Tear a sheet of baking paper and use it to line a baking tray. Drizzle a little oil over the paper, then take about a third or quarter of a batch of sourdough and prod and stretch it to fit the tray. Elizabeth Minchilli’s blog has a video demonstrating the technique.
At this point you can
- drizzle the surface of the pizza dough to make a white pizza base, or pizza bianca.
- spread a half a tin of crushed tomatoes over the surface of the dough but not quite to the edges to make a red pizza base, or pizza rossa
- or spread the dough with pesto or a vegetable puree.
Bake in a preheated oven for at 220°C for about 15 minutes or until risen and slightly golden.
Now the pizza is ready for topping, then continue baking until the base is bronzed and the topping is bubbling.
Otherwise, continue baking the base for a further five to ten minutes until crisp and browned around the edges and base.
