Sourdough New York-Style Pizza

Feeding the Sourdough StarterIn the evening, take 25 grams of leftover sourdough starter out of the fridge. Feed the starter 50 grams of water and 50 grams of all-purpose flour. Cover the jar and let the starter rise overnight for 6-8 hours, or until doubled in size. The next morning, your starter should be doubled in size and ready to use.

Mixing and Kneading the DoughTo a mixing bowl, add the water, active sourdough starter, salt, white sugar, and extra virgin olive oil. Stir to dissolve the starter and salt. Then, add the bread flour and mix to combine into a rough dough.

Turn the dough out onto an un-floured counter and knead the dough by hand for 8-10 minutes until it’s well-developed and the dough has a smooth surface.

Note: If the dough still feels too sticky and doesn’t look quite smooth enough after 8 minutes, cover the dough and let it rest for 5 minutes, then knead again for another minute or two. The short rest period should help the dough develop and after an additional minute of kneading, the dough should feel smooth.

The First Rise (Bulk Fermentation)Transfer the kneaded dough into a greased glass container with a lid. Close the container with a lid or a sheet of plastic wrap. Let the dough rise on the kitchen counter at room temperature for 4-6 hours, or until doubled in size.

Dividing and Balling Up the DoughWhen the dough has doubled in size, remove it from the container and place it on the kitchen counter. Divide the dough into three equally-sized pieces with a bench scraper or a chef’s knife. Each piece of dough should weigh about 277 grams. This recipe yields enough dough for three 12″ sourdough New York-style pizzas.

Stretch and fold each piece of dough into a ball and then roll the dough balls on the counter to smooth out the edges. Place the dough balls into a flour-dusted 9×13″ baking pan, keeping a few inches of separation in between each ball of dough. Dust the tops of the dough balls with bread flour and cover the pan with an airtight lid or a sheet of plastic wrap.

Final Proof (The Second Rise)Let the dough balls rise at room temperature for 1.5 to 2 hours, or until they have almost doubled in size again. A few hours later, the dough balls should be puffy, light, and full of air. At that point you can stretch them, top them, and bake them.

Cold Proof Option: If you want to give your sourdough New York-style pizza dough extra flavor, let the dough balls proof at room temperature for just one hour, and then move the pan of dough into the refrigerator for 24-48 hours. During this time, the dough balls will get very puffy and light and they will take on a well-fermented flavor. Many pizzerias in New York cold proof their pizza dough for additional flavor and for convenience. Since sourdough pizza dough already has so much flavor from the slow fermentation process, cold proofing is optional.

Preparing the Sauce and ToppingsWhile the pizza doughs are going through their final proof, you can prepare the easy pizza sauce and a few other toppings.

Pizza Sauce: To a 28 oz. can of high quality crushed tomatoes, add 1 tsp of salt, and five torn leaves of fresh basil. Stir the basil and salt into the tomatoes. You’ve just made an extremely easy New York-style pizza sauce. Store the sauce in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.

Mozzarella: Find a high quality block of low-moisture whole milk mozzarella and shred it with a cheese grater. Cover the cheese and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. You can also use a 50/50 blend of low-moisture whole milk mozzarella, and low-moisture part skim mozzarella. This is what I like to use as the mixture tends to be melty, creamy, and the cheese browns well in the oven at the same time.

Hard Grating Cheese: Get a wedge of your favorite hard grating cheese to grate directly on top of your pizza. Many New York pizzerias use either Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, or Grana Padano. Parmigiano Reggiano is a high quality aged parmesan that is somewhat tangy, savory, and delicious. Pecorino Romano is a sheep’s milk cheese that is even tangier and also delicious. Grana Padano is an option that tastes great but is a little more affordable. Pick your favorite one.

Dried Oregano: Get a shaker bottle of dried oregano on hand to sprinkle on top of your pizza right before you bake it.

Setting Up Your Oven30 minutes before your dough is done proofing, preheat your oven to 550°F (287°C) or as high as your oven will go. Place a 12″ or larger baking steel or pizza stone in the bottom rack of your oven. In the middle rack of your oven (one or two positions higher than the pizza) place a cast iron pan. You will bake the pizza on the baking steel on the bottom rack, and the cast iron pan will sit above the pizza and radiate heat back onto the pizza while it bakes. This is one of the best home oven set ups for making sourdough New York style pizza that I have found.

Stretching the Pizza DoughWhen your doughs are done proofing and your oven is preheated, you’re ready to stretch, top, and bake. Take one of the pizza doughs out of the container and dip it on both sides into a bowl of bread flour. Place the pizza dough onto your countertop and press out the air from the dough, leaving a small edge of air around the outside of the dough for the crust. Stretch the dough out into a 11-12″ circle with your hands. You can stretch it out on the countertop or in the air using a steering wheel type of motion where you let gravity pull the dough down and stretch it. Once the pizza dough is around 11 or 12 inches in diameter, transfer it onto a pizza peel that has been dusted with a little bit of semolina flour (or bread flour). Give the dough a few shakes on the peel to make sure that it isn’t sticking.

Assembling the PizzaTop your 12″ pizza dough with the prepared New York-style pizza sauce and spread it around in an even layer almost to the edges, leaving a small border around the pizza which will be the crust. Then, sprinkle on the shredded mozzarella cheese and distribute it evenly on top of the pizza. Finish the pizza by sprinkling it with the hard grating cheese and the small amount of dried oregano. Stretch the pizza to a full 12 inches in diameter and give it another shake to make sure it doesn’t stick to the peel.

BakingTransfer the topped pizza onto the hot baking steel or pizza stone by carefully sliding it off of the pizza peel. (This can take some practice, so good thing you have enough dough for three pizzas!) Close the oven and bake the pizza for 6-7 minutes at 550°F (287°C). The pizza is done when the crust is turning golden brown and the cheese is bubbling and browning. If you bake the pizza too long, the oil in the mozzarella will start to separate and the pizza will become orange and greasy. Don’t be afraid to pull the pizza out early if it looks like it’s finished baking.

ServingTransfer the pizza to a cooling rack and let it cool for one minute. The cooling rack will prevent steam from making the pizza soggy on the bottom. After one minute, top the cheese with as much parmesan or hard grating cheese as your want, slice it into four large slices, and enjoy!

This pizza is wonderfully crisp on the bottom and the sauce to mozzarella ratio is very well balanced. The hard grating cheese on top of the pizza also takes it to the next level. In my opinion, adding a little bit of high quality grated parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese to your pizza makes the pizza taste restaurant quality. It really makes a big difference.

Reheating Your PizzaTo reheat, preheat your oven to 550°F (287°C) and place a cold or room temperature slice of pizza on a sheet of parchment paper. Transfer the pizza, parchment paper and all, onto the preheated baking steel or pizza stone. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the pizza is refreshed and back up to serving temperature.

This type of pizza also reheats well in the air fryer. Cook one or two slices of cold pizza in the air fryer for 2-3 minutes at 400°F. Some air fryers also have a “pizza reheat” setting. Test it out and see what works for you.