Simple Sourdough Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Please check out Cookhacker for photos of the finished pizza.

Makes 3 12” thin crusts or 2 12”-14” thicker crusts

175 grams (6¼ oz. or 1¼ cups by volume) All Purpose flour

45 grams (1½ oz. or ¼ cup) Whole wheat flour

375 grams (12½ oz. or 1½ cups) Active sourdough starter

1-3 tablespoons water (as needed)

2 tablespoons olive oil

¾ tablespoon salt

NOTE: The important part of this recipe is that the amount of active sourdough starter (stirred well) should be equal in volume to the total amount of flour used (1½ cups of each). This is a recipe where the actual weight of the ingredients isn't as important.

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, starter and salt and mix (preferably with a dough whisk, but a wooden spoon works well also) until combined, then knead for a couple of minutes until dough reaches a nice pliable consistency. If, at this point, the dough is too dry and not combining well, you may need to add a little water (start with one tablespoon) to get it to the consistency you want…it should be workable, but still a little stiff.

2. When the dough feels right, add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and continue kneading the dough for about 5 minutes. It will be a sticky mess when you start but will slowly transform into smooth pliable dough.

3. Divide the dough into 3 balls (each should weigh about 200 grams) for three thin crust pizzas or 2 balls (about 300 grams each) if you prefer your pizza crusts a little thicker (*see note below for freezing directions).

4. Lightly coat the dough balls with olive oil, cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

5. The dough is now ready to go. Just roll each ball out to a 12” round, add sauce, cheese and your favorite toppings, pop into a preheated 500 degree oven (preferably on a preheated pizza stone or baking steel) for about 12 minutes and you have an amazing, homemade pizza.

*You can, at this point, freeze them for later use. Just take a quart size zipper seal plastic bag, put in about a ¼ teaspoon of olive oil, work it around, stick one dough ball in, spin it around a bit to coat it and place in the freezer. When you are ready to use, just remove from the freezer and let sit at room temperature for a few hours and it’s ready to go