It’s Sourdough September so I thought I would share my recipe for a yummy sourdough pizza base using excess sourdough starter (otherwise known as ‘discard’ which doesn’t sound as appetising!).
Sourdough is a fickle entity – or at least I find it to be 😉 It likes to be fed every day and kept at the right temperature. Too warm and it can become too frisky and even explode out of its jar. But too cool and it becomes flat and too sour.
If you’re not using it every couple of days, sourdough needs to stay in the fridge where it will chill out for a week before needing to be fed. But it can also form a layer of very sour smelling black fluid that has the potential to ruin the whole mix.
I’ve certainly had a few days of struggling to resuscitate my starter after it’s been in the fridge. In fact, if I’m going away on holiday, I’ve found freezing a portion is the better option, especially if you’re away for more than a week. Otherwise, you’d have to ask a neighbour to come in a feed the starter 😉. It’s like having a pet, only less interactive.
If you’re new to sourdough and need to create a starter, then this post tells you how to get one going. Unfortunately, I’ve never had any luck with making a gluten free sourdough starter even though I have read it is possible. I’ve tried it with buckwheat flour and it just went really mouldy. The smell put me off buckwheat for ages after that! If however, you have a successful gluten free starter bubbling away at home, then please do sub all the flour ingredients for gluten free alternatives. And let me know how you managed to get a good starter going without stomach churning outcomes 😊
I love pizza. But with my food intolerances – yeast and dairy – it turned out to be a definite no-go with the double whammy of yeast in the base and cheese on top. My pizza preference has always been veggie, and I’ve tried various options over the years but nothing really hit the spot until I started to make my own with a sourdough base and salty cashew cheese dripped on the toppings.It’s so good and is now a monthly treat.
You can make the base earlier in the day then leave it to rest until you’re ready to roll it out. If however, you are like me and forget to plan ahead or are just too impatient then a minimum of 1 hour resting will do. Aim for four and it’s just about right.
I use wholewheat bread flour but white bread flour will make it a little lighter. Personally, I like a high toppings to base ratio so my bases are rolled very thin. It’s best to do this on non-stick baking paper so you can easily transfer to your baking tin.
If you have a pizza baking tin, give it a few squirts of olive oil to stop the base sticking to the pan. Peel the base off the baking paper and drop onto the tin. Alternatively, leave the base on the baking paper and place a very thin baking tray so the heat permeates through.
Previously, I’ve used passata for the tomato base, but it resulted in a very soggy crust. As it has a lower water content, tomato puree is a much better option and allows the base to stay dry and crisp.
For two pizzas, I make a half portion of this cashew cheese sauce but with as little water as possible and a bit more salt. The ‘cheese’ needs to be thick enough to dollop over the veggies, but not so thin it pours off the edges. One way to get the right thickness is the drain the cashews then blend them in the high-speed blender pot until they form a lumpy paste. Adding water a bit at a time means you can get a smooth sauce with the least amount of water.
As for the veggie toppings, use whatever you like. Onion takes a long time to cook, so a scant amount is best and slice peppers and courgettes very thin to ensure they soften in the cooking time. As for whether you add pineapple or not, that’s a whole debate in itself 😉
I hope you enjoy making this sourdough pizza. If you get a chance to make it this Sourdough September, don’t forget to let me know how you get on.
Homemade sourdough pizza
Ingredients
Method
- Make sure you have fed your sourdough starter a few hours earlier so it's active and bubbly
- Measure the flour into a bowl and add the salt. Make a well in the middle and add the sourdough starter and olive oil.
- Mix into the flour with a spoon.
- Add the warm water and continue to mix, first with a spoon and then your hands to make sure everything is combined.
- Knead the dough for about 5 minutes until it's smooth.
- Cover with plastic or a shower cap and leave to rest for a minimum of an hour. Four hours is ideal.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180-200℃.
- Cut the dough in half. Roll into 2 balls. Tear off a large sheet of non-stick baking paper and roll out one of the balls to form a thin circle.
- Transfer to a pizza baking tray or leave on the paper and place on a thin baking tray. Repeat with the other ball and place on a second tray.
- Spoon one tablespoon of tomato puree onto a pizza base and spread out with a flat knife so it covers to the edges. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of Italian herbs over the tomato. Repeat with the second base.
- Layer the veggies over the tomato base. Top with dollops of cashew cheese.
- Place both trays in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Turn the trays and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the pizza edges are crispy and the cashew cheese starts to brown.
- Serve and eat whilst piping hot.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
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