Sourdough Antipasto Pizza Baked on a Sheet Pan!
No special equipment sourdough discard pizza recipe! This Roman inspired pizza bakes right on an oiled baking sheet. The simple sourdough discard dough can be prepped in the morning (before work is perfect!). In the evening, all it needs is toppings and a bake in the oven. Salty pepperoni, zingy pepperoncini and briny olives are a delicious trio atop a bed of mozzarella and parmesan.
Discard pizza crust details.
“Discard” is a term used for the portion of sourdough starter that went unused and has fallen since it’s last feeding. Some of the starter has to be saved to feed for the future, but some should be removed. Discard starter is perfect to make pizza dough. Let me break it down.
First off, I should note that when I make pizza dough, the starter was fed around 18 hours ago. Second, I find it best when the dough is allowed to rest for 8-12 hours covered in plastic. Plastic holds humidity in. This makes for a fluffier, crisper crust. Therefore, plan ahead. It only takes a few minutes to form the dough!
Sourdough pizza crust ingredients.
In a large bowl, combine the following ingredients:
Pizza flour. Pizza flour is often times marked as ”00″ flour. I buy my pizza flour from Janie’s Mill. They label their flour, “Fine textured flour for Italian cuisine”.
Sourdough discard. Like I already mentioned, I use discard that had been fed around 18 hours prior.
Warm filtered water. Warm water will help the dough rise.
Sugar. Optional, but the little bit of sugar helps create a more flexible dough. Overall, I find the texture improves.
Salt. For flavor and texture. Without salt, the dough will be very sticky and hard to work with.
Olive oil. For hydration and to prevent sticking.
Forming the dough.
Now that all ingredients are in a large bowl, let’s form the dough!
First, grab a spoon and start mixing.
Then, with oiled hands begin kneading the dough. I use a large large that allows me to knead the dough in it.
Knead for around 2 minutes. The dough will strengthen and form a ball. I warn all the perfectionists out there, this is not the going to look like the prettiest ball of dough. A little rough is fine. (Pictured below).
Lightly oil the dough ball and bowl.
Cover the top with plastic wrap and place in a warm place for 8-12 hours. Note: I keep my house at 70F.
The time it takes to gather ingredients and form the dough is less than 10 minutes!
Antipasto Sourdough Pizza.
8-12 hours later the dough will have doubled in size and overall look more esthetically pleasing. Now it is time to bake pizza! This recipe I am sharing begins with simple, homemade pizza sauce and ends with salty, savory, antipasto inspired condiments sprinkled on top.
A rectangular shaped pizza with an assortment of toppings is known as a Roman style pizza. This is Roman inspired, not authentic. What I love about cooking pizza this way is that no special equipment is needed. No pizza stone, no problem! All you need is a 9×13 baking sheet.
Here is how to bake the pizza:
Oil the pan, then spread the dough to fit the pan. Start from the center and push outward. Form a lip for the crust. This crust will be a thicker crust, but not as thick as deep dish. In the end it will still be easy to pickup after slicing.
Next, sauce! The homemade pizza sauce I use is easy to prepare and is way more flavorful than store bought. It is a simmered sauce of passata, aromatics and seasonings. Refrain from packing on the sauce. Too much may cause the crust to have a soggy bottom. For a 9×13 pan, I find 4-5 tbsp is perfect. If you really like it saucy, add another tablespoon.
Cheese. Shredded mozzarella is the base. I buy a block and shred it myself. Keep in mind, if you make your own mozzarella or buy the kind that is in a brine, it will affect the moisture level and may cause a soggy bottom. In the case of a wood fire oven or pizza stone this wouldn’t be an issue.
Toppings. The three toppings used in this recipe are:
Pepperoni. I used pastured pork pepperoni from Ninepatch farm of Hamburg, Wisconsin. I’m lucky to live just a few minutes away! The pepperoni comes in an encased log. I sliced it thin and tried to control myself in not eating the entire thing myself! It is delicious!
Black olives. Antipasto has to have black olives. The brininess is an excellent flavor paired with the savory pepperoni.
Pepperoncini peppers. The mild kick of heat breaks up the savory flavors.
Butter. For an extra crispy, glossy crust, baste the edge of the crust with butter. Sometimes I add a dash of garlic powder.
Baking sourdough pizza.
Once all the toppings are on, bake the pizza in a 400F oven for around 25 minutes. Then, increase the temperature to 425F. Bake until the pizza is deeply golden, around 5 minutes more. Top with dried oregano, red chili flakes and more parmesan if desired!
How to freeze sourdough pizza crust.
If you wish to plan ahead, the crust may be frozen and baked later. Here is how:
Make the crust per instructions above. Oil the sheet pan per instructions. Par-bake the crust in a 400F oven for 5 minutes. Just enough to have solid, formed dough.
Once par-baked, sometimes, I will wrap up the entire sheet pan with the dough in it and put it in freezer. Other times, I will carefully remove the dough, let it cool on a wire rack and wrap it in plastic wrap. Plastic wrap seems to be the only way for it not to get frost burn. If you have other options I would love to hear them! Comment below.
When ready to bake, top as usual and bake from frozen.
Note: I find the crust does not puff up as much after freezing. Still tastes great though!
Antipasto Sourdough Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 9×13 pizza crust Recipe below
- 4-5 tbsp pizza sauce
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella off the block
- ½ cup shredded parmesan
- 1/2 Cup pepperoni, sliced thin
- 2 tbsp black olives drained, sliced
- Melted butter for basting crust
- Oregano red chili flakes and parmesan for serving, if desired
Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust
- 2 cups (285g) pizza flour
- 1 cup (180g) sourdough discard
- ½ cup 115g warm filtered water
- ½ tsp (2g) sugar
- 1 tsp (7g) salt (Redmond’s Real Salt)
- 2 tbsp (25g) Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Wipe a 9×13 baking sheet with oil. Stretch dough to fit pan. Push outward with palm.
- Form a lip to act as the crust.
- Evenly sauce pizza. Leave crust bare.
- Layer on both cheeses.
- Then, sprinkle on pepperoncini and olives.
- Baste crust with melted butter.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
- Increase oven temperature to 425F.
- Bake until golden, an additional 5-7 minutes.
- Serve with dried oregano, red chili flakes and parmesan, if desired.
Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.
- Oil hands as needed. Knead until a ball forms, 2 minutes. Texture with be a little rough.
- Lightly oil bowl and dough ball.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap.
- Let rest 8-12 hours.
- Dough is ready to be baked.
