This recipe makes 4 – 10” pizzas or 3 – 14” pizzas

Ingredients:

• 550g ‘OO’ pizza flour, plus extra for dusting
• 100g active, bubbly starter
• 330g water
• 18g kosher salt

Toppings:

• Pizza sauce of your choice
• Fresh mozzarella
• Other toppings of your choice (we often to pepperoni and basil)

In a large bowl, add your starter and water and mix until milky. Then add your flour and mix with a spoon or dough whisk until a shaggy dough forms. Then use a damp hand to continue to mix for a few minutes until all flour is incorporated and a smooth dough forms. Cover and rest for 45-60 minutes.

While your dough is resting, weigh out the salt in a separate dish and put it near your dough so you do not forget to add it. After the 45-60 minute rest, add the salt and perform stretch and folds to incorporate it. Knead the dough until it is smooth again. Lightly coat a clear bowl with olive oil and transfer your dough to finish bulk fermenting. Let it rise until it has doubled, which usually takes about 2-4 hours.

Once it has doubled, spritz your counter with water and dump out the dough. Shape it into a circle and divide it into 3 or 4 even pieces. Shape those into a ball (this will make it easier to shape your pizza crusts later). You can now either wrap each dough ball in plastic or place into individual airtight containers and refrigerate for 24-48 hours (this is my preferred method, and will enhance the sourdough flavor). Then follow the instructions in the next step for the second rise.

Alternatively, you can use your dough without a cold proof. Lightly drizzle some olive oil on a pan and place the dough balls on it. Cover them with a tea towel and let them rise for another 1-2 hours, or until they’re puffy and doubled in size again.

Making your pizza:

Pre-heat your pizza oven to 700-900F (or regular oven with baking steel or pizza stone to 500-550F). Dust your counter and hands with a little flour. Work with one dough ball at a time.

Starting in the middle, use your fingers to gently stretch the dough from the middle outwards. It also helps to lift it and gently jiggle it to help it stretch without tearing. Neapolitan pizza has a very thin crust in the middle, so you should be able to see light through it when holding it up.

Then dust your pizza peel with flour, and transfer your crust to it. Make sure it is able to slide around easily. If it can’t, life the edges and add more flour.

Next add a thin layer of your preferred pizza sauce, some mozzarella, and your toppings. You do not want too much sauce or other toppings that will be heavy and weigh down your pizza, making it harder to transfer into the oven.

Carefully, but confidently, launch your pizza off the peel into the oven keeping the peel level.

If using a pizza oven, rotate your pizza every 30-45 second to ensure all sides are cooked evenly. It should only take 60-90 seconds to cook your pizza.

If using a regular oven with pizza stone or baking steel, bake for 5-7 minutes, or until crust and toppings look completely cooked.

Notes:

• This dough can be frozen. Wrap it snuggly in plastic, and use within 3 months. Freeze it before the second rise. When using, thaw in the fridge 24 hours. Then do the second rise like you would from the refrigerator.