Sourdough Focaccia Pizza

Mix together 5 grams ripe sourdough starter with 45 grams water and 45 grams flour. Cover and let sit overnight at room temperature until bubbly and doubled in size.

Fermentolyse: To a bowl, mix together ripe levain, water and bread flour until combined. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes. Note: I sometimes skip this step and just mix the salt in with the dough, skipping the fermentolyse step if I'm short on time.

Add Salt: After 30 minutes, add the salt. Use your fingers to pinch together the dough and mix with your hands until completely incorporated.

Coil Folds: Get your hands wet and transfer the dough to a shallow container. A shallow container makes it easier to coil fold the dough, but you can also leave it in your mixing bowl if you want one less dish to wash. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.

Coil Fold #1: Open the container and perform 4-6 coil folds. The dough will be very sticky for this first set of coil folds but will strengthen over time. Wet your hands with water. Place your hands under the middle of the dough and pull up. The dough will stretch up (but should not tear) and release from the bottom of the bowl. Once the dough releases, let the dough fall back under itself. Repeat the process for both sides of dough. Then turn the container and repeat the coil fold. I find it very helpful to watch this process before attempting it. You can watch a video of the coil fold here. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

Coil Fold # 2: Wet your hands. You will notice the dough is stronger than your first set of coil folds. Repeat the coil fold 4-6 times. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.

Coil Fold # 3: Wet your hands. Repeat the coil fold 4-6 times. Notice the dough is getting stronger and the coil folds are easier to perform. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.

Coil Fold # 4: Repeat the coil fold 4-6 times. Cover and rest for 1 - 1.5 hours.

End Bulk Fermentation: Look for the signs of the dough to end bulk fermentation. The dough will be puffed up, domed a little and scattered bubbles around the edges. This tells you the dough is ready for the next phase. Cold Ferment Option: At this point you can refrigerate the dough for 24-48 hours if desired. When you pull the dough out of the refrigerator you'll want to add an extra hour or two to the rise time to account for the cold dough.

Prepare a Pan:  Prepare a 12 inch baking pan with 1/4-1/3 cup good quality oil. Pour the oil in the pan and tip the pan around to cover the entire bottom.Note: If your pan is not non-stick or dough tends to stick to it - cut a layer of parchment paper to fit the pan and add it first. Then add the oil and focaccia dough.

Proof: Place the dough into the oiled pan. Gently stretch the dough from the middle out, but don't worry if it doesn't fill the pan yet. Cover the dough. Wait about 10 minutes for the dough to relax and stretch it again. Do your best to fill the pan with the dough. Repeat after another 10 minute rest if needed. Let the dough rise for about 2-3 hours at 78 degrees F until light, airy and bubbly.

Prepare Sauce: Prepare the pizza sauce while the dough is rising. To a saucepan, add the olive oil, garlic, oregano and pepper. Turn the heat to medium-high and sauté about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the crushed tomatoes and remaining ingredients (salt and sugar to taste). Simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring as needed. Let cool before using. The sauce can be refrigerated for 3-5 days.

Prepare Toppings: Grate the cheeses and prepare the pepperoni and any other toppings.

Preheat Oven: About fifteen minutes before the dough is ready to top, preheat the oven to 450ºF.

Dimple and Top: Add a small drizzle of olive oil to the top of the dough. Dimple it by pressing your fingers into the dough, until it's dimpled all over and bubbly. Add about 1/3-1/2 of the pizza sauce over the top of the dough depending on your preference. Top with a combination of mozzarella, havarti and monterey jack cheeses and any other pizza toppings.

Bake: Bake pizza for 30 minutes at 450ºF until bubbly and baked through. Wait 5-10 minutes before taking the pizza out of the pan. Enjoy!