizza Party was on tap!

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SOURDOUGH DISCARD PIZZA DOUGH

Yields one extra large, two mediums, or four personal pizza crusts

Recommended equipment: food scale*, stand mixer**, parchment paper, pizza stone***

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3/4c warm water (115°F), or 172 grams

1 package instant yeast

1c sourdough discard, or 240 grams

2t granulated sugar, or 12 grams

1t salt or, 6 grams****

2T olive oil, or 30 grams

2T cornmeal, or 24 grams

2 3/4c bread flour, or 358 grams

Put warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and give the yeast a few minutes to bubble and bloom.

Add sourdough discard, sugar, salt, olive oil, cornmeal, and flour.

In stand mixer, mix with the paddle attachment until just combined. Then use the dough hook to knead for about 10 minutes.

Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until almost doubled.*****

Preheat the oven to 550°F.******

If you have two baking stones, place one on each of the two racks in the oven. The pizza will sit on the bottom one, and there will be a stone on top also to cook the top of the pizza.

Place a large piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet (preferably one without sides). Sprinkle cornmeal on the parchment paper.

Stretch the pizza dough out, and press it lightly with your fingertips until it is the size and thickness you’d like it. Don’t roll the dough with a rolling pin! This will pop the air bubbles in the dough, creating a chewier, denser crust. If you want light and crispy, just press dough with your fingertips.

Top with desired pizza toppings.

Slide parchment paper with pizza off the pan and directly onto the lower pizza stone*******. Bake about 14 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Time will vary based on how thick the crust is and how large the pizza is, so watch it closely.

Remove pizza from the oven, let cool for about 5 minutes, slice, and serve.

COOK’S NOTES

*You don’t really need a food scale; the measurements are pretty exact here, but it is helpful if you have it on hand.

**You can also knead this by hand, it just takes some elbow grease.

***We baked some pizzas using the stone, some without, and both turned out great.

****I doubled the amount of salt the second time I made this, and it was much improved.

*****We let this rise for longer than 30 minutes, while we chatted over appetizers, and I think it was even better.

******I tried this at the suggested temperature, as well as a way lower 450°, and preferred the cooler, slower cooking time (Just keep an eye on it). We also cooked a couple on the gas grill with mixed results.

*******We didn’t have enough pizza stones for the whole family, so I baked mine on a pan, which was just as good.

This pizza party was a hit for my family, as it was interactive and satisfied everyone’s different tastes. It’s an excellent solution for a tenacious sourdough starter; it’s also as easy as it is delicious.

Katherine Roberts is a mid-Valley based writer and marketing professional who is really getting the hang of this home baking thing. She can be reached via her marketing and communications firm, Carington Creative, at katherine@caringtoncreative.com.