I’ve been milling for five years now, and the last four I’ve been spreading the news to anyone who will listen – locally or on the internet. I’ve been urging local companies to give milling the flour a shot, and explaining not only the health benefits but also the financial incentives for the business owner.
This past week or two has been BIG! I got our local brunch cafe to start milling the flour for fresh milled pancakes and waffles, and soups are next on their list. I’m THRILLED! Then, a local pizzeria owner reached out asking for help formulating an organic, fresh milled pizza dough – that owner shall remain anonymous for now, but they are responding to customer requests. WOOHOO!!!
The good news is that I’d already been trying to get another local pizzeria to participate, and he at least offered to make me fresh milled pizza if I wanted to bring him the flour. For the last few weeks, I’ve been taking his feedback and created a pretty amazing YEAST version of the pizza dough.
Which one is faster?
Oddly enough, for the BEST pizza dough, sourdough is faster. That said, the longer and greater range of fermentation of yeast makes it more enticing for busy businesses like pizzerias. I’m going to give you BOTH options, so you can make whatever version you like.
My favorite?
The flavor of the sourdough pizza is hands down better than the yeast version, but the yeast version comes VERY close behind at 48 hours of cold fermentation. I’m baking 72 hours fermented as I write this.
The Base Recipe
The Changes
We are lowering the hydration just a bit to fit the preferred hydration for handling of the dough. We are also significantly lowering the YEAST, so we get a very slow rise and better development of flavor. For the sourdough version, use the normal amount of salt.
Ingredients
- 800 grams hard wheat
- 100 grams boiling water
- 525 grams cold water
- 1.5 grams yeast OR 125 grams of stiff starter
- 16 grams sea salt
- 16 grams lemon juice
Instructions
- Start tea kettle
- Mill the flour
- Make the yudane
- Measure the cold water, then add yudane, and remainder of the ingredients
- Knead till the dough is smooth, shiny, and cleans the mixing bowl.
- Shape the dough into a taut ball. Consider doing lamination before shaping into a ball with the sourdough version.
- YEAST: let rise covered in the fridge for at least 24 hours and up to 72 hours.
SOURDOUGH: let rise covered on the counter for 6-9 hours, or in the fridge if you prefer a stronger flavor from a longer fermentation. The dough should have risen by 50%, and have surface bubbles.
The bowl should be able to handle twice the amount of dough you have coming out of the mixer.
Baking day:
- Preheat oven to 500 F
- Remove dough from the fridge, let it come to room temp before shaping on cornmeal or flour covered surface.
- Add sauce and toppings, and bake until it looks great!
Can I Freeze the Dough?
Yes, absolutely! I would freeze the dough after 24 hours of bulk fermentation with the yeast so you’ve got decent development of flavor and still plenty of life left if you’d like to let it ferment a little longer before baking.
If you’re freezing sourdough pizza, I’d freeze it after 4-6 hours of fermentation, allowing some extra time for it to ferment as it comes to room temperature before shaping.
Other Recipes you Might Enjoy
- Pizzeria Style Pizza Dough (yeast OR sourdough)
- Fresh Milled Pita Bread
- Sponge Cake Recipe Base with fresh ground flour
- The best fresh milled banana bread
- How to Make Freshly Milled Fasnachts
Join our Community
Ready to ditch recipes and learn more about baking with fresh milled flour using methods and your imagination? Join my Fresh milled Flour Methods group. You can ask questions, share your wins, and more with an expectation of honesty and friendly interaction. I hear it’s the best place to be on Facebook.
