This is an easy recipe for sourdough bread and pizza crust. If you use flour imported from Europe, many "gluten intolerant" people will be able to eat the bakery without suffering a reaction. I use Caputo Italian flour, which is available on Amazon.
Sourdough begins with a "starter" that contains flour, water, wild yeast, and bacteria. I bought my Living Dough starter on Amazon.
Starter must periodically be "fed," which is to say that you must provide water and flour for the yeast and bacteria to consume. To "feed" your starter, place an amount of starter in a mixing bowl and add an equal amount of water. Stir them together, then add an equal amount of flour.
I usually mix together 3 ounces by weight of starter, 3 ounces of water, and 3 ounces of flour.
Leave the mixture of the new starter in a warm place in your home and cover it with plastic wrap. Over the course of several hours, the starter will appear bubbly. When the bubbling is at its peak, this is the best time to make a batch of dough. If not used immediately, refrigerate the starter. In a week or so, it will develop a film of water on top. To rejuvenate the starter, pour off the water and add water and flour in a 1:1:1 proportion.
To make the dough:
Pour into a LARGE mixing bowl 3-5 ounces by weight of starter. (I vary the amount slightly depending on how much dough I plan to make.) Add to this 2 teaspoons of salt and 13 ounces by weight of water. Mix well. (A large mixing bowl is needed to allow room for the dough to expand.)
Next, add between 17 and 24 ounces of flour by weight. You can vary the amount of flour depending on how much dough you want to make. Using less flour will make the dough a bit thinner. Using more flour will make it thicker. You can add more water or more flour to get the consistency you prefer. If you've never made sourdough before, start with 13 ounces of water and 17 ounces of flour. Over time, and with experience, you might adjust these amounts to suit your preference.
Mix the flour into the starter and water mixture with a firm spoon or spatula until incorporated. Cover with a towel for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, with wet hands, lift the dough from the bowl and stretch it 10 times. Place it back in the bowl and cover it with a towel. In 30 minutes, repeat the stretching process. The dough should be stretched 4 times. After the final stretch, cover the dough with a towel and let it rest for several hours. After the dough has expanded to 50-100% of its original size, turn it out onto a floured cutting board and divide it into 3 equal parts, weighing roughly 400 grams each.
Place each ball of dough in a covered container and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 1 week.
To bake:
Let a ball of dough come up to room temperature for 30-60 minutes, then form it into the desired shape. For bread, I prefer a baguette that is roughly 6-8 inches long and 1.5 - 2 inches in diameter. For pizza, place the dough on a 15x15-inch piece of parchment paper, press (or roll) it into the desired shape, and add your desired pizza toppings.
Bake the pizza on a stone in a 550-degree oven for 7 minutes, using a pizza peel to place it into and remove it from the oven.
For bread: Place the dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet. If a golden crust is desired, apply an egg wash. This bread is very crusty without an egg wash. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes, remove from the oven, and cool.
