Pizza needs no introduction; everybody loves it because even bad pizza is good. Living in Chicago, we have an amazing lineup of best pizza restaurants but nothing beats the smell and taste of homemade pizza cooking in the oven.
I use different flours to make the dough, but try to keep all-purpose spelt to be at least at 60% be able to stretch it and form it easily. I often add whole ground einkorn, kamut or spelt flour, which boosts the nutritional value of the dough without sacrificing texture or taste.
WHY SPELT FLOUR?
Spelt (triticum spelta) is one of the oldest known varieties of wheat. Its origins trace back 6,000 years ago. It has not been modified by humans to meet the standards of modern growing and harvesting. Its nutritional profile is far superior to that of common wheat.
The most notable fact is it’s a lot easier digestible than regular wheat. Spelt gluten is weaker. It’s perfect for people who want to put less stress on their digestive system, which is already working extra time to keep up with our standard diet.
IF SPELT IS SO GREAT, WHY DOESN’T EVERYBODY GROW IT?
The answer is money!
Spelt has tough outer hull, which is harder for farmers to process, when compared to hull-less conventional wheat. It costs more to plant and harvest spelt without a significant margin increase.
The upside of the spelt’s hull for us, consumers, is the fact that plants use it as a shield from pests. Powerful enzyme inhibitors is what protects modern wheat. We use enzymes to digest food. When they are are inhibited, or unavailable, digestive system struggles to process wheat.
That is why common wheat is much harder to digest. And it could be the reason why celiac disease is so common now. Use of chemical pesticticides even in organic crops is another downside of today’s wheat.
WHAT IS SOURDOUGH STARTER
Sourdough starter is a mixture of flour and water.
Flour has yeast and bacteria naturally present within it; and when mixed with water, an environment favorable for growth of microorganisms is created. Naturally occurring enzyme amylase starts converting starch into sugar.
Bacteria, lactobacilli mostly, ferment (metabolize, or simply eat) sugar, and the by-product of that fermentation is consumed by yeast. Again, the by-product of all that together is carbon dioxide, which is what leavens the dough. Much like commercial yeast, sourdough starter is added to dough where it works to give rise to breads.
SOURDOUGH STARTER MAKES BREADS MORE NUTRITIOUS THAN REGULAR YEAST
Unlike commercial yeast, sourdough starter works to make breads more nutritious and easier digestible.
It breaks down grain proteins and sugars into simpler compounds. It also enriches dough with by-products of its metabolism – additional vitamins and minerals that were not originally present in the flour.
HOW TO MAKE SOURDOUGH PIZZA CRUST
INGREDIENTS
- 3 1/2 to 4 cups (440-500g) all-purpose spelt flour (or incorporate 1 cup (125g) of whole grain flour, I have freshly milled einkorn on the photos here), plus extra for dusting
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 heaping tablespoon (15g) active sourdough starter
- 1 1/3 cups (310g) water
- 1 teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine 3.5 cups flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk together.
Turn the mixer on low, add starter and water, and mix until the dough forms into a ball. If the dough is sticky, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it comes together. If it’s too dry, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time. It’s okay if it’s a bit sloppy. Scrape it into a lightly floured glass bowl and gently knead into a smooth, firm ball. You will most likely need to add more flour again at this point, the dough should become dry enough not to stick to your hands at all.
Leave the dough at room temperature for 8-10 hours, until it doubles in size.
Knead the dough again into a tight ball adding more flour, if needed. The dough will deflate and become much smaller.
Cut it in two pieces and roll out each piece on floured parchment paper. Top with your favorite pizza ingredients.
Put a pizza stone into your oven and preheat the oven to 475ºF (250ºC).
Transfer pizza with parchment paper onto hot pizza stone, set timer for 2 minutes. At the end of that time, remove parchment paper, it will slide right out without having to move pizza.
Cook for 7-10 more minutes, or until the cheese melts and browns.
Spelt Sourdough Pizza Crust
Ingredients
- 3 ½-4 cups all-purpose spelt flour (440g-500g) or incorporate 1 cup (125g) whole grain flour. Plus extra flour for dusting.
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon active sourdough starter (15g)
- 1 â…“ cups water (310g)
Instructions
- Combine 3.5 cups flour, 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk together.
- Turn the mixer on low, add starter and water, and mix until a ball forms. If the dough is sticky, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it comes together. If it's too dry, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time. It's okay if it's a bit sloppy.
- Scrape it into a lightly floured glass bowl and gently knead into a smooth, firm ball. You will most likely need to add more flour again at this point, the dough should become dry enough not to stick to your hands at all.
- Leave the dough at room temperature for 8-10 hours, until it doubles in size.
- Knead it again into a tight ball adding more flour, if needed. The dough will deflate and become much smaller.
- Cut it in two pieces and roll out each piece on floured parchment paper. Top with your favorite pizza ingredients.
- Put a pizza stone into your oven and preheat the oven to 475ºF (250ºC).
- Transfer pizza with parchment paper onto hot pizza stone, set timer for 2 minutes. At the end of that time, remove parchment paper, it will slide right out without having to move pizza.
- Cook for 7-10 more minutes, or until the cheese melts and browns.
Notes
- This amount of dough makes 2 fairly thick crusts
- Update 2020: I use the same recipe with all-purpose einkorn flour, split it into 4 pieces, and roll the crusts really thin. In fact, this was my go-to technique for the last couple of years. My family loves these super thin pizzas.Â
Nutrition
1 comment
I make this spelt sourdough pizza dough once a week. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. It’s a keeper. I’m thinking about using a batch of the dough to make dinner rolls. Seems like it could work.