Pizza, Pie, and Pancakes oh my!
These are 3 of my favorite recipes, I hope you enjoy them! I have them written below but there are also free pdf downloads for each available in my store if you would like!
Sourdough Pizza Dough:
About 5 cups of flour, I am using fresh ground hard white wheat.
1 Cup Sourdough Starter, I am using a Rye fed starter here and honestly I don't measure the hydration of my starter so this is slightly variable, don't stress about it!
1/4 Cup Olive Oil or melted Lard.
3 Teaspoons Salt.
Optional 1 Tablespoon honey or coconut sugar (this helps feed the yeasts but is not strictly necessary. I make it with and without and both turn out great)
1 ½-2 Cups of Water (remember some flours are more thirsty than others and may need a little more of a drink. Start small and add as needed!)
Mix the dough and knead a little bit, you are just trying to combine all the ingredients and build a little strength. When I use fresh milled wheat I find best results by letting the dough rest a bit between kneading, less is more, don't try to use brute strength to get the dough to submit, use a gentle touch and be patient. Add the dough back to the bowl, cover and let ferment overnight. Turn the dough out and shape into two rounds. Refrigerate for a couple hours up to 2 days! The longer it ferments the more sour it will become! Remove from the fridge about an hour before you are ready to bake pizza. After an hour, you can shape your crusts, top to your heart's content, and bake at 400 for 25 minutes!
Sourdough Pie Crust:
3 cups flour (I prefer freshly ground soft white wheat here).
1 cup melted butter or lard.
⅔ cup sourdough starter.
1 tsp salt.
For a sweet crust add ¼ cup sugar of choice.
Water as needed (whole wheat and fresh ground flours are more “thirsty” and will need more moisture added than an all purpose flour. On top of that each grain is unique so if you choose einkorn, spelt, rye, hard or soft wheat, all could have slightly different water needs.)
Mix all the dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients, adding water as needed until a stiff but not crumbly dough is achieved. Cover and allow to ferment at room temperature for 2-6 hours. Divide the dough in half, flatten into discs, cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days. (will get more sour the longer it is in the fridge)
When you are ready to use the crust, take it out of the fridge and allow it to come up to temperature for around an hour. Roll it out and use as desired! This recipe makes a double crust so you can have 1 pie with a top and bottom or two open top pies such as quiche. Also works great for little hand pies. I typically bake pies at 375°F for 15 minutes and then turn the oven down to 350°F and bake for an additional 45 to 60 minutes, but you can follow the instructions for your specific pie fillings.
Sourdough Pancakes:
This recipe is harder for me to write down, I hardly ever measure! But I tried so take these measurements with a grain of salt and feel free to tweak them to your liking. I make these regularly with both a rye starter and a wheat starter, both are delicious!
About 1 cup of sourdough (fully fermented but not overly sour)
1 large egg
A pinch of salt
Optionally a bit of sugar (up to 2 tbsp max)
Milk or water to get the consistency right
½ tsp baking soda
Mix together the sourdough egg, salt and sugar if using. Then add the milk or water to get the consistency right. Finally add the baking soda and just a splash of liquid to dissolve it. Mix it in quickly and then stop so as not to destroy the bubbles! Fry on medium high heat as normal and enjoy served with maple syrup, fruit preserves, yogurt, whatever you like!
