A lot has happened. Aside from emerging on the other side of our little global pandemic, we had a child.

I thought I was ready. I had all the things that the articles targeted to Type A parents tell you to get: a highchair with footsteps, two sets of mattress protectors, a temporal thermometer. But overnight I became a shareholder in a new parental currency of sleep with a value greater than gold, food, and sex. I lost all sense of self and time.

I was ill-prepared for how hard it would be to have two full time jobs. I had a new tiny manager who held the power to keep me from eating and sleeping. Occasionally, she would hold workshops on how best to poop all over the floor. This new position also cost more than a second mortgage to maintain.

If it sounds like I am complaining it is because I am. We have the most amazing three-year-old, but some days I still wish I could drink a whole hot cup of coffee and read the paper. Instead Saturday mornings you can find me under-caffeinated and using a stuffed lavender rabbit to cajole a screaming girl to enter the water of her swim lesson. This is not an effective technique, if you are in the market for parenting advice.

To all the parents out there, I am sorry. I had no idea.

As you might imagine, I have not had much time to indulge in my previous life. Most of the time I now cook an uninspired rotation of chicken dressed up in various ways, which catapults us from week to week. The motivation to cook has become one of necessity to sustain life and get to bed before 11 PM. The new boss rejects pretty much everything unless it contains chocolate. It is a real lesson in humility.

But I am slowly clawing back. And I have somehow managed to keep our sourdough starter alive for a decade. So I have a pizza recipe for you.

As a parent this feels particularly indulgent. There is a revolution of perfectly good frozen pizzas out there. I have become somewhat of an expert on this matter and usually have very little desire to go through the trouble of making pizza when delegating to the Screamin’ Sicilian Pizza Corporation is so easy.

But I have started to do certain things to prove to myself that I still can. I suspect this is not a great long term strategy, but for now it has helped recenter my identity beyond being a mom, finder of lost things and keeper of laundry.

Pride aside, the recipe is worthy of sharing. It is one part fluffy focaccia and one part personal pan pizza. It is a ridiculous item to present after three years of silence, since it requires maintaining a starter and takes many days of advanced notice. But if you are a parent and a planner you are already well suited to this type of torture.

You will need to start this process at least two days before you plan to serve the pizza. At this point I will likely lose the more sane people among us. For the lunatics still reading, the process is mostly hands off and very well suited to winter hibernation at home since it requires multiple points of proofing. It is a nice project if you do not have plans that require leaving the house. Or if you need a distraction and want to stretch a project that is typically tackled in a few hours into a whole weekend.

The result is a crispy-edged pizza with a chewy bottom. It is important not to overly sauce the top, which takes real restraint since pizza with a miserly blessing of tomato is typically upsetting. It will feel like there is not enough sauce as you dollop. But too much in this case will only cause sogginess, so it is best to just let go. The crust is worth it. The result hovers between a New England bar pizza and garlic bread minus the garlic breath.

If you could distill ego into a pizza it would probably look like this one. It is overly complicated to make, requires a lot of attention, and will likely eclipse the rest of your dinner. But even the boss likes it. It is a treasure of recipe, especially if you have a starter and something to prove.

Sourdough Pan Pizza

Inspired by King Arthur Flour and Anthony Falco (formerly of Roberta’s Pizza, with controversy)

Ingredients:

for the dough

158 grams water, room temperature
40 grams ripe starter
5 grams olive oil
250 grams bread flour
6 grams kosher salt (David’s or Morton brand)

for the pizza

½ cup tomato puree (see notes)
pinch of kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 ounces low-moisture mozzarella cheese, grated

Instructions:

Two days before pizza:

Feed the starter. For this timeline you will be making the dough in the morning, so aim to feed it the night before (at least 8 hours). (Here are instructions for maintaining a sourdough starter.)

One day before pizza:

You will need over 9 hours for this step, so plan your timeline accordingly. Here you will make the pizza dough.

In a large measuring cup, add the water and spoon in the starter. (When you add the starter to the water it should float to the top, if it sinks it is not adequately ripe and your dough may not rise properly.) Add the oil and stir it all to combine.

In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Make a well in the center, like you are making pasta dough. Pour the liquid slowly into the middle and, with one hand, swirl the liquid into the flour until no bits of flour remain. This will form a rough, shaggy ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

After resting the dough will still be shaggy and a little sticky. Pick the dough up and with your fingers, pull the edges of the dough out and under, making light, quick motions with the tips of your fingers. This should take no more than 30 seconds give or take. Once the dough surface has smoothed a bit, cover it again and let it rest in the bowl for 3 hours.

After the first proof, lightly dust a plate or quarter sheet pan with flour. Pick up the dough and, like before, pull the edges of the dough out and tuck them under to form a smooth ball. Place on your floured surface and wrap well with plastic wrap. Let rest for 6 hours. (If you kitchen is very cold – less than 70 degrees – this may take longer.) During this time, the dough ball will expand and puff a little. Then wrap well with plastic wrap and place in fridge. (The dough can stay in the fridge for a few days, if you cannot make pizza the following day.)

The day of pizza (about 3 hours before you would like to eat):

Take the dough out from the fridge. You may notice there are some tiny bubbles that formed overnight. In a cast iron pan (aim for one about 9-inches in diameter at the bottom) pour in 1½ tablespoons olive oil and spread it around with your hands. Place the dough in the oiled pan and turn it once to coat both sides in oil.

Spread the dough out to the edges of the pan, dimpling it with your fingers. It may resist a bit, but do your best to bring the dough to the edge. (If it does not spread all the way, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 20 minutes and try again.)

Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 2 hours. During this time it will expand and puff up. You may also start to see some larger bubbles forming in the dough. Meanwhile, prep the sauce. (If using whole tomatoes, puree them – see notes.) In a small bowl, combine the puree with the pinch of salt and remaining ½ tablespoon of oil and place in the fridge.

About 30 minutes before baking, set the oven to 450 degrees and ensure there is a rack in the bottom third of the oven.

When ready to bake, sprinkle three-quarters of the cheese over the dough, being sure to go all the way to the edge of the pan. Dollop the sauce with a spoon evenly on the top, but do not spread it. Top with remaining cheese. Place in the bottom third of the oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

The pizza is done when the cheese is brown and the pizza edges are golden. Ensure the bottom is fully cooked by lifting it up carefully with a knife or spatula. If not, put it back in for a few minutes. If the top needs a little more time consider placing it close to the broiler and turn it on – this will not take long (take care not to burn the edges).

Run a knife or spatula between the pizza and the pan to loosen the edges to help prevent the pizza from sticking to the pan as it cools. As soon as possible, transfer the pizza to a cutting surface to cool (the knife or spatula will help with this – keep the cutting surface very close). Let the pizza cool 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.

Makes 8 small slices

Notes:

For best flavor, puree whole peeled tomatoes for the sauce. Bianco DiNapoli brand is my favorite. Their tomatoes are not salt-free and so keep this in mind when seasoning your sauce. It should taste flavorful with the pinch of added salt. Canned tomatoes vary in sodium content so if your sauce still tastes quite bland, add a little more salt.
This is an excellent and entertaining video to watch on making sourdough pizza at home.
Avoid fresh mozzarella - it has too high a water content for this style of pizza.