Will my results differ when using a sourdough starter vs poolish for pizza dough?

Question

I've read about differing techniques for getting the best flavor, texture, and chewiness in my pizza crust. One of the commonly suggested routes is to include a sourdough starter as part of the process, but I also find suggestions to use a poolish pre-ferment. From what I understand the main difference in technique is that a sourdough starter typically uses simply flour and water(introducting natural lactobacillus), where as poolish you would also include off the shelf bakers yeast. The sourdough starter also seems to be an ingredient that you build up over days, or even longer, where as the poolish you make in less than a day.

What I haven't been able to determine, is what if any differences will I find in my pizza dough using one product over the other? Would the pizza crust taste different, look different, rise different, or exhibit other differing characteristics between the two processes? My ultimate goal is Neapolitan margherita pizza in a home oven).

Answer 1

Three things:

1. Most traditional Neapolitan pizza dough does not use a pre-ferment - poolish, biga, or sourdough starter. Not to say it may not be good, but it wouldn't the way most are made.

2. Sourdough starters change their flavor profiles by age and by geographical region. In general, I would expect a bit more of a 'tang' from the sourdough starter than from the poolish.

3. Sourdough starters usually don't rise as much - commercial yeast is just in general stronger than its wild counterparts. So a dough made with a sourdough starter may not rise as well.

Between the two, I would prefer poolish over sourdough for a more traditional taste. However, I'd be more likely to try something like a cold starter and super slow rise like a Pain à l'Ancienne in order to promote more natural sugars in the bread which would result in better browning. The primary challenge with Neapolitan pizza dough is the lack of heat in a home oven. Part of the thing that heat does is the browning - hence the recipe that promotes better browning but with traditional ingredients.

Answer 2

Thought I'd chime in here. I was in a similar spot a few months ago. I came across Jeff Varasanos website, http://www.varasanos.com/PizzaRecipe.htm. I read his entire page (it's long) then bought and read the recommended book, "Classic Sourdoughs" by Ed Wood. I then bought and activated these cultures: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006TMLF98/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1.

It ended up being a lot more effort than I originally thought. See my review on that same Amazon page for details.

So now I've made pizza dough with both pre-ferments as well as sourdough cultures. In both cases I lacked super-high heat (eg. my oven only goes up to about 525F), which Jeff Varasano sites as one of the 3 most important elements. With that said, the pizza's made with the sourdough culture were crispier, lighter and chewier. I also think they tasted better. I would call it my most successful attempt at Pizza Napoletana and worth the effort. It has also been an interesting learning experience.

I hope this helps you.

Bobby

Answer 3

Sourdough sounds nice. I use the cold rise and a blend of white, semolina, wheat flours and at least 8 hr cold rise. The sour dough flavor increases over time in the fridge. I do not mix oils or salt directly into the dough while it is in a cold rise. Instead it is kneaded into the dough afterward and the salt is allowed to diffuse from the outside in while in the fridge.

I use 500 degree F at top shelf in oven to get the reflection from the top of the oven while my cast iron pizza pan cooks on the bottom. I get a thin 1mm crust, light inside, and gently brown/orange spotted whole milk mozzarella.

The Iron pan Lodge Mfg P14P3 Cast Iron Pizza Pan, 14 In