What to make with your active Lievito Madre? Well nothing better than pizza night. And this Lievito Madre Pizza Dough is one of the best. Make it simple or top with all of your favourites! Pizza never tasted so good.
My Lievito Madre was chilling in the fridge for about a week, so I knew it was time to bake up something delicious. And yes, that delicious turned out to be pizza dough.
How to make Lievito Madre Pizza Dough
Refreshing the starter
Remove the Starter from the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for about an hour or two, then remove the top part of the dough which tends to be dry and or crusty, knead a couple of times to combine, then keep 150 grams of the dough (discard anything over the 150 grams, at this point you can make something using the discard), place in a bowl and add the flour and water, combine with a fork.
Then move to a flat surface and knead to form a compact dough, make a cross. From here you can do it 2 ways, Place all the starter in a bowl, and let it rest in a warm draft free area for about 4-6 hours, if it doesn’t double in size then refresh again using the same instructions as above. Then remove the amount needed for the recipe and the remaining, form into a ball, make a cross and place back in the jar and refrigerate.
Or you can divide the starter after you have fed it, the recipe starter you can place in a bowl, and the remaining in the jar, both will be covered and placed in a draft free area for about 4-6 hours, the bowl starter will be used for the recipe and the jar starter will be refrigerated.
Once the starter is ready place the recipe starter (broken into pieces) in a stand up mixer, add the water and honey. With the flat beater combine until it has a milky constituency and all is combined. Then add the flour, and with the dough hook knead for about a minute then add the salt, continue to knead for about 5 minutes.
Move to a flat surface, form into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl and let rise in a warm draft free area. Remove the dough from the bowl and fold the dough a few times.
Place the dough again in the bowl and cover and let rise a second time.
Place the dough on a lightly oiled cookie sheet, let it sit for about 15 minutes then shape the dough into the desired pizza shape. Add your favourite toppings and bake, when the pizza is ready, top with the shredded cheese and bake for a couple of minutes more or until the cheese has melted.
If you prefer to make 2 pizzas then divide the dough in half and form into 2 balls for the 2nd rise. I got one large pizza with a thicker crust. So you could have 2 small thin crust pizzas if you divide it in two parts.
How long can the starter stay refrigerated?
The starter can stay refrigerated for about a week and then it should be fed, to tell the truth I have let mine stay in the fridge for over a week but then it may need to be fed two times before being ready to use.
Different topping to use
For this pizza I used fresh tomatoes sliced, pancetta, but you can use whatever you prefer, mushrooms, peppers, salami, even plain sauce and cheese, or sprinkle on some rock salt and rosemary and half a simple white pizza. It’s all good.
More Lievito Madre Recipes
Italian Sourdough Starter – Lievito Madre
How to store it
Pizza should really be eaten in one sitting, but if you have leftovers, wrap it in foil and refrigerate. It can be re heated in the oven or microwave, to tell the truth I could never refuse a cold slice of pizza! It will last up to 2 days in the fridge.
So if your Lievito Madre is ready to be used, why not make up a pizza or two using this Lievito Madre Pizza Dough Recipe. Buon Appetito.
Lievito Madre Pizza Dough Recipe
Ingredients
FEEDING THE LIEVITO MADRE
- 150 grams unfed lievito madre
- 75 grams lukewarm water
- 158 grams all purpose or bread flour (unbleached)
FOR THE PIZZA DOUGH
- 80 grams lievito madre (fed)
- 250 grams all purpose or bread flour (unbleached) (2 cups)
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 160 grams lukewarm water (½ cup + 2 ⅔ tablespoons)
Instructions
FEEDING THE LIEVITO MADRE
- Remove the Starter from the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for about an hour or two, then remove the top part of the dough which tends to be dry and or crusty, knead a couple of times to combine, then keep 150 grams of the dough (discard anything over the 150 grams, at this point you can make something using the discard), place the dough in a bowl and add the flour and water, combine with a fork.Then move to a flat surface and knead to form a compact dough, make a cross. From here there are two different ways to let it rise. 1. Place all the starter in a bowl, and let rest in a warm draft free area for about 4-6 hours, until doubled, if it doesn't double in size then refresh again using the same instructions as above. Then remove the amount needed for the recipe and the remaining, form into a ball, make a cross and place back in the jar and refrigerate. Or 2. You can divide the starter after you have fed it, the recipe starter you can place in a bowl, and the remaining in the jar, both will be covered and placed in a draft free area for about 4-6 hours, the bowl starter will be used for the recipe and the jar starter will be refrigerated. You decide which is easier for you.
FOR THE PIZZA DOUGH
- Once the starter is ready, place the recipe starter (broken into pieces) in a stand up mixer, add the water and honey. With the flat beater combine until it has a milky constituency and all is combined.Then add the flour, and with the dough hook knead for about a minute then add the salt, continue to knead for 5 minutes.Move to a flat surface, form into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl, rolling the dough to lightly coat with oil, cover the bowl and let rise in a warm draft free area for 4 hours.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and fold the dough a 4 times. Place the dough* again in the bowl, cover and let rise a second time for 4 hours.
- Pre-heat oven to 425F (220C). Lightly oil a large (9x13 inch / 24x34 cm) or 2 small cookie sheets.
- Place the dough on the prepared cookie sheet, let it sit for about 10-15 minutes (relaxing the dough makes it easier to stretch) then shape the dough into the desired pizza shape. Add your favourite toppings and bake for about 10-15 minutes, when the pizza is ready, top with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake for a couple of minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Megan says
Great recipe but can I let it in the frig overnight…or how long can I let this rest after the 2nd rise… I work so I need to make this beforehand.
Rosemary says
Hi Megan, I think you could easily do the 2nd rise in the fridge, up to 8-10 hours. Let it come to room temperature for about an hour then proceed with the recipe. Hope that helps. Let me know.