Sourdough Spelt Pizza Dough
(Gal, Liz and Jenn making Pizza)
Pizza night is a weekly tradition in this house, and something we love to share with friends and family when they come to visit the homestead. Two weeks ago, I had a reunion with my best friend from high school, Liz, or as she is affectionately known to me, Lizard. We fell out of touch, like many of us do, over some boys…and we hadn’t been in touch for nearly 10 years. BAD BOYS. I thought about her often over the years, and we were so happy to be reunited on Facebook! She lives in Brooklyn, with her beautiful family, and she and her awesome husband came to visit us.
Pizza is the perfect food for entertaining. It is also a great way to feed a crowd when you are not sure what kinds of dietary restrictions people might have. Toppings can range from all veggies, to anchovies, some sausages, or whatever. You can even use pesto or barbecue sauce in place of traditional tomato sauce. You can even forego the cheese, if someone in your group is lactose intolerant. Making pizza together is a great way to spend time with friends – rolling out the dough, making personal pizzas, and then enjoying it together, with a nice glass of red, maybe a beer, and a lot of laughs! See how much fun we are having?
We are really passionate about our pizza here. Roberto grew up eating pizza in Italy, and I grew up thinking I didn’t like pizza (don’t blame me, blame “cheesefood”). This all changed when I discovered thin, crunchy, crust, fresh mozzarella cheese and the amazing array of fresh toppings that one can come up with when you make pizza at home! So you could say that we are both very picky pizza eaters. We might even be pizza snobs. So, in order to do justice to homemade pizza, we have been experimenting and creating for the past two years to come up with THE PERFECT PIZZA (TM).
We used to use the Olive Oil bread dough from Artisan Bread in 5, religiously. However, during that time, we had a bit of a wrench thrown into the works, when I discovered that I was having trouble with wheat. So we experimented with gluten free flours, and pizza dough recipes, and all of them really left a lot to be desired. So we had some sad and disappointing Friday nights. I was determined to find a pizza dough that was up to par taste and texture wise, and at the same time didn’t make me wake up with a hangover feeling the next day. This is where the sourdough comes in. I had heard through the blogosphere that people with wheat intolerance (NOT Celiac) were able to tolerate sourdough bread products. It has to do with neutralizing enzyme inhibitors, which interfere with digestion and breaking down phytic acid, which generally blocks mineral absorption. Sourdough cultures also predigest or completely break down the gluten during the fermentation process. Creating a bread that is more digestable. I also used spelt flour, because I have found that it is not as “heavy” as whole wheat, and closer to the feeling of a traditional pizza crust, like you would find in Italy.
For us, one of our secrets to making a super flavorful pizza is to use tomato paste in place of tomato sauce. This is a family secret, that one of my great aunts came up with. Roberto feels that this “proprietary” information should not be shared with the public. But like I told him, now maybe if we have homemade pizza at someone else’s house, maybe they read my post, and we will like it all the better! 🙂 That punch of tomato paste flavor really comes through in all its sweetness once it is baked in the oven. Also, the cheese matters. Get the best quality mozzarella that you can, not the shredded stuff. Nice slices of fresh mozzarella add something wonderfully light to the pizza – and go easy on it. It is OK to have some bare spots, where you can actually see only sauce. Trust us…
Some of our favorite toppings are: fresh tomato slices, fresh mushrooms, prosciutto, arugula, anchovies, olives (capers if we are too lazy to pit olives) peperoncini peppers, and sun dried tomatoes. And you must remember to salt and pepper your pizza, and a nice drizzle of olive oil over top doesn’t hurt either! We mix and match the toppings on different pizzas. Usually we make 2 pizzas, and then have leftover for lunches. Another favorite is using pesto as the sauce, and then adding thinly sliced potatoes, that you have baked slightly beforehand.
Perhaps the most important aspect to the perfect pizza is a HOT oven. We preheat our oven 20 minutes ahead to 500 F. We bake our pizzas on cookie sheets, lined with parchment paper. This makes the crust super crisp and delicious! I have heard all the rage about pizza stones, and one day I might add one to my kitchen tools. But I use my Italian husband as a barometer for a good pizza, and so far, we have done well without the need for a pizza stone.
So we suggest you get your crust ready tonight to have pizza tomorrow!
INGREDIENTS:
¼ cup sourdough starter
5 cups spelt flour
2 TBS olive oil
1 TBS salt
2 cups water
3 cups sprouted spelt flour (or you can use regular, if you prefer)
1 tsp olive oil
METHOD:
Combine starter, 5 cups spelt flour, olive oil, salt and water in a large bowl. Cover loosely with a towel or lid and allow to stand in a warm place for 5-10 hours, or overnight is best. Next add 3 cups of sprouted spelt flour and work it into the dough, enough so you can handle it without it being too sticky. Form the dough into a ball, and rub 1 tsp of olive oil all over it. Place it back in the bowl and let it stand 20 minutes. Then knead the dough with your hands until it is smooth and elastic, then place it back in the bowl, and allow it to double in bulk – about 1 hour. At this point you can use it to make pizza. This recipe makes about 4 large cookie sheet rectangular pizzas. If you are not going to use it all, you can rip off 4 grapefruit sized balls and store each one in a freezer bag, until you want to use it. When you want to use it, take it out to defrost, and then roll out, and put your favorite toppings on.
Rosa - August 6, 2010 at 12:55 pm
A wonderful pizza! that dough must be flavorful.
