the recipes

sourdough margherita pizza

From Aran Goyoaga's "The Art of Gluten Free Bread"

Makes two 11-inch (28 cm) pizzas

Ingredients

For the sponge

For the dough

For the toppings

Instructions

  1. Make the sponge. In a medium bowl, whisk together the starter, brown rice flour, and water until smooth. Cover with a kitchen towel and ferment at room temperature until the sponge is mousse-like when you run a spoon through it, 3 to 5 hours.

  2. Make the dough. Sprinkle the psyllium into a medium bowl. Whisk in the water vigorously until you have a thick gel. In a stand mixer, stir together the tapioca starch, potato starch, sugar, and salt. Add the psyllium gel, sponge, and olive oil. Snap on the dough hook and mix the dough until it is smooth, bouncy, and holds together nicely, 2 to 3 minutes. The dough will be moist but shouldn’t be terribly sticky.

  3. Shape the dough. Cut the dough into 2 equal pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a tight ball and place on a sheet pan lightly floured with white rice flour. Cover with a kitchen towel and ferment at room temperature until the dough feels light, 2 to 3 hours. It won’t increase significantly in volume but should feel lighter. (Alternatively, wrap the pan in a large plastic bag, ferment at room temperature for 1 hour, then transfer to the refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours.) At this point, you can freeze any dough you will not be using right away. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and proceed as directed.

  4. Preheat the oven. Position a rack in the bottom third of the oven and place a pizza stone on the rack. Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C). Let the stone continue heating for at least 15 minutes after the oven has come to temperature.

  5. Roll the dough. If you have fermented the dough in the refrigerator, let it come to room temperature for 30 minutes. Lightly dust a work surface with white rice flour. Press down in the center of one dough ball and gently stretch it (make sure it doesn’t tear). You can use a rolling pin to roll the center. Leave a thicker border around the edges of the pizza. You should have a pizza that is roughly 10 to 11 inches (25 to 28 cm) in diameter, 1/8 to ¼ inch (3 to 6 mm) thick in the center, and ½ inch (1.3 cm) thick around the edges. Dust a pizza peel with white rice flour and transfer the dough onto it. Roll out the second piece of dough and cover it with a kitchen towel while the first pizza cooks.

  6. Parbake the pizzas. Slide the first pizza onto the preheated stone and bake for 5 minutes. The dough will bubble up and that is okay. Don’t try to press it down too hard, let it deflate on its own. Parbaking allows for the center of the dough to get a head start before adding the moist toppings.

  7. Top and bake the pizzas. Slide the first pizza out of the oven and add half of the sauce and cheese (or any toppings you prefer). Brush the exposed dough with a little bit of olive oil. Slide it back onto the pizza stone and bake for 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling. Top with fresh basil. Let the pizza cool for 5 minutes before serving. Repeat the parbaking, topping, and baking steps with the second pizza.

Note