Simple Sourdough Pizza Crust: A Step-by-Step Guide
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Here is my guide for making sourdough pizza crust at home. As far as sourdough pizza recipes are concerned, this one is as simple as it gets — it’s made with all-purpose flour and there is no autolyse or preferment. Everything gets mixed together at once and you are on your way! Ready? Wake up your starter! Let’s do this 🍕🍕🍕
One of the most frequently asked questions I’ve received these past few weeks is: “Have you ever replaced the yeast in “X” bread recipe with sourdough starter?”
And specifically: “Could I use sourdough starter in your pizza dough recipe?”
Yes! And today, I’m going to show you how. The process is very similar to how I make yeast-leavened pizza, and the resulting pies are similar: ballooned and blistered edges with crisp but pliable crusts. In the recipe below, there are instructions for making three favorite pizzas 🍕🍕🍕:
- Classic Margherita
- Kale and Crème Fraîche
- Naked Pizza with Spicy Scallion (or Ramp!) Oil … made this on Instagram over the weekend
Simple Sourdough Pizza Crust: The details
This sourdough pizza crust is …
- Basic! Given supply constraints, I didn’t get creative with the flour mix here. This dough is made with 100% all-purpose flour. You absolutely can use bread flour or tipo 00 flour (read more about tipo 00 flour here) if you can get your hands on either. If you have been having a hard time finding flour, Baker’s Authority is a great option — great prices, too, even with shipping tacked on.
- 75% hydration. This is a classic sourdough formula: 375 g water, 500 g flour. (Note: This calculation is not quite accurate, because I am not including the weight of the water and flour of the sourdough starter in the calculation.)
- Simple! As with all of the sourdough recipes on this site, there is no autolyse or preferment or levain. I do call for some stretches and folds, which build strength in the dough. I like to do 4 stretch and folds, but even if you can only perform one stretch and fold, your dough will benefit.
Can you Freeze Sourdough Pizza Dough?
Yes. In my experience, the pizzas made from frozen dough do not spring as high upon being baked, but they still taste delicious.
Also, in my experience, the more time dough spends in the freezer, the more air bubbles the dough seems to lose. After 1 week in the freezer, my dough will bake up beautifully. After 3 weeks in the freezer, my dough will be less bubbly and will bake into a thinner and crisper crust.
To freeze sourdough pizza dough: make it through step 4 in the recipe below or until after you transfer the portioned rounds to quart containers. At this point, transfer the quart containers to the freezer. To thaw, remove a container (or more) and let thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day or thaw at room temperature for 8 hours. Then, proceed with the recipe.
5 Keys to Excellent Pizza Every Time
Regardless if you are using yeast or sourdough, these (for me) are the keys to making excellent pizza at home every time.
- High-hydration Dough: When handled properly, doughs with a high proportion of water relative to the flour bake into beautiful, ballooned-pocketed crusts.
- Refrigerator time: After the first rise, time (at least 6 hours, but up to 3 days) in the fridge further develops flavor and improves the texture of the pizza dough.
- 1 hour at room temperature: If time permits, letting the dough come to room temperature an hour before baking, allows for easier shaping — room temperature dough will more easily stretch into a round than cold dough.
- Minimal handling of dough: Using a delicate hand to shape the dough, preserves the air pockets created during the fermentation process. I learned this from Jim Lahey:
“As soon as I began really paying attention to how I shaped my pizza rounds by taking care to use a gentle hand, I noticed a difference in the finished product. The air pockets pervading the unbaked round really affect the texture of the baked pizza.”
- Baking Steel: As you might know, I am a huge fan of the Baking Steel. In sum: steel is a better conductor of heat than stone — i.e. it transfers heat to the dough faster — which promotes great oven spring which translates to glorious bubbles throughout the dough. (Read more about the Baking Steel here.)
To be clear, I do not think you need to use a sourdough starter to make excellent pizza at home. A high hydration dough + leavening of choice + proper handling will give you excellent pizza every time, including that baked in a skillet: How to Make Excellent Skillet Pizza.
Here’s my guide to making yeast-leavened pizza dough at home: How to Make Pizza
Pizza Night
My cookbook, Pizza Night, which includes 52 pizza and 52 salad recipes, one pair for every week of the year, as well as five simple desserts is now available for preorder 🍕🍕🍕
It’s organized seasonally and includes recipes for the home oven, outdoor oven, the grill, Sicilian-style, Detroit-style, grandma-style, skillet pizzas, gluten-free, and more. There are both yeast and sourdough recipes for every style of pizza in the book.
