Sourdough Pizza Crust from Discard & Mediterranean Pizza Recipe

If you have a sourdough starter, you know how hard it can be to discard part your starter when you feed it. One of my favorite uses for the discard is sourdough pizza crust. It is super easy and uses unfed starter straight from the fridge. The original recipe is from King Arthur Flour and it only requires 5 ingredients. The recipe makes enough dough for two 12” thin crust pizzas or 1 large thick crust pizza. The King Arthur Flour site says one 14” thick crust, but I have definitely made bigger ones.

Following the recipe on the site, combine:

• 1 cup unfed sourdough starter (can come straight out of the fridge)
• 1/2 cup hot tap water
• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast

If you don’t have a sourdough starter, click here for step-by-step instructions for making your own and come back to this recipe in a few days after your starter has developed some.

1. Knead it until it is smooth and bouncy
2. Place it in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
3. Allow the dough to rise until it is doubled, about 2 to 4 hours. This part is tentative, because of the sourdough and other environmental factors, like temperature and drafts. Dough that has risen more slowly in a cooler area will have a more pronounced sourdough flavor.
4. Once your dough has risen sufficiently, gently punch it down.
5. Put it in pizza pans drizzled with olive oil. Olive oil adds crunch and flavor. Mmmm!
6. Press the dough out to the desired size. (You may have to stop and come back a few times until it is relaxed enough to stretch. Don’t force it or the dough will tear).
7. Cover the dough in the pan and let it rise to your desired thickness. Remember it will rise a little in the oven as well.
8. Pre-bake the dough without toppings in a 450 degree preheated oven. Depending on thickness, this can take anywhere from 5-10 minutes. Don’t brown the crust.
9. Take the crust out and top it with whatever you like, then return it to the oven to finish baking. This part usually takes about 10 more minutes for a thicker crust. Keep an eye on it.

And most importantly: Once it’s finished, let it cool a bit. There’s nothing worse than hot cheese burning the hide off of your tongue! Slice and serve! Yum-O!

My lovely boyfriend loves pizza, especially Mediterranean style. I have perfected his favorite. It comes out great each and every time. Follow the recipe above through the pre-baking part. (You can use a store-bought crust, but I assure you, the sourdough crust is far superior).

After the pizza crust has pre-baked, add the following toppings in this order:

• 1 tbsp olive oil, brushed around the edges of the crust (this enhances the color and flavor)
• ½ cup of fresh pesto (pesto recipe to follow)
• 1-2 cups of shredded mozzarella
• 8-10 whole slices of Roma tomatoes
• 8-10 rings of red onion
• ½ cup Greek-flavored crumbled feta cheese
• ½ cup sliced kalamata olives
• 1 tbsp dry Greek seasoning sprinkled all over
• Bake until the mozzarella is bubbling and the edges of the crust are golden brown.
• Serve to eager significant others and friends.
• Share tantalizing photos on Facebook and watch your friends moan in the comments section.

In a medium or larger food processor, combine the following:

• 2 cups of fresh packed basil (rinsed and thoroughly dried)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• ¼ c. pine nuts (you can use almonds if you don’t have pine nuts…no one will notice after it’s covered with all the toppings)
• ½ c. parmesan cheese (not the canned stuff…a real block of parmesan cheese diced up). You can use pecorino Romano if you have that.
• Pulse all this together in the food processor and then slowly add ½ to 2/3 c. of good olive oil while continuing to pulse the food processor. The mixture should start to emulsify. When it has all come together, scrape down the sides of the food processor bowl and pulse once more. All done!

You can use this same recipe for any variety of pasta dishes. If you don’t use all the pesto, put the remaining bit in a small food-save container, pour olive oil in a layer on top of it, then put plastic wrap on top of the olive oil to seal out any air, then put the lid on it and freeze it. Any time you want pesto, you will have a batch already made in the freezer!