Thin Crust Sourdough Pizza

What's your go-to comfort food? Does it involve cheese somewhere in that recipe? How about some bread? Oh, maybe even a splash of tomato sauce. Wait, all of a sudden, we're a little hungry.

You may have guessed, but we're craving some pizza. But not just any pizza, but a thin crust sourdough pizza. 

While you might not have a sourdough starter just hanging out in your kitchen, you can make a half-batch of regular pizza dough and roll it super-thin. To boost the tartness to mimic sourdough, add a bit of citric acid to the dough.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup sourdough starter
• ⅓ cup warm water
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp instant yeast
• ½ tsp citric acid
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp Italian seasonings
• ¼ tsp coarse salt
• Pizza sauce
• Favorite pizza toppings

Instructions: 

For the Crust

• Stir sourdough starter and then remove ½ cup. Let this portion rest at room temperature for 1 hour. (Tip: Don't forget to feed the original starter with equal parts bread flour and water!)
• Place sourdough starter and the remaining Crust ingredients in a bowl of a countertop mixer fitted with the bread hook. Mix on medium speed for 4-5 minutes, or until a smooth ball of dough forms. (See note below.)
• Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and rest in a warm place for 45 minutes. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured countertop and fold several times. Place the dough back into the bowl, cover, and let rest for 60-90 more minutes, or until the dough has almost doubled in size. (Note: The length of this stage will depend on the strength of your sourdough starter. The dough should be ready in 60 minutes if it's a strong starter. If it's a weaker starter, it might take 90+ minutes to rise at this stage.)
• Preheat oven to 460°F.
• Shape dough into a 15-16" round pizza, placing it on a piece of parchment paper that's been dusted with cornmeal.

For the Herbed Olive Oil

• Combine the olive oil, Italian seasonings, and salt using a small dish. Brush this mixture evenly around the outer 1" of dough.

For the Pizza

• Add pizza sauce and favorite pizza toppings.
• Bake at 460°F for 13-14 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. 

Enjoy!