New York-style pizza, San Francisco-style

Sweet Jo's Sourdough Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup sourdough starter
• 3 Tbl honey
• 2.5 cups ice cold water
• 1 pound bread flour or pizza flour, adding 1/2 cup whole wheat flour is a nice touch
• A piece of old raw dough if available
• 1 pound bread flour - hold back the last cup or so
• 1 Tbl salt

Method:

1. Mix the first 5 ingredients in a kitchen aid or standing mixer, mix for one minute. Let sit for at least an hour, until you see the yeast start to fizz and grow showing that it is alive.
   
   
2. Add the remaining ingredients - holding back the last cup of flour. The dough should be VERY sticky. Let the dough mix for at least 10 minutes and then hand knead on a counter. Let proof in a well oiled bowl until doubled in size.
   
   
3. Turn out onto a counter and portion. About 9 ounces makes a thin crust 10" pizza. But, let your personal preferences take hold.

PIZZA SAUCE:
For Pizza Sauce, Sweet Jo's recommends using your favorite marinara sauce. BUT... it will be too thin and make your pizza soggy.

Best fix: Mince & sauce an onion in olive oil, add garlic if you'd like (slivered or minced), more herbs if your palate likes them, let it all simmer on low heat till soft but NOT brown. Add a few tablespoons of tomato paste. Cook the tomato paste out, stirring rapidly. Add @ 1/3 of your marinara, mix well. Turn off heat, add the rest of the marinara and chill before making pizzas.

PIZZA TOPPINGS:
Most toppings need to be cooked & seasoned before assembling the pizzas e.g. roast your mushrooms, caramelize your onions, roast butternut squash till tender and zucchini till al dente. Broccoli is best cut small and blanched in boiling salted water for about 15 seconds. Spinach - keep it raw - let it wilt in the oven for a prettier and fresher tasting spinach pie.

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About Joanna Karlinsky:
Executive Chef/Co-Proprietor Joanna Karlinsky is the former co-owner of San Francisco's Elite Cafe, and a previous chef at Napa Valley's Tra Vigne, Terra, and Table 29. Karlinksy's name will be familiar to Bay Area foodies who know her for her buttery, flaky, irresistible, fresh-baked biscuits at her acclaimed former San Francisco restaurant, The Meetinghouse. Those biscuits are so well loved that they've been to known to make people weep. Now, she's brought those majestic biscuits and her full repertoire of soul-satisfying food to Sweet Jo's. The kosher-style eatery, where no pork or shellfish is served, is open to the public. Housed in the modern, 7-year-old community center, the cafe is kid-friendly, handy for neighborhood residents, and convenient for singles of all ages who can order just the amount of food desired.

Restaurant description: Sweet Jo's, located in the San Francisco Jewish Community Center, is a fast-casual cafe with a tantalizing salad & hot food bar. Diners can feast on everything from made-to-order sandwiches, to New York style pizza on a sourdough crust, to custom-made burritos. They also serve a wide selection of mouthwatering pastries, house-made ice cream and real frozen yogurt. Plus, they have a fresh juice bar that can't be "beet."

Location:
3200 California St. (@ Presidio)
(415) 345-0090
Website: http://www.sweetjoscafe.com