Fast track sourdough pizza

For many years I was under the impression that nothing happened quickly with both pizza and sourdough baking.  It involved waiting around for hours.  It had to be well planned.  It needed great patience.  And indeed this is true of a lot of pizza and sourdough bread recipes.  Thank goodness I have learnt how to break the rules with this fast track sourdough pizza.

It was five years ago that I discovered a fast track pizza recipe that indeed fast tracks the process.  I have played around with it and tweaked it.  The biggest change, however, was a couple of years ago when I tried adding my sourdough starter just because sourdough starters need regular activity.  So now the recipe has yeast for speed and sourdough for added flavour. 

I have made it more times than I can remember.  In fact, I am writing up this recipe as I am tired of finding my scrappy notes at the end of the original post for yeasted fast track pizza. 

The recipe is counter-intuitive, if like me, you are used to traditional yeasted baking.  The dough is better for sitting for an hour or so, but can rest for as little as 20 minutes.  It does not get kneaded and is so sticky that when it is patted into shape, you need to flour your hands.  And yet it works

Lately I haven't had as much time for cooking as I would like.  Pizza has been a simple affair of tomato sauce with grated cheese.  Served with a side salad, if we are lucky.  I have taken to buying a pizza flavoured tomato paste that does the trick.

My preference is to cook up a pizza sauce by frying onions and garlic, adding seasoning (salt, maple syrup, worcestershire sauce, pepper) and tomato paste.  Sometimes I puree in a small tin of baked beans or other vegies.  I usually have too much for one pizza and freeze some tubs of extra sauce.

In an ideal world, I like to experiment with pizza toppings.  Above are some from my archives, as well as a few recent pizzas.  It works well with vegan mozzarella, is fun to try with vegetarian haggis or leftover tofu besan omelette or with chocolate and berries.  I have sprinkled leftover burger or nut roast on top, tried baked beans and love a carrot pizza sauce.  Anything goes if I have the time and inspiration.  Sadly, I haven't had much time or inspiration lately but being able to make pizza quickly really does save my sanity.

If you need more inspiration, you can find a list of my pizza ideas - both bases and toppings that I have blogged.

Fast track pizza dough
Adapted from Green Gourmet Giraffe
Makes two pizzas

1 cup sourdough starter*
1 cup warm water
1 1/2 tsp dried yeast
3 tbsp olive oil 
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp sweetener
2 1/2 cups flour

Place the sourdough starter, yeast, and warm water.  Leave a few minutes to check the yeast is blooming into small white bubbly bursts of activity.  Mix to make sure the starter is well combined.  Stir in the oil, salt and sweetener and then add the flour to make a sticky dough.

Cover with a tea towel and leave for about 20-60 minutes.  (Twenty minutes will do but an hour is better or even longer is fine.)

Preheat oven to 220 C with a couple of pizza stones in the oven.  Generously line two 28cm round pizza trays with baking paper (the non-stick type).

Divide the dough between the trays.  Flour your hands and pat down the dough to cover the tray. 

Arrange desired toppings on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toppings are golden brown and edges are slightly puffed and look cooked.


NOTES: I often use sourdough starter cold from the fridge and sometimes not as bouncy and bubbly as I would like.  It still works.  I use whatever sweetener is about - honey, sugar, agave.  I have tried adding a bit more flour but it can be a bit drier - it is the wet dough that makes it so soft.  I have made this and patted the dough thinner so it covers 2 larger pizzas and a small one but I like to have a bit of puff to my dough.  As bread dough is a bit doughy when first out of the oven, I really like the leftovers either hot or cold the next day.

On the Stereo:
Call the Midwife: The Christmas Album