Sourdough Pizza Crust and two Toppings

I make pizza crust with sourdough. This recipe is for two pizzas, one with a pepperoni, bacon, cheese and garlic topping, the other with vegetables and cheeses. The toppings are just suggestions; I'm not even giving exact amounts of the ingredients. You can of course also follow some traditional pizza recipe or just make up your own.

Ingredients

Sourdough Crust

• Pre-dough: 4½ oz / 125 g flour, ½ cup / 125 ml water, 1 tbsp sourdough starter culture
• 1 lb ½ oz / 470 g flour
• ½ cup + 1 tbsp / 140 ml water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• olive oil to coat the dough and oil the pans

Pepperoni, Bacon and Garlic Topping

• half of a 6 oz can of tomato paste (about 3 oz / 85 g)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp dry white wine
• ⅛ tsp oregano
• pepperoni (amount to taste)
• plum tomatoes, sliced (amount to taste)
• mushrooms, sliced (amount to taste)
• bacon, diced (amount to taste)
• mozzarella, sliced (amount to taste)
• onions, sliced (amount to taste)
• Swiss (and/or other) cheese, grated (amount to taste)
• salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)

Vegetables and Cheeses Topping

• half of a 6 oz can of tomato paste (about 3 oz / 85 g)
• red bell pepper(s), sliced (amount to taste)
• plum tomatoes, sliced (amount to taste)
• onion, sliced (amount to taste)
• mushrooms, sliced (amount to taste)
• garlic, thinly sliced (amount to taste)
• mozzarella, sliced (amount to taste)
• other cheeses, e.g. cubed feta, grated cheddar, grated Swiss cheese or some blue cheese (amounts to taste)
• a few basil leaves
• salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)

Preparation

Pizza Dough

1. Prepare the pre-dough a day in advance. Combine flour, water and sourdough starter culture in a mixing bowl, stir well and let stand overnight or until very bubbly.
2. Add the remaining flour, olive oil, salt and water.
3. Knead well, stretching the dough as much as possible, until dough is firm and elastic.
4. Form a ball, coat with olive oil and let rise until volume has about doubled.
5. Meanwhile, preheat the oven as high as possible (mine goes to 550°F / 290°C and takes quite a while to get there).
6. Cut the dough into two halves. Roll out or stretch out each half and put on a lightly oiled pizza pan. Let proof for another 5-10 minutes.

Pepperoni, Garlic and Bacon Pizza

1. Prepare garlic-tomato paste: In a small food processor blend together tomato paste, garlic, olive oil, white wine and oregano.
2. With a bench knife, spread the garlic-tomato paste on one of the pizzas. Add sliced tomatoes, mushrooms, pepperoni, bacon, mozzarella, onions and cheese. Season with freshly ground pepper.
3. Bake until the crust turns golden brown (depending on the temperature of the oven, about 15-30 minutes).

Vegetable and Cheeses Pizza

1. With a bench knife, spread garlic-tomato paste on one of the pizzas.
2. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, bell pepper, garlic and cheeses. Season with pepper and salt.
3. Bake until the crust turns golden brown (depending on the temperature of the oven, about 15-30 minutes) and the cheese has melted and starts to brown lightly.
4. Put the basil leaves on top. Serve.

Notes

• I like my pizzas somewhere between the relatively frugal Italian style and the very rich (and sometimes too greasy) American style pizza.
• I sometimes bake the pizzas directly on the baking stone.