Not-so-sour about sourdough pizza

Like most people, you could say that my boyfriend and I love pizza (like, a LOT). And we eat a fair bit of it… which, given that it is usually the frozen variety, is not the best for our diets or our health. And so today, when I was absolutely craving pizza, I knew that I had better start taking steps to make this favourite of ours healthier.

But how does one go about making pizza anything that you could actually consider healthy? It took some brainstorming, but I came up with a few essential changes that anyone can make to their homemade pizza to start making it healthier.

First off, we need to notice right up front that I am taking about HOMEMADE-FROM-SCRATCH pizza, not takeout and not those frozen things that you get from the grocery store. So that means that YOU are the one with complete control over elements of the end product, including things like the salt content, the preservatives (or lack thereof), the fats used… even the flour that you use to make the crust can make an impact on your health!

So that sounds like a great starting point for this: choose the best quality ingredients that you can find. So that means real butcher-quality meats, organic or farm-grown produce and fresh-out-of-the-cow cheeses. It may cost a tiny bit more, but it is worth every penny.

Start with the crust again, that means maybe a spelt/flax/wheat crust… you could also just stick with traditional wheat. Or maybe for a sweeter pizza, use an almond-based crust. The possibilities are endless! Each type of flour has its own distinct flavour and nutrients, so do your research and try a few new ones. Work that into a dough, then after letting it rise for about 4 hours, stretch it out onto your pan and bake just to crisp it up a little before adding toppings.

Next, the sauce. I discovered with today’s dinner that if I just keep it simple (and by simple, I literally mean strained tomatoes, oregano and black pepper), I can make an incredibly yummy and nutrient-dense pizza sauce. The brand I use is one that I get from the Hamilton Farmer’s Market (from Romano’s Meats, in case you want to go grab a jar for yourself! It’s the only brand she carries), and it is incredibly yummy. Add some homegrown oregano and black pepper to that, and slather it on the crust!

After that comes the toppings, so in today’s case that meant that half of the cookie sheet of pizza was covered in chorizo, salametti sausage, mushrooms and roasted onions. The other side was geared more for myself, and had roasted peppers and zucchini, roasted onions, chorizo, mushrooms and onions.

Almost lastly, time for cheese! As per a fabulous recommendation from my friend who owns Romano’s in the market, I got a small brick of fontina cheese to mix with the mozzarella cheese (1:2 ratio), so I grated that all up and covered the pizzas in it. Sprinkle with some oregano, drizzle with a really fabulous extra-virgin olive oil, and back into the oven it went! 12ish minutes later, and we had deliciousness.

And deliciousness doesn’t even really begin to do it justice! The flavours just work together to create something magical. Sourdough crust, plus homemade sauce, plus the best veggies because of the market (mostly from Farmacy, but also a few things from Buttrum’s Produce)… quality ingredients adds up to a quality meal!

I wanted to share this delicious recipe with you all because I honestly think that more people would benefit from eating things like sourdough more regularly… and using it for pizza crust is a really non-scary, easy way to incorporate it into your regular diet.

Hitting the market again tomorrow to invest in a few chickens… and I need veggies to go with dinner tomorrow, which is going to be bacon-wrapped steak and scallops. YUM!

Sourdough Pizza:

For the dough:

· 1¾ cups bread flour (248 grams)

· ¾ cup fed sourdough starter (179 grams)

· ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon water (70 grams)

· 1 tsp. salt (table salt is 5.7 grams)

· 1 tbsp. honey (19 grams)

· 1 tbsp. oil (I usually use avocado oil, about 12 grams)

For coating the dough before rise

· ½ tsp. oil (I am using avocado oil)

For greasing the pan

· ½ tsp. oil (I am using avocado oil, or you can use cooking spray)

For the pizza:

· ½ jar strained tomatoes

· 1 ½ - 2 tsp. fresh oregano

· Black pepper, to taste

· 1 red sweet pepper, sliced

· ½ yellow zucchini, sliced

· ¼ red onion, thinly sliced

· 3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

· 1 cup fontina cheese, shredded

1) Place all dough ingredients in a stand mixer, leaving the dry flour to go in last, on top

2) Use the dough hook attachment to bring the dough together in a ball, and let the mixer knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes (total)

3) Remove dough from hook, and form into a ball with your hands

4) Pour ½ tsp. oil on top of the dough ball, and flip it around a couple times in the bowl to cover it in oil

5) Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel, and allow to rise for 4 hours

6) Transfer the dough to a greased 14 inch pizza pan. (A 12 inch pan would work too, just resulting in a slightly thicker crust)

7) Use you hands to flatten and shape the dough into a flat disk, with the dough coming up on the edges to form the risen edge

8) Allow the dough to rest for a few minutes while you preheat your oven to 425 degrees F

9) Grate all of the cheese and combine in a large mixing bowl

10) Wash and slice the vegetables. Coat with olive oil and sprinkle with black pepper. Spread out on a baking sheet

11) Just prior to baking, use a fork to poke a few holes in the dough. This allows the gasses to escape when cooking to prevent large bubbles. (Skip that if you love the burnt bubbles)

12) Put the dough and the pan with the veggies in the oven. Cook for 10 minutes

13) Remove carefully and spoon the sauce onto the pizza. Top with desired toppings and cheese

14) Return to oven and cook until the cheese is to desired melty-ness, about 10 minutes

15) Remove pizza from the oven and slice with a pizza cutter

16) Serve and enjoy!