Usually I add anywhere from 15-50% whole grain flour to my pizza dough, but for these toppings, I wanted to try a sourdough pizza dough made entirely of tipo 00 strong flour. This super fine strong flour is milled from dark northern spring wheat grown in volcanic soil, and the dough is an absolute treat to work. It is so silky and supple and the finished product is delicious. The crust is crispier, airier, and more tender than anything you’ve probably tried before. Of course, good fermentation and a hot oven stone are also crucial so we’ll give written and photo guidance on those components as well.
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Lovely cornicione
Baking the pizza on an oven stone or steel heated to 500°F is key to having a poofy edge to the crust, also called the cornicione. While it is fine to bake this pizza on a metal baking sheet, expect longer baking times. In fact, you may want to parbake the crust as described in this Spelt Thin-Crust Pan Pizza so the toppings don’t burn in your effort to cook through the base. For instructions on how to use an outdoor pizza oven, see this recipe for Sourdough Pizza and for using a grill, refer to this recipe and video for Grilled Sourdough Pizza.
Topping set-up
You can play with pizza size and toppings, and with the order of the toppings. For example, I like fig jam followed by mozzarella so they combine salty and sweet, then mushrooms, caramelized onions and finally goat cheese. The herbs can go on before or after baking depending on your preference. Also you may want to brush some of the fig jam on the edges of the crust for a tasty (and sticky) end to each pizza slice.
Sourdough Tipo 00 Pizza with Fig Jam and Caramelized Onions
Here’s a crispy and airy pizza with a sourdough-leavened, Tipo 00 crust featuring vegetable toppings that pack a sweet-and-savory flavor punch. Enjoy this pizza for a meal or serve it as an appetizer at a party or cookout.
Prep Time
1 hour, 20 minutes
Total Time
1 hour, 28 minutes
Ingredients
Pizza Dough for three 10-12″ pies
Toppings **
2 medium onions, caramelized (saute oil, butter, sliced onions until light brown 20-30 minutes, finish with 1 tsp red wine vinegar)
8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced thin and briefly sauteed
1/2 cup fig jam diluted with 2-4 Tbsp water for spreadability
6-8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
3-4 ounces goat cheese
several sprigs of fresh thyme or tarragon
Instructions
Dough Mixing and First Rise
Mix the dough ingredients in a bowl until fully incorporated. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes then knead it on a lightly floured work surface for 1-3 minutes. The dough should be very supple and just barely not sticking to your hands; add small amounts of flour or water if needed.
Lightly oil a bowl or dough bucket, dab the “top” of your dough ball in the oil, then lay the bottom side down in the bowl and cover.
Let the dough rise until it has expanded by 75-100%. The bulk fermentation can be just a few hours if you use warm water and have a warm house or put the dough in a lit oven, or this can be five days if put the dough in a cold refrigerator. I tend to do all the bulk fermentation at room temperature and refrigerate for the second rise until I’m ready to make the pizzas, which could be days later.
Preshape and Second Rise
When the bulk fermentation is finished, lightly flour your work surface and oil a 9×13 baking pan or three round pint-size plastic containers.
Divide the dough into 3 pieces for three 10-12″ diameter pizzas and shape them into balls. You can make larger or smaller pizzas if you prefer.
Place the balls in the oiled pan or containers and cover. The final proof can be at room temperature for 45-90 minutes, or in the refrigerator for cold proofing and perhaps time at room temperature again. Depending on how warm the dough is when you shape it and your refrigerator temperature, the dough may double overnight or only expand a little. In my 39°F refrigerator, the dough expanded by about 50% in 18 hours and completed the doubling in only about 30 minutes back at (hot) room temperature.
Topping and Oven Prep
At least 30 minutes before the dough is finished proofing, begin preheating to 500°F your oven and baking stone on the middle shelf.
Prepare your caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, diluted fig jam, cheeses, and herbs.
Place a dough ball on a piece of parchment paper or on a floured work surface. Hold one side of the paper and with your other hand, press the dough outward from the center of the ball in the opposite direction. Rotate around the dough over and over until your pizza is 10-12″ in diameter.
Top your pizza dough to your liking and put it in the oven using a pizza peel or in a pinch, an upside down baking sheet. As noted above, I like the topping order of fig jam, a relatively sparse sprinkling of mozzarella, mushrooms, caramelized onions, dollups of goat cheese, and herbs.
Bake for 8 minutes, switching to broil for the final minute if desired. Keep the oven on broil an additional minute before you load the next pizza. This reheats the stone before you switch back to bake mode and load the next pizza.
Remove the pizza from the oven with your peel and put it on a cooling rack to keep the bottom crispy if you’re not eating it right away.
Repeat with the next pizza and so on.
Notes
* If you are using a tipo 00 flour that is not strong (less than 13.8% protein) or you’re using all purpose flour, you should use less water in the dough. Start at 300 grams and work you way up. Bread flour should need about the same amount of water, maybe a smidge more.** You may have extra toppings depending on how you like to layer your pizza. The onions, mushrooms, and cheese can be used in an omelette or a pasta dish.
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