If you're looking for a delicious and convenient way to celebrate National Pizza Day, look no further than this simple recipe from Martha Levie at Abigail's Oven. Her delicious sourdough pizza crust recipe is the perfect way to enjoy homemade pizza. Sourdough pizza has become increasingly popular in recent years, due to its unique taste and texture. The fermentation process produces a slightly tangy and chewy crust, and gives the pizza a unique flavor and structure that can't be replicated with traditional pizza dough. In addition, the long cold fermentation of the dough improves the bioavailability of certain vitamins and minerals found in flour, all while making it more digestible for those you may be a bit gluten intolerant. And at Abigail's Oven, since we focus on just "3 Perfect Ingredients;" flour, water and salt, that is all that goes into this recipe. But we suggest using a combination of high-quality flour, spring or pure filtered water, real salt, and natural sourdough starter to make the dough. This combination of ingredients creates a crust that is both crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It is likely to become your weekly go to recipe for pizza night! |
History of Pizza "Though flatbreads with toppings were consumed by ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks, the modern birthplace of the pizza is southwestern Italy’s Campania region, home to Naples… [where] Neapolitans required inexpensive food that could be consumed quickly. Pizza… fulfilled this need. "These early pizzas featured tasty toppings such as tomatoes, cheese, oil, anchovies, and garlic. More well off Italian authors judged Naples’ innovation, often calling their eating habits disgusting." "The variety the queen enjoyed the most was called pizza mozzarella, a pie topped with the soft white cheese, red tomatoes, and green basil — much resembling the Italian flag. Since then, this particular choice of toppings has been dubbed the Margherita pizza."—National Day |
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SOURDOUGH PIZZA CRUST RECIPE
- If using pans, coat two 12″ round pizza pans with olive oil, brushing to coat the bottom.
- King Arthur explains, “place the dough in the pans, cover, and let rest for 15 minutes. After this rest, gently press the dough toward the edges of the pans. If it starts to shrink back, cover it and let it rest for 15 minutes before continuing.
- “Sauce and top as you like, but don’t add cheese yet. Bake thin-crust pizzas for 5 minutes before removing them from the oven and adding cheese. For thick-crust pizza, bake for 10 minutes before removing it from the oven and adding cheese. Return to the oven and bake for 5 to 7 more minutes, until the cheese is melted.”
- You can store leftover pizza covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
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- Breadtopia explains that you, “lay your pizza dough on a piece of parchment paper or floured/corn-mealed pizza peel. Stretch and adjust the dough a little more, aiming to position one edge of the pizza all the way at the front edge of the peel if that is what you’re using. When you insert the peel into the oven, the front edge of the dough will 'catch' on the hot stone, making it easier to slide the peel out from under the pizza.
- “Now top your pizza dough to your liking and put it in the oven. If you leave it on the peel for more than a few minutes, it may begin to stick to the peel, so keep your assembly line moving or use parchment paper.
- “For a pizza stone or steel, bake for 7 minutes, then switch to broil for 1 minute more. Keep the oven on broil for an additional minute before you load the next pizza. This helps reheat the stone before you switch back to bake mode…
- “Remove the pizza from the oven with a peel, spatula, or even by tugging on a corner of the parchment paper.
- “Put the pizza on a rack if not eating right away (this keeps the bottom crispy), or on a plate or a steel/aluminum sheet to serve.”
So, go ahead and treat yourself to a slice of delicious sourdough pizza this National Pizza Day! 🍕