It was Megan’s birthday a couple of days ago, and everyone was expecting me to cook a multi-course meal, do some kind of binge-eating, or travel downtown for a fine-dining experience (ending with a visit to Roselle for desserts, obviously!). But these days, Megan and I really enjoy a good night in: trying a new recipe or an old faithful, opening a bottle of wine and relaxing in our PJs.

We tried making pizza in the cast iron last week and were so thrilled with the results, that we decided we had to make it again for Megan’s birthday. This recipe could still use a little tweaking, but delicious nonetheless.

Sourdough Pizza Recipe (Adapted from Modernist Bread)

50g liquid levain
180g water
270g bread flour
5g diastatic malt powder

5.5g salt
5g olive oil

1. In a stand mixer fitted with a hook attachment, combine everything except the salt and olive oil.
2. Mix to a shaggy mass by hand.
3. Add salt and oil to the shaggy mass and mix on medium for 4 minutes.
4. Then mix on high speed until the dough has reached full gluten development (4-6 minutes).
5. Cover and let it rest for 1 hour.
6. Stretch and fold, and rest for another 30 minutes.
7. Divide the dough in half, (roughly 250g)
8. Shape into a round and place dough in refrigerator for at least 24 hours (up to 48).

1.5 hours before you’re ready to bake, take the dough out of the fridge. At least 45 min before, place two cast iron pans into the oven and preheat to around 550 or higher (this will get your pans nice and hot, too).

Notes:
– We got this neat little trick from Bon Appetite to stretch the dough on a mixture of cornmeal and a little sugar – this gives the crust a really nice texture and some extra flavour.
– Drizzle oil in the cast iron pan just before adding the dough.
– You can replace 20-30% in whole grains or different flour for more flavour