Plenty Going On

Sometimes to go without blogging can be an indication of either too much going on or too little. For some people, it's a matter of perspective, I guess.

I'm forever tinkering, trying to come up with the best pizza dough, as well as fine tuning the perfect amount of time FOR ME to bake my pizza. I think I recently landed upon a pretty goodish recipe, my issue of course comes down to rack position for the pizza stone, as well as temp and time to bake it.

The 2nd permutation of my personal pizza dough is as follows:
 

Yet Another Sourdough Pizza Dough To Try (2nd permutation--still working on this!)

Makes 1 pie

Ingredients:

40 gm	Warm Water
40 gm	Olive Oil
220 gm	Active, fed starter
2 gm	Sugar
3 gm	Yeast
150 gm	APF
8 gm	Salt

Semolina flour for dusting

Method:

1.    Mix wet stuff first, then gradually incorporate dry, with salt being the last item. Mix until it comes together, shaggy, but together. Set aside for 24 hours.

2.    Place rack (with stone) on 2^nd tier from top.

3.    Pre-heat oven to 550. (My oven goes up to 525--beggars can't be choosers!

4.    After 24 hours, do a few stretch and folds, then separate into two floured bowls (covered) for 45 minutes as oven pre-heats.

5.    Form into disk and start “pizza-man” stretch over hands, letting gravity do its thing, stretching out the dough.

6.    Place on parchment and get it as roundish as possible. Prep pie.

7.    Bake 12-15 minutes.

8.    BOOM! PIZZA!

As my continued interest in sourdough bread baking ensues, so too, does my interest in ingredients and tools to help improve the quality of my output. My most recent acquisition is this:

Pictured above is the Sassafrass brand Super Stone Covered Bread Baker. I have not used it yet; however, I am contemplating what my maiden loaf will be. Perhaps a sourdough challah (which I have been day dreaming about using apple cider for the water), or perhaps another recipe from Sarah Owens' book, perhaps the loaf that requires beet puree? Either one will be lovely, no doubt. The Maharajah's bread box is down to his last three slices, so I need to pull my starter out of the fridge tonight, give it a feeding tomorrow, and start planning! Two more days, two more slices, and Rosh Hashana is nearly here--and while we aren't Jewish, it would be lovely to bake a challah (albeit not a ROUND ONE) for the Jewish New Year.