Ingredients

Scale

1/2 cup water
1 cup sourdough starter, unfed/discard
1/2 – 2/3 teaspoon active dry yeast (can be omitted)
2 1/4 – 2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon sea salt (non-iodized)
2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
About 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Add the water to the mixing bowl for a stand mixer. If your sourdough starter has any liquid on the top, stir it back into the starter and measure out 1 cup and add it to the bowl. Add 2 cups of the flour, the salt, seasonings and garlic.
Stir to mix. The dough will be VERY shaggy. Put the dough hook on your mixer and set it on speed 2. Knead for about 7 minutes, adding a bit of flour at a time after the dough comes together and starts to stick to the bowl. When done, the dough should clean the side of the bowl and cling to the dough hook.
Shape the dough into a ball, then use your hands to coat the ball with oil. Set it back in the mixing bowl, cover and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.
Cut the dough into 2 – 4 pieces (depending on how big you want your pizzas – we typically split it into 3) and shape each ball into a disc. Wrap any dough you’ll bake later with plastic wrap and store in the fridge.
If making a thin crust pizza, preheat the oven to 450 F. and set a cast iron pan oiled with avocado oil in the oven to preheat.
For any dough you want to bake today, roll it out or use your hands to stretch the dough to the desired thickness. For thin crust: super thin (as thin as you can make it). For hand-tossed or thicker: about 1/4 inch thick. For thick crust: 3/8 inch thick.
For thicker crusts: oil the top of the dough with olive oil and let rise on a floured surface until the crust is nearing the right thickness (keeping in mind it will puff up as it cooks), anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour.
When it’s near time to bake, preheat the oven to 450 F. and set the oiled cast iron pan in the oven. Let the cast iron pan heat for 10 – 15 minutes longer in the oven to get nice and hot.
When ready to bake, using oven mitts to protect your hands, take the cast iron pan out of the oven. prick all over with a fork, then set the dough in the hot pan and return quickly to the oven to bake for 5 – 7 minutes or until cooked but not browned yet.
Take the pan out of the oven, use a spatula to move the hot crust to a flat surface, then return the pan to the oven to keep it hot. Top the pizza as desired, then once again, set in the hot cast iron pan to finish cooking.
Cook until the cheese is fully melted and a little browned in spots. Use a spatula to move the crust to a cutting board to cut. Let cool very slightly and enjoy!

Notes

Time varies based on how long you let your crust rise. Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days before baking.

Is it sourdough if you add yeast? I would contend that it IS sourdough because it contains sourdough starter, but if you’re concerned about adding yeast, then leave it out. Rise times will be longer without the yeast and your pizza crust will taste more “sour”.

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