Name: Sourdough Discard Pizza Dough
Prep time: 385 min
Cook time: 899 min
Total time: 1285 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 375 g water ((1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons)); 100 g sourdough starter ((1/2 cup)); 10 g salt ((1 heaping teaspoon)); 500 g all purpose flour (or bread flour, plus additional for flouring the work surface (3 1/2 cups)); 1 cup tomato sauce (homemade or storebought); 1 cup vegan mozzarella; null handful fresh basil (to garnish (add after baking)); 1 cup vegan mozzarella; 2 cloves garlic (minced); 1.5 cups yukon gold potato OR butternut squash (very thinly sliced); 3 cups curly kale (torn into chunks and massaged lightly); 0.5 tsp olive oil (to garnish (add after baking))

Instructions

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1

Combine the water (375 g), sourdough starter (100 g), and salt (10 g) in a bowl and stir.
2

Add the all purpose flour (500 g) and stir until combined. The dough will be extremely sticky.
3

Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover it with a kitchen towel, and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
4

Lightly dampen your hands with [water]. Stretch and fold the dough about 8 times.
5

Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, then stretch and fold the dough. Repeat the sequence 2 more times (4 times in total).
6

Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and leave it on your counter at room temperature, about 70-75°F, for 8-12 hours. Note: you can still ferment at a cooler temperature, but the process will take longer, closer to 12 hours. The dough should rise 50-100% (or double).
7

Flour your hands very well and transfer the risen dough to a heavily floured workspace.
8

Use a bench scraper or a knife to cut the dough into 4 equal portions.
9

Shape the dough into tight balls. To do this, fold the bottom of the dough under as you turn the dough in a circular motion to create a smooth ball.
10

Line a baking pan with parchment or a cotton tea towel, and sprinkle a bit of [all purpose flour] on the surface. Gently gather a small portion of the towel going down the center of the baking pan in both directions, creating 4 dough wells and small barriers between them.
11

Transfer the dough balls to the tea towel's dough wells. Cover the dough with a plastic bag like a clean grocery bag and twist it to close.
12

Refrigerate the dough for at least 6 hours but up to 3 days. After this, you can freeze the dough if you don't want to use it right away.
13

Take as many dough balls out of the refrigerator as you would like to bake and set them on a floured workspace. Cover them with a tea towel and let them come to room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour. This helps them to be easier to work with and shape.
14

Preheat the oven to 550°F (may be labeled as High Broil on some ovens), and place a pizza stone, large cast iron pan, or pizza steel in the oven while it heats.
15

Shape the dough into a round pizza crust, about 10 inches.
16

Transfer the crust to parchment paper, then top it with your desired toppings (note: do not add the [handful fresh basil] or olive oil (0.5 tsp) garnish until after baking).
17

Keeping the pizza on the parchment paper, carefully transfer it to the hot baking vessel. Bake for 6 minutes or until the crust is golden and the vegan mozzarella (1 cup) has melted. You can bake more than one pizza at a time, given that you have enough baking pans and room in your oven.
18

Remove from the oven and place it on a cutting board or cooling rack. Top it with [handful fresh basil], olive oil (0.5 tsp), or other delicate toppings. Enjoy hot or let the pizza cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving!