Neapolitan Sourdough Pizza
This recipe is designed to make 4 pizzas in the smaller size Ooni Koda. Getting the temperature right on the oven will take some time, if the pizzas are cooking too quickly or burning, turn the oven down and wait a few minutes.
Levain
| Ingredient | Weight |
|---|---|
| Flour | 50 g |
| Water | 50 g |
| Active Starter | 20 g |
Dough
| Ingredient | Bakers % | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 100% | 540 g |
| Water | 68% | 348 g |
| Levain | 20% | 120 g |
| Salt | 2% | 15 g |
Useful (but not necessary) Tools
- Stand Mixer
- Bowl Scraper
- Bench Scraper
- Scale (this is pretty necessary)
Ingredient Considerations
Flour
Ideally you want to use a strong, high-protein flour. For many home cooks the easiest to find option is King Arthur Bread flour or Caputo 00. I prefer organic flours from Central Milling such as High Mountain. Other good options include King Arthur Sir Lancelot and Pendleton Power flour.
Water
While it is by no means necessary, I like to use dechlorinated water. If you live in a place that treats water with chlorine, simply letting it off-gas in an open container overnight will eliminate most of the chlorine. Filtration and boiling will also eliminate chlorine more rapidly. If your local water is treated with Chloramine, the aforementioned methods will not work, but it can be removed with Campden Tablets (potassium metabisulfite). Use caution when handling potassium metabisulfite and ensure that it is dosed properly. If you don't want to go through the hassle of dechlorinating your water, tap water works perfectly fine.
Salt
Any non-iodized salt should work fine, no need to get too fancy.
Schedule
Below is a mock schedule for making the dough, feel free to adjust it to your own schedule. Feel free to play around with times and temperatures to better suit it to your own needs.Day 1
9:00 am
Begin by mixing the ingredients together for the levain. Mix until there are no dry spots and everything is well incorporated. Cover and place in a warm spot. If it is winter, try in an oven with the light on or on top of your fridge. Ferment until doubled in volume and bubbly, 4-8 hours.
5:00 pm
Combine the flour, water, and levain in the bowl of a stand mixer. If you do not have a stand mixer, mixing by hand works great as well. Mix on low speed until there are no dry spots and a shaggy dough is formed, 1-2 minutes. Cover with a damp towel and let rest in a warm place for 20 minutes.
5:20 pm
Add salt to dough and mix on low speed for 1 minute and medium speed for 4-6 minutes until dough is smooth. If kneading by hand, knead for at least 10 minutes. Form dough into a rough ball, scrape down the bowl, cover with a damp towel, and allow to bulk ferment in a warm spot for 4 hours.
9:20 pm
Scrape dough out of the bowl and weigh it. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball by folding all four corners into the center, then fold any remaining dough into the center. Pinch to seal, flip over so the seam is on the bottom and round the dough out on the counter. Place balls into an oiled tray and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 19 hours or up to 2 days.
Day 2
5:00 pm
Preheat the Ooni Koda at its highest setting for 20 minutes.
6:00 pm
Dust a pizza peel with flour. Dust your counter generously with flour. Remove a dough ball directly from the fridge and place into the flour on the counter. Shape the ball into a pizza using a technique like this. Move the stretched dough onto the peel.
Top the dough with sauce, cheese, and toppings and slide it into the oven. Be prepared to turn the pizza within 15-20 seconds, it will cook super fast. Turn as necessary to prevent burning until done.