Sourdough "Montreal-style" pizza

Growing up with "Montreal style" all-dressed pizza, I've been chasing the dragon ever since. At home, I've come close to recreating the spectacular pizza you can still find in some of the oldest pizza places in Quebec. Not the same, but good enough for home.

Refer to this blog post for sourdough starter and breadmaking instructions. The instructions below are modified from this book.

~8 pm the night before, get a large pot with lid and mix pizza components together. 

Start with water and salt, swirl to mix, then starter, stir it all up, then flour. Mix with a big spoon (or Kitchen aid) until most flour incorporated. Cover and let sit until bedtime (10 pm), then fold a few times until it is in a ball in the middle of the pot. Sprinkle a few passes of olive oil over the ball, then fold a few more times until the bottom/walls/ball are lightly coated with oil. Cover and let sit overnight in a not-cold place.

Next morning (pizza day!) it should look risen and flattened out. Usually around 9 am, I dump it onto a lightly floured surface (I use a silicone bread mat). Cut it into the number of pizzas you are making. For each piece, pull and fold onto the top one side, the other side, the 3rd side, the 4th side, repeating a few times until most of the folds to the top are staying there. Flip it over in your hands and tuck the sides down toward the folded side bottom until it’s in a nice ball. Place the folded side down on a lightly floured baking tray. Do the same with the others. Cover with saran wrap and put in the fridge for the day. Make sure covered all around. Balls can also be wrapped individually and left in the fridge for 1-3 days.

In the evening, about an hour before making pizza, put a pizza stone in the oven (right in the middle) and heat to 550 F (assuming this is also your oven’s max - if not, times may be longer for baking). After 20-30 minutes at 550, one option is to then turn on high broil to really heat up that stone. Just before throwing pizza in, make sure to put back to 550 F bake.

Take one of the dough balls out from the tray and punch it down on a floured pizza peel. My punches focus on the middle part, and usually 5-6 punches each side. Then I pick the flattened ball up and start moving my hands around the edge like holding a steering wheel, pulling and turning, round and round a few times. Then I place on the backs of my hands and throw/twirl in the air a few times until it starts to look thinnner, being sure to keep round, then I do the steering wheel thing a bit more, sometimes another throw or two if it still needs it. Steering wheel starts to be droopy and risks ripping at some point. I’m trying to get it thin. Okay if it rips a little hole. Just fold the hole closed when down on the peel. I place it down across a floured pizza peel. I use my fingers to press down around the outside edge a bit to get rid of bubbles a bit and delineate the crust a bit better. Stretch it out again to make the pizza big. The crust will be problematic/big, so keep it narrow.

Add pizza sauce. Kids like pesto around the crust part, I’m not sure this works for me. 

I always add a layer of pepperoni next. Cover completely. This will be under the cheese of course, and that’s “Montreal style”. Pepperoni should be as THIN as possible. I really like “Fantino&Mondello” from Sobey’s (black bag). Then add thinly sliced mushrooms. Then cheese (~20% fat mozzarella). Then thin thin green peppers on top. That’s a Montreal “all dressed” pizza, although some places in Montreal also put the green pepper under the cheese.

Slide into the oven. 5 minutes. Then 2 minutes broil. Watch carefully to make sure only light burning of crust and cheese. Quickly becomes too black if not careful. The next pizza should be ready to go in as the first one comes out. Don’t forget to put back to 550 F bake.

Make sure that stone is as hot as you can get it. The challenge with a home oven is to make sure that the dough underneath is cooked enough.

As you can tell, I’m obsessed about Montreal pizza. Never had anything like it outside of Quebec.