Power Green Pizza with Sourdough Crust
Just because it’s pizza doesn’t mean it can’t be healthy too! This Power Green Pizza is covered with dark leafy greens and three types of cheese. The sundried tomatoes and tangy lemon dressing give it an extra kick of flavor. It’s all served on a hearty sourdough rye crust!
Although you could technically use any pizza crust for Power Green Pizza, I definitely recommend making one from scratch. For this recipe I used a sourdough crust with rye flour and herbs. As long as you have some sourdough starter on hand, it’s very easy to make. If you aren’t familiar with sourdough, that’s okay too! I’ll break it all down below.
How do I make sourdough starter?
In a medium sized bowl, mix 50g of all purpose flour and 50g of water. Cover with a dish towel and set aside for 24 hours.
The next day, add another 50g each of flour and water. Again, cover with a dish towel and set aside.
On day three, add 100g of flour and 100g of water. Stir to combine and cover with a dish towel.
On day four, remove 80g of the mixture, cover, and set aside for 24 hours. Nothing gets added this time.
On the fifth day, the starter should be ready to use. It will be puffy and bubbly, and smell like yeasty bread dough. If it isn’t ready yet, feed it again as before with 50g of flour and water. Recheck the next day.
Notes on Sourdough Starter
During the first few days, the starter might smell a little off. Just give it a few days to mature and it will eventually smell like bread dough. This is because the flour and water mixture pulls in wild yeasts in the air which feed on the starter. (I know, it sounds crazy, right?!) This is why you don’t have to add conventional yeast to sourdough bread.
There is also lactic acid bacteria in the starter which prevent any pathogenic bacteria from colonizing. As long as you keep the starter fed with equal amounts of water and flour each day, there shouldn’t be any problems. Missing one feed isn’t a big deal, but if it goes too long without food, that’s when bad stuff starts to grow. If you notice any funky colors (pink or orange) or odors (like a fruity smell), be sure to dispose of the starter and try again.
If you don’t use the starter very often, it can be stored in the refrigerator and fed on a weekly basis. You will need to keep it at room temperature for a few days before baking with it though. Personally, I like to keep mine at room temperature and feed it daily because it’s easier to remember and I use it often.
Every few feeds, the bowl will start to get full. Simply discard some of the starter and before the next feeding. Since my starter is mature, sometimes I will do smaller feeds of 25g of water and flour in order to reduce waste if I’m not using it for a while. Now that it’s winter time, I’ve also noticed my starter drying out more between feeds. This is nothing to worry about. Just scrape off the dry part and feed as usual. I find that mine does not get as dry when I store it in the pantry versus on the counter.
What’s the difference between sourdough starter and levain?
This is a super common question and is part of the reason why sourdough recipes can be so confusing. Levain is simply the portion of starter that you remove from the bulk bowl to use in the recipe. When you have a bowl of yeasty flour and water on the countertop, that’s sourdough starter. When you remove 125g to put in a pizza crust, that is levain.
How to Make Power Green Pizza
Crust
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the levain, rye flour, all purpose flour, milk, honey, salt, and herbs. If you don’t have rye flour, whole wheat bread flour is a good substitute. You can also adjust the ratios between the flours. The most important thing is that you have 390 grams (about three cups) of flour total.
Mix on low speed until dough comes together in a smooth ball. Remove the hook and cover the bowl. Set aside for about 12 hours. (In the summer, it may not take as long.) Try to find the warmest place in the kitchen for the dough to rise. When it’s ready, it should be slightly puffy, but dense due to the rye flour. Don’t worry if it doesn’t double in size like normal bread.
Place a pizza steel or stone in the oven and preheat to 450°F. Divide the dough in two and place one piece on a well floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll it out about ¼ inch thick. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Assembly
On each pizza, spread half of the ricotta. Then sprinkle on half the basil, feta, sundried tomatoes, and greens. Slice the fresh mozzarella and distribute it between the two pizzas. Drizzle the tops with olive oil.
Transfer the first pizza to the pizza steel/stone and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is slightly browned and bubbling. Remove from oven and repeat with the remaining pizza.
Salad
In a large bowl, whisk the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice/zest, honey, salt and pepper. Add the remaining greens and massage them into the dressing. This will help soften them a little which is especially helpful if using kale. Personally, I like using a blend of spinach, chard, and kale for this recipe.
When the pizzas come out of the oven, spread the salad on top before slicing to serve.
I hope you enjoy this Power Green Pizza! Be sure to leave a rating below and let me know what you think in the comments. Enjoy!
Great pizza recipe, looks wonderful
Thank you!