Cheers,
Rosa
Ben - August 6, 2010 at 12:57 pm
OMG Jenn, that does look amazing! Another reason to try to make my own sourdough.
City Share - August 6, 2010 at 1:31 pm
This looks amazing. I want to give up wheat for a while, and it’s nice to know I won’t be missing out on some favorites like homemade pizza. Thanks.
bellini valli - August 6, 2010 at 2:21 pm
It seems that Friday night always include pizza around here Jenn. So glad you are able to enjoy!!
Judy - August 6, 2010 at 3:21 pm
Pizza looks so good Jenn! Glad you finally found a good recipe for the dough! Now you need to try grilling it for an even crispier crust!!!
Stella - August 6, 2010 at 3:52 pm
Yum Jenn! We used to do pizza night too. I need to rekindle that, as you guys all look like your’e having such a nice time. Oh, and your crust sounds super healthful and tasty. I’m going to save it to my files…
p.s. I grew up not liking pizza either. I like it now, but I don’t love it the way some do-weird?
roopa - August 6, 2010 at 5:36 pm
Making Pizza out of sourdough flour is a new one for me. The pizza looks yummy 🙂 You all seemed to have a good time ! 🙂
vanillasugar - August 6, 2010 at 6:09 pm
and healthy! nice. i never ever would have thought to use spelt. glad you did.
it’s so wild to see you living in your new (OWN) home now. you know? seems like just yesterday you were looking for a new rental to move into in florida.
Joan Nova - August 6, 2010 at 6:38 pm
that looks delicious. More importantly, I’m glad you got the chance to reconnect with your friend.
Pam - August 6, 2010 at 6:43 pm
Jenn, woo hoo! This is the first time I have seen your teeth when you smiled! You must of been happy! Awesome looking time and food! Enjoy!
P.S. nice kitchen!
Helene - August 6, 2010 at 7:39 pm
I love making pizza. I use the Cook’s Illustrated recipe. Threat yourself to a pizza stone. I own 2 of those. Love the crust when baked on a pizza stone. Now I’ll have to try to use tomato paste. I usually make my own pizza sauce but like the idea of using tomato paste for a change.
Jenny - August 6, 2010 at 10:42 pm
I love sourdough pizza, it is so, so good. I’m hoping to make some this weekend. The sour flavor goes SO well with all the herbs and toppings.
Bean - August 7, 2010 at 4:29 am
frist time visit!Wonderful blog。。。
Arlene - August 7, 2010 at 10:50 am
It looks delicious! Wow you and Liz together again- so cool.
Peter G @ Souvlaki For The Soul - August 8, 2010 at 2:42 am
Always a delight to read about your cooking Jenn…especially when there’s pizza involved! The tomato paste trick sounds delish…I’m picky with pizza too! Great that you got a chance to reconnect with your friend.
Jacqueline - August 9, 2010 at 8:42 am
Mmmmmmm, I am feeling so hugry now. I want a slice of that pizza. It looks so good 🙂
Blackswan - August 9, 2010 at 11:00 pm
Thanks Jenn, for featuring Luxury Indulgence!
This is my 1st visit to this lovely blog. Thks for sharing this interesting post!
kat - August 10, 2010 at 11:30 am
I adore spelt & have yet to use it in pizza dough, guess that has to change!
Bren - August 15, 2010 at 1:35 pm
Nada like homemade pizza! Don from Mr. Orph’s kitchen and I made pizza once. Well, really he did. And it was soo good. Need to make my own far more often, especially since I love me a good pie!
nice work, chica!
Kare - August 16, 2010 at 1:56 am
Okay, now I’m craving pizza. I am so intrigued by the pizza dough recipe (I’ve only made my trusty olive oil/white flour number thus far, maybe it’s time to branch out!) And pesto and potato pizza? Yum! Thanks for all the terrific ideas. And congrats on getting back in touch with your friend – love that.
Dee - August 17, 2010 at 3:05 pm
Pizza looks great! I use 1/3 whole wheat for a more forgiving dough, healthier too. Friday is pizza night here, too, but my oven has a mind of its own as to temperature so I always have to check the thermometer as it may be 100 degrees off! I usually stick to the basic cheese, pepperoni, sauteed mushrooms and peppers but love these too: potato and rosemary; sauteed spinach, roasted garlic and goat cheese; and roasted butternut squash and Fontina. No tomato sauce on any but I do love your idea of tomato paste and will try it… Friday. Cheers! Dee
deeba - August 18, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Gorgeous in every way … I’ve tried often to make my own sourdough starter but with little luck. Love the idea of tomato paste and bare patches on the pizza… Moorish & fun!!
Angela@spinachtiger - August 19, 2010 at 9:07 am
I am married to a pizza lover, and it took us a while to get it right. My one suggestion is to purchase a stone. I use a rectangular long one from Pampered Chef. I use it every day for roasting veggies, etc. It just stays in the oven. It comes in a terracotta color, but as it seasons, it turns nice and black. It’s indispensable. The SPELT dough is intriguing. I want to make more things with spelt and I’m going to give this one a try.
Kristina - October 5, 2010 at 12:26 am
Wow! Can’t wait to make this yo! Sorry, that’s my fake street accent coming out. I was googling sourdough pizza crust and found yours. Glad to have found you and even gladder that wheat intolerance can be conquered with an easy sourdough crust, especially now that I just made my first sourdough starter. Exciting stuff!