Kefir Pizza

Deb August 10, 2004

I can’t take credit for this recipe. It came from Dom’s kefir in-site and is just one of a pile of interesting recipes there. This recipe makes approx. four 8″ pizzas.

Step 1: Kefir sourdough starter: This step involves preparing the Kefir-sourdough-starter. This starter is used to rise the pizza base [dough]. This starter may also be used for making sourdough bread.

  • 1 cup of kefir
  • 1 cup of plain wheat, spelt or kamut flour

Mix ingredients together in a jar to form a smooth wet paste. Cover jar with cloth or paper towelling. Let sit between 3 to 4 days at room temperature. Stir once daily. When ready it should be quite bubbly with a sweet-sour yeasty aroma. It should also increase in volume.

Step 2: Le pizza:

  • Kefir sourdough starter
  • 500 gm [1 lb] plain wheat, spelt or kamut flour
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1.5 tbsp tamari
  • 1 cup of warm water

Method:

Add all the pre-made Kefir-sourdough-starter, flour, 1/3 cup olive oil, tamari and 1 cup of warm water in a mixing bowl. Mix well with a strong wooden spoon or ladle. If the dough is too thick, similar to bread-dough [firm and not sticky], keep adding warm water and mix for 2 minutes longer until it’s moist, sticky with elasticity. The dough should stick to the fingers when touched and should stretch quite easily [it should be wetter than a bread-dough].

For the next step, to stop the dough from sticking to your hands, wet fingers and palms with olive oil, and pinch off 1/4 of the dough. Make round balls by rolling the dough in between the palms of hands and pat flat. Place the dough in a pre-oiled [greased] cast iron skillet or pizza baking pan. Press down on the dough with palms or fingers, forcing it evenly over the bottom of the pan, to form a thickness of no more than approx. 1.5 cm [3/4″] thick. Do this with the rest of the dough to fill the other pans.

Add your choice of topping. Pour 1 – 2 Tbs of extra virgin olive oil evenly over each pizza with a tablespoon, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in a warm spot and leave to rise for approx. 4 to 6 hours, or until the base is almost double in size.

Bake in a hot oven set on high [450° F or 250° C], and bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown. To determine when the pizza is cooked, lift an edge of the pizza to reveal the base. The base of the dough should be golden brown right through.