How about a Pizza Night? (6)

Sourdough crust cheese pizza

Welcome back gentle readers. This is my first blog post since I published my "sourdougheasyaspie" site. So excited that you guys are taking a look and giving me feedback. Thank you for that! My husband and I just had a pizza night and so I wanted to share the recipes that I use to make my very own homemade pizza!

1. The first thing you want to focus on is the crust. You may already have a favorite recipe you like, or even something you can find at the store that is quick and easy. However, making your own sourdough crust is pretty simple, just requires a little planning. Here is the recipe I use from the King Arthur web site. They have a few, but this is an easy one that doesn't require an overnight rise. You can start it in the morning and easily be ready to make your pizza for dinner.

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sourdough-discard-pizza-crust-recipe

This recipe is fairly straightforward. I follow the recipe as written, but I don't add the King Arthur Pizza Dough Flavor, it's optional and I've just never ordered it or tried it out. I'm sure it's great if you want to add some kick to your dough recipe. I make my dough in the morning, let it rise for the 2-4 hours and then put the dough in the fridge until I'm getting close to making the pizza. You will want to leave enough time for it to rise a bit after you shape it. Follow the directions for shaping.

Measure out your starter discard

Mix in your bowl to make a rough dough mixture

I knead the dough with my handy KitchenAid. It needs 7 minutes with the mixer, but you can knead by hand too.

After it's kneaded and ready to rise for 2-4 hours

Risen and ready to start shaping or put in the fridge until you are ready to shape.

I shaped one crust directly into a cast iron pan and one on the board to be baked on a pizza stone. Both methods work well.

I baked the pizza with just the sauce for about 5 minutes. I then added the shredded fresh mozzarella and put it back in the oven until the crust is browned and cheese is bubbly.

This completed pizza was baked on the pizza stone.

2. You might be wondering about what I used for my sauce. I make my own marinara sauce that is very simple. I use it for pasta or pizza. When making it for pizza I cook it down more to make it thicker. Here is the recipe I use: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015987-classic-marinara-sauce

   The only change I make is I use 1/2 cup red wine and 1/2 cup water instead of a full cup of water, but it's up to you, both options work very well.

3. I like to use fresh mozzarella (my favorite is BelGioloso fresh sliced) torn into bits, but shredded mozzarella works very well too.

4. My husband and I love just cheese and marinara on our homemade pizza, but feel free to add any toppings you like. Just be careful not to overload. Less is more when it comes to topping pizza, I've found.

5. If you want to try to make homemade pizza, but are not ready to jump into sourdough, this pizza is a favorite we like to use and it works well if you want to try baking it on your smoker. My friend Barb is a huge fan of this one and has been known to invite us to dinner and requested our contribution to be this pizza. 😊

   https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/crispy-cheesy-pan-pizza-recipe

   This pizza crust does need to be made at least a day before, as it rises in the fridge for at least 12 hours (or up to 72 hours). Trust me it's worth the pre-planning.

   
   

   Thanks for checking out this post! Enjoy your pizza, I hope it becomes a family favorite for you too! I will be adding these recipes to my recipe section in the next couple of days for quick access. Take care and enjoy your sourdough!