The Elements of Pizza

Next, think about the flour. What kind are you going to use? I like one that is high in protein (13 to 14 pcl, organic, and grown and freshly milled as close to home as possible), because it gives the finished crust a good chew.

In this book’s Dutch-oven levain bread process, I have you make up a starter from a refrigerated levain. The final starter feeding on Day 2 has you remove about 400 grams of starter (leaving behind 50 to 60 grams for the buildup for the final dough mix). So, let’s make pizza dough with that extra starter. There will be zero waste and a very good do

Managing dough fermentation to get the best results means finding the perfect balance of rising time, proofing time, dough temperature, ambient temperature, and amount of leavening in the dough. A major focus of this chapter is explaining how to achieve a harmony of these elements.

Whole wheat dough does not stretch as far as white flour dough, so don’t be too aggressive with it.