Janie's Mill Sourdough Pizza Base
This recipe by Cecilia Buyswheeler-Gunther makes perfect use of Janie’s Mill Italian Style Pizza Flour, available at our shop, to create a delicious, tangy pizza dough that crisps up wonderfully in the oven.
Recipe Instructions
➜ I mix my dough with my stand mixer using a dough hook (You can mix with your fingers or your favorite mixing tool). Mix the following until incorporated for no longer than four minutes.
375g warm water
100g active and bubbly sourdough starter
➜ Let the dough sit for 30 minutes. This is the preferment period.
➜Turn the dough out onto the counter, pat it down with wet hands and stipple
10g salt
➜After the preferment you don’t want to add unfermented flour, and the dough will be a bit sticky initially, so use wet or oily hands. Stretch and fold with damp hands. Let the dough sit for another 30 minutes.
➜Stretch one more time and then place the dough into an oiled bowl and sit out on the counter over night - between 6 and 12 hours. If it is a hot humid summer night it may only need to sit for a few hours.
➜In the morning, divide the dough into your favorite family sized balls, creating nice round balls by turning and tucking the dough under, either in your hand or on the counter. You will use a movement similar to tucking the sheet under the mattress. Then place the dough balls into their separate containers with lids and store in the fridge until it is time to make your pizza, or use it straight away. The dough can store in your refrigerator for a couple of days. Allow the dough to warm to room temperature before you stretch it out into a pizza base. Simple right?
Cecilia recommends topping your pizza with red pear and sharp white cheddar cheese: “When we work with only a few ingredients in a recipe it is important to have the very best of ingredients to ensure that each taste in the profile can shine. So, find good sharp aged cheddar cheese and a wonderful perfect pear. I drizzled just a touch of good Californian olive oil on top of the base before covering the base in grated cheddar cheese. Toss the pear lightly in hot browned butter. Arrange the pear on top of the cheese. Sprinkle with a touch of lemon zest. Bake at 500°F for 20 minutes then broil for 2 minutes to caramelize the pear.”