Sourdough Beet Pizza

You can put anything on pizza … except for pineapples.

Jokes aside, I put a lot of interesting toppings on pizza. I almost never do just tomato sauce and cheese—I’m just too cool for that.

Just kidding—The classics are usually classics for a reason, and the tomato and cheese pizza is no exception, but if you guys know me, you know I like to play around with flavors.

For this pizza, I made a beet pesto with beets, pistachios, lemon juice, and herbs. I used a homemade vegan nut cheese (I do not have the recipe for this yet. It’s a fermented cheese, so I want to test it in the summer to make sure it’s safe for warm temperatures), but I have also made it with Miyoko’s mozzarella. You can sub your favorite vegan cheese.

I also added arugula to the top for #health. You can omit or use your favorite greens or herbs. I think basil or spinach would be great on this!

But I can’t keep blabbing about the toppings—the real star of this BEETza is the crust.

This is NOT a sourdough discard recipe. We are using the sourdough to ferment the crust. The crust is crispy, tangy, and chewy. It’s honestly the most successful pizza crust I’ve ever made. I can’t go back to plain-old pizza crust after this!

To help the crust achieve its crustiness, I add semolina flour to the dough. Semolina flour is usually used in pasta dough. It gives the pasta its strength, so it can hold its shape when boiling, and its quintessential chew. A little semolina is often added to pizza dough for a similar reason: it keeps the dough strong so it can be stretched out thin and makes the end result chewy.

The process of making the dough is the same as the one for country sourdough. If you can make that dough, you can make it all! The only difference is that we are going to shape the dough … into pizzas! I actually make this into two mini pizzas (they can be personal pies if you have a big appetite, but it takes me at least two meals to get through one mini pizza).

And, if you don’t want to make a BEETza, use the recipe for the dough but add your own toppings! The topping possibilities for this are ENDLESS. I have made so many different pizzas since I started using this dough, and it’s always delicious.

Either way, I know you will enjoy this pizza!

Yield: 4

Author: Elissa D'Aries

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Sourdough Pizza with Vegan Beet Pesto

Prep time: 45 MinCook time: 22 MinInactive time: 6 HourTotal time: 7 H & 7 M

Ingredients

Dough

• 100 grams active sourdough starter*
• 350 grams water
• 7 grams salt
• 100 grams semolina flour
• 400 grams bread flour

Pesto

• 60 grams beets (about 1 beet)
• 30 grams of lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
• 40 grams pistachios (1/4 cup)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Italian herbs (or a mix of oregano, basil, thyme, and/or marjoram)
• 120 grams of water (1/2 cup)

Toppings

• 60 grams of Miyoko’s mozzarella cheese
• 2 Handfuls of Arugula

Instructions

1. Make the beet pesto: Peel and roughly chop the beets. Combine all the ingredients except the water in a blender and blend on high. Add the water in slowly until the sauce is the consistency you want. It should be a creamy consistency but not watery. You can make this up to four days in advance and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Make the dough: Mix the active sourdough starter, water, and salt in a large mixing bowl (2.5-quart is ideal).
3. Add the semolina and bread flour and mix, mix, mix until it becomes a shaggy dough.
4. Gently knead the dough with your hands until it forms a ball. Cover and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes. You will perform at least three stretch and folds in thirty-minute intervals. This will develop the gluten.
5. After 30 minutes, perform your first stretch and fold. Take one corner of the dough and stretch it out as far as you can without ripping the dough. Stop when you feel the dough start to tug back. Fold this piece over onto the dough. Continue for all four corners. Allow to rest for another 30 minutes. You will perform at least three stretch and folds in thirty-minute intervals.
6. After 30 minutes, perform the second stretch and fold in the same way you did the first. Wait another thirty minutes and perform your third stretch and fold.
7. If you are uncertain if the gluten has developed, perform a windowpane test. Stretch the dough until you can see light coming through it. If it breaks, then the gluten needs more development, and you can perform a fourth stretch and fold. If it doesn’t break, then you can start the bulk fermentation (or first rise).
8. Allow the dough to rise for 4-8 hours. The amount of time the dough needs to rise will depend on the strength of the starter, the temperature, and the flours used. The dough should double in size (if using a 2.5-quart bowl, it will nearly fill the bowl).
9. Once the dough has risen, you can either put the dough in the fridge to rest overnight (or up to 2 days), or you can make pizza right away.
10. Once you are ready to make the pizza, take the dough out onto the floured surface. Separate the dough into two equal pieces. Roll each piece into ball and start stretching into flat disks. If the dough gives a lot of pushback, allow the dough to rest for fifteen minutes and then continue to stretch the dough. To get the dough to the exact shape of my pans, I line my pans with parchment and press the dough into the pans until it is just the right shape.
11. If you pressed the dough into the pans, use the parchment paper to remove the dough from the pans. Place the pans in the oven to preheat at 475 F. Preheat for thirty minutes.
12. After thirty minutes, carefully remove the pans from the oven. Use the parchment paper to move the two doughs into the pans. Quickly add your toppings. Add 2 tablespoons of the best pesto to each pizza. Then add about 30 grams of vegan cheese to each pizza. Finally, add a handful of greens.
13. Place the pizzas in the oven and bake for 20 minutes at 450 F. After 20 minutes, broil on high for 1-2 minutes (optional, but it helps get the crust nice and brown). Before turning on broiler, make sure the parchment paper is positioned safely away from the fire.
14. Enjoy your delicious pizza! It is best eaten the same day, but you can store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. I recommend reheating in the toaster oven or stovetop.

Notes

Supplies

2.5-Quart Mixing Bowl with Cover

Fork for mixing

Kitchen Scale

Bench Scraper or Sharp Knife

2 9-inch Cast Iron Pans (or equivalent)

Silicone Mat or Parchment Paper

• You might use more or less sourdough starter based on the temperature of your room. Use more sourdough in the winter and less sourdough in the summer if the temperature of your house fluctuates.
• You might have some pesto left. You can use the pesto on pasta or as a spread on toast.

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