Mark Douglas, an award-winning baker known as the Krazibaker, is now teaching home cooks how to make delicious Neapolitan pizzas with sourdough bases.
Based in Dromore, Mark recently launched pizza-making classes due to high demand from customers familiar with his traditional Northern Irish baked goods. These include soda and treacle farls, potato cakes, griddle breads, and sourdough loaves, which he sells at outdoor food markets like Newtownards and Carrickfergus.
“I started the pizza classes to show people how to make genuine sourdough bases,” said Mark, a professional baker for over 30 years. He has won UK Great Taste Awards and World Bread Awards for his unique griddle breads and potato apple snack. “Pizzas have become a popular, convenient, and affordable meal, especially for younger families. Sourdough pizzas are actually quite easy to make.”
In his classes, students learn to craft dough balls that have been fermented for 24 hours. “They see the process of making a sourdough base and understand the time required. We also make sourdough balls from my 10-year-old culture, which students can take home to use later,” he explained.
Mark emphasizes the importance of oven use, particularly the bottom heat on the baking stone and how quickly it can dissipate with constant pizza baking. “The class helps students recognize the differences in preparation time and taste of the sourdough base,” he noted.
Additionally, students learn about the best ingredients to top their pizzas. Mark encourages them to buy local, highlighting local companies that produce quality toppings such as pizza sauce, cheese, ham, and herbs.