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Sour Dough Pizza Dough with Sausage, Onions & Mushrooms

I've had a sour dough starter for many years, and it has served me well. Mine does well with bi-weekly "feedings" by discarding one cup of the starter, and adding freshly stirred flour with water. Instead of discarding some starter, why not make this into pizza dough?! This is super simple pizza dough. Of course, my favorite pizza toppings are mushrooms, sausage and onion-- but feel free to choose your own.
Course main
Cuisine American
Keyword Best Pizza, Homemade Pizza Sauce, Sour Dough Pizza Dough
Servings 8
Author Debby - www.AFeastfortheEyes.net

Equipment

  • My essential tools for more successful bread/pizza baking:
  • Baking Stone
  • Parchment paper
  • Pizza peel (or large inverted baking sheet)

Ingredients

Pizza Dough:

  • 1 cup sourdough starter unfed (straight from the fridge)
  • 1/2 cup hot tap water
  • 2 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 4 teaspoons Pizza Dough Flavor optional but delicious

My Favorite Pizza Toppings:

  • 4 Italian sausages casings removed
  • 1 onion thinly sliced
  • 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms or white button mushrooms thinly sliced
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes optional
  • 1/2 cup sliced black olives drained (optional)
  • 4 cups mozzarella shredded (I used a blend with provolone and Asiago and mozzarella)
  • 1 to 2 cups pizza sauce I used leftover marinara sauce

Instructions

Dough:

  • Stir any liquid into the sourdough starter, and spoon 1 cup starter into a mixing bowl. (I did this the night before, and returned the starter to the fridge, in a covered bowl.)
  • Add the hot water, flour, salt, yeast, and Pizza Dough Flavor (if using). Mix to combine, then knead till smooth and slightly sticky, about 7 minutes at medium speed using a stand mixer with dough hook.
  • Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased container, and allow it to rise till it's just about doubled in bulk.
    This might take 2 to 4 hours; it might take more. A lot depends on how vigorous your starter is. For a faster rise, place the dough somewhere warm (or increase the yeast). To slow it down, put it somewhere cool.
    Tip: I turn my oven to WARM for 2 minutes, then turn it off. This creates a warm and cozy place to proof dough.

For two thinner-style pizza crusts:

  • Divide the dough in half, shaping each half into a flattened disk. Drizzle two 12-inch round pizza pans with olive oil, tilting the pans to coat the bottom. Place half the dough in each pan. Cover, and let rest for 15 minutes.
    Gently press the dough towards the edges of the pans; when it starts to shrink back, cover it, and let it rest again, for about 15 minutes. Finish pressing the dough to the edges of the pans.
  • Cover the pan, and let the dough rise till it's as thick as you like. For thin-crust pizza made from fairly fresh starter, this may only be an hour or so. For thick-crust, using an old, little-used starter, this may take most of the day. There are no hard-and-fast rules here; it all depends on the vigor of your starter, and how you like your crust. Once you make it a couple of times, you'll figure out what time frame works for you.
  • Note: I was hungry, and covered the dough for about 15 minutes, and it worked!

For a thicker-crust pizza:

  • Drizzle olive oil into a jelly roll pan (10 x 15-inch) or half-sheet pan (18 x 13-inch), or similar sized pan; or a 14-inch round pizza pan, tilting the pan to coat with the oil. Shape the dough into a flattened disk or oval. Place it in the pan, cover it, and let it rest for 15 minutes. Push the dough towards the edges of the pan; when it starts to fight back, cover it and let it rest for 15 minutes. Finish pushing it to the edges of the pan.
  • Note: I shaped half the dough, free-hand, to make a smaller pizza. I drizzled olive oil onto a piece of parchment paper on an inverted baking sheet, shaped the dough free-form and then topped the dough.

For the toppings:

  • Cut the sausage into bite-sized pieces and cook on medium-high heat, with a little olive oil, until no longer pink. Add the red pepper flakes, if using.
    Shove the sausage to one side, and cook the onion until just tender, about 5 minutes.
    Create space for the mushrooms; drizzle with a little olive oil and cook just until tender, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
  • Towards the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 450°F.
  • I used to get soggy pizza crusts before I invesed in a baking stone. (Otherwise, I would prebake the pizza dough for about 5-8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the dough.) I would then top the pizza dough and bake for 8-10 minutes.
    Now that I own a baking stone, I pull out the baking rack, and place the inverted baking sheet right in front. Using tongs, I grab the parchment paper and carefully transfer my pizza onto the baking stone. Works great!
    To remove, do the reverse. Remove from the oven, and loosen the edges of the pizza with a table knife or heatproof spatula. Carefully lift it onto a cooling rack; you can serve it right from the pan, if desired, but a cooling rack helps keep its bottom crisp. Serve hot.Yield: one 14-inch round, or rectangular thick-crust pizza; or two 12-inch round thin-crust pizzas.

Notes

You can find all kinds of ways to make your own starter. I bought one from King Arthur Flour for $8.95, that dates back 250 years!
 
I recently made the pizza dough and shaped it into a round.  I brushed the top with garlic olive oil, and sprinkled some Parmesan cheese, then topped it with  fresh mozarella, freshly picked cherry and pear tomatoes. Baked at 475F for about 12-15 minutes.  Topped with fresh basil and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.  Amazing!