Pizza tongues with excess sourdough starter are my version of the viral recipe of this recent period, which floods all social media, where they are made without yeast. As every baker knows, every time the sourdough needs to be refreshed, part of it is discarded. The part most exposed to air, now dry, we throw away without remorse, but what about the part we don’t refresh to avoid having the fridge invaded by yeast? What to do with the excess? So many things! Especially products that don’t need the powerful push given by a fresh yeast. This time, I used it to replicate this recipe that resembles the pizzas you buy at bakeries, with plenty of tomatoes, thin and crunchy. A pizza tongue can be a good idea for a snack but also for an aperitif or appetizer. It can be easily made by hand, even though I used a Thermomix for convenience. If I’ve piqued your curiosity, let’s start kneading!
For some other recipes using excess sourdough starter, here are some examples you can find on my blog:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very low cost
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 12 People
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 2.8 oz sourdough starter (excess)
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup re-milled semolina flour
- 1 5/8 cups water
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp fine salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 28 oz tomato passata
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove fresh garlic
- 1 1/4 tsp fine salt
Tools
- 1 Food processor Thermomix TM31
- 1 High-sided saucepan
- 1 Ladle
- 1 Work surface
- 1 Dough scraper
- 2 Baking sheets
- 1 Parchment paper
- 1 Cling wrap
- 1 Rolling pin
- 1 Brush
- 1 Spoon
Procedure
I made the pizza tongues with the Thermomix, but you can use any other food processor or a bowl and a work surface. The steps are the same.
Chop the excess sourdough starter in the Thermomix bowl.
Dissolve it in half of the water by adding the sugar. Set the Thermomix at speed 4/5 for 2 minutes.
After mixing both flours together, pour them into the food processor bowl.
Set the Thermomix to kneading mode to absorb the water. The mixture will appear like this, but don’t worry!
Add the remaining water and continue in kneading mode until all the water is absorbed and the dough is smooth. It took me about 5 minutes with a pause every two minutes to prevent the dough from overheating.
Add the oil and let it be absorbed in kneading mode.
Finish with the salt to create a smooth and elastic dough.
Transfer it onto a work surface, give it two reinforcement folds, shape it into a ball, and cover it with a bowl for an hour.
While the dough rests, it’s best to prepare the tomato sauce. Sauté a garlic clove in a little oil on high flame.
Lower the flame, pour in the tomato pulp, add a basil leaf, and season with salt. Cover and let it cook.
After about twenty minutes, the sauce will have thickened. If it lacks flavor, add some salt; otherwise, turn it off and set aside.
Uncover the dough, which will have relaxed.
Use a dough scraper to make portions of about 3.5 oz each.
Roughly stretch them with your fingers to relax the gluten network.
Roll out the sourdough pizza tongues with a rolling pin and slightly stretch them. Place them on a parchment-lined and oiled baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap.
After half an hour, stretch them again to lengthen. The thinner they are, the crunchier they’ll become. Preheat the oven to 428 °F.
Pour a couple of tablespoons of the sauce on each tongue and spread it with a kitchen brush. Drizzle with oil.
Bake them for 15 minutes near the bottom of the oven to cook them well underneath. If necessary, turn on the lower heating element only.
After the time has passed, take them out of the oven and sprinkle with the remaining tomato sauce. I added some anchovy fillets to some of them. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with oregano and salt, and bake for another 5/10 minutes at 356 °F near the top of the oven.
The sourdough pizza tongues are ready!
Storage of sourdough pizza tongues
The sourdough pizza tongues last 3/4 days. They can also be reheated in the oven to make them crunchy again. You can make real pizzas by adding mozzarella and various toppings on this base. If you liked these pizzas, come tell me on Instagram!
FAQ
What can I substitute for excess sourdough starter?
These pizza tongues don’t need much leavening, that’s why I use the excess. So, you can use an instant yeast packet for savory dishes…or nothing!
How can I make them as crunchy as possible?
By increasing the amount of oil in the baking sheet and also sprinkling it with a bit of semolina.
