Sourdough Pizza

!! Set servings to 2.65 to make two 12" pizzas! <-- this is a lot though (esp. with dessert); try 10" next time

2 Days before:

1. Feed the starter.

Day before -- Making the Dough (5 mins):

1. Whisk the starter and water together in a large bowl with a fork or spatula.
2. Add the flour and salt. Mix to combine, finishing by hand if necessary to form a rough dough.
3. Transfer the dough to a straight-sided vessel, cover with a damp towel, and let rest for 30 minutes. 

Stretch and Fold (2 hours):

1. After 30 minutes, grab a corner of the dough and pull it up and into the center.
2. Repeat until you’ve performed this series of folds 4 to 5 times with the dough.
3. Let dough rest for another 30 minutes and repeat the stretching and folding action.
4. Repeat for a total of 4 sets of stretch and folds, over 2 hours.
   1. Set 1
   2. Set 2
   3. Set 3
   4. Set 4

Bulk Fermentation (8+ hours):

1. Cover the bowl with a towel and let rise at room temperature, about 8 to 10 hours at 70°F (21°C) or even less if you live in a warm environment. The dough is ready when it has increased by 50% in volume, has a few bubbles on the surface, and jiggles when you move the bowl from side to side. 

Shape (5 mins):

1. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and shape into a rough ball, using as much flour as needed — the dough will be sticky.
2. Using a bench scraper, divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Sprinkle portions with flour. With floured hands, roll each portion into a ball, using the pinkie-edges of your hands to pinch the dough underneath each ball.
3. Transfer each round of dough to a plastic quart container, cover, and store in fridge for at least 6 hours or up to 3 days or transfer to the freezer for up to 1 week.

Preparing the base (2 hours before cook time):

1. Remove the dough from the fridge.
2. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the bottom of a 12-inch cast iron skillet.
3. Place the dough into the pan and turn to coat evenly with oil.
4. Using a flat palm, press the dough around the pan, flattening it slightly and spreading oil around the entire bottom and edges of the pan.
5. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 2 hours (>24C may need less time; <18C will need more).
6. When there are 30 minutes remaining, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 290C fan.
7. After the entire 2 hours, the dough should be mostly filling the pan up to the edges. Use your finger tips to press it around until it fills in every corner, popping any large bubbles that appear. Lift up one edge of the dough to let any air bubbles underneath escape, then repeat, moving around the dough until there are no air bubbles left and the dough is evenly spread around the pan.

Prepare pizza & bake:

1. Top the round of dough with pizza sauce, spreading it to the very edge with the back of a spoon.
2. Optional: sprinkle garlic powder around the crust area.
3. Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese, all the way to the edges.
4. Add other toppings as desired.
5. Transfer pan to the oven and bake until the top is golden brown and bubbly -- about 12 minutes. (watch it closely and rotate if required)
6. Immediately sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese, if desired.
7. Using a thin spatula, loosen the pizza and peek underneath. If the bottom is not as crisp as desired, place on hob and cook on medium heat until crisp.

Freezing:

To freeze a dough portion, par-bake it:

1. Prepare dough in skillet as normal.
2. Just before putting in oven, poke a few holes in the dough with a fork. This prevents it from bubbling.
3. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until:
   1. Dough fully puffed and set
   2. Surface dry (not shiny/raw)
   3. Very light color — pale, not browned
   4. Bottom just starting to color slightly
4. If it puffs up while baking, quickly open the oven and poke it down again.
5. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Apply a light layer of tomato sauce.
7. Add cheese, followed by toppings.
8. Freeze uncovered on a tray until solid (1–2 hours).
9. Once frozen, wrap in cling film, followed by foil (or a plastic bag if you have one big enough). Return to freezer.
10. Cook from frozen for 15-18 minutes.