Get your copy here: Pizza Night.
New to Sourdough?
If you are intimidated by sourdough bread baking, I have a free email course that covers the basics: Sourdough: Demystified.
And if you are looking for other easy sourdough bread recipes, this simple sourdough focaccia recipe, as well as this simple sourdough bread recipe, are the recipes I suggest attempting first, both for their simplicity and flavor. Another great beginner’s bread recipe to try is this overnight, refrigerator focaccia, which requires minimal effort but yields spectacular results.
PS: Easy, Homemade Pita Bread Recipe
PPS: My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Every Make
Here’s the simple sourdough pizza crust play-by-play: As always, a scale is essential for best results. You need water, flour, salt, and a sourdough starter. I am a proponent of buying a starter (see recipe box for sources), but if you are up for it, you can build a starter from scratch in just about 1 week.
Combine 375 g water, 100 g sourdough starter, and 10 g salt in a bowl. (See notes in recipe box about using less water if you live in a humid environment.)
Stir to combine; then add …
… 500 g all-purpose flour.
Stir until you have a sticky dough ball.
Transfer to a straight-sided vessel (if possible) and let rest for 30 minutes. Then, “stretch and fold” the dough (see video for guidance) 4 times at 30 minute intervals. Cover the vessel. Let it rest for 6 to 12 hours (see recipe notes for timing) or until the dough…
… has about doubled in volume. (Note: This is a little bit more than double. Ideally you don’t want your dough to rise much beyond double. More recently, in fact, I stop the bulk fermentation when the dough has increased in volume by 50%.)
Turn dough out onto a work surface. Use flour here as needed.
Portion into 4 equal pieces, again using flour as needed.
Ball up and transfer to quart (or other similar-sized) containers (I love these deli quart containers). Transfer to the fridge, ideally for at least 6 hours and up to 3 days.
An hour prior to baking, remove a round (or more) of pizza dough, and place it on a floured work surface. If you have a Baking Steel, place it in the upper third of your oven, and heat the oven to 550ºF. (See recipe for other options.)
Delicately stretch the dough into a round, trying as best you can to preserve those air pockets.
Top as you wish. This one is spread with tomato sauce and topped with fresh mozzarella, parmesan, olive oil, and sea salt.
Transfer pizza, parchment paper and all to a preheated Baking Steel or stone in a 550ºF oven. Bake 5 to 6 minutes or until cooked to your liking.
Slice and serve.
A little fresh basil is always nice.
This is the beauty of the Baking Steel: oven spring!
Another favorite: kale + crème fraîche:
Another favorite: “naked” + spicy scallion (or ramp) oil:
Simple Sourdough Pizza Crust
- Total Time: 1 day + 1 hour
- Yield: 4 pizzas
Description
**Attention Pizza Fans**: My pizza cookbook, Pizza Night, is now available for pre-order. Get your copy here: Pizza Night
What you need to make this recipe…:
- …a sourdough starter. Ideally, you want to use your starter 4 to 6 hours after you feed it, when it has doubled in volume and is very bubbly and active. You can build a starter from scratch in just about 1 week. Or you can buy one. Here are three sources:
- …time. Once your starter is ready to go, this recipe requires an initial 6 – 18 hour rise, followed by at least 6 hours in the fridge or up to 3 days.
Timing/Schedule:
The more I make sourdough, the more I realize that the timing of each bake depends so much on the time of year and the temperature of my kitchen. In the summer, because it is warm and humid, the first rise (bulk fermentation) of all my sourdoughs takes between 6 – 8 hours; in the winter it will take longer, 10 to 12 hours.
It is best to rely on visual cues. For the bulk fermentation, you want the dough to double or less than double: I now end my bulk fermentation when the dough has risen by 50% to 75% in volume. This is why I cannot recommend using a straight-sided vessel (as opposed to a bowl) enough. It makes gauging the first rise easier.
If at any point you are worried the dough will over-ferment — say, for example, the bulk fermentation is nearly complete but you are tired and want to go to bed — stick the vessel in the fridge and pick up the process in the morning. (Note: If your dough rises above double, don’t despair … my dough has tripled in volume during an overnight rise, and the resulting dough still had plenty of strength and spring.)
Schedule: I like mixing this dough in the evening, performing 4 stretch and folds before I go to bed (if time permits), then letting the dough complete its bulk fermentation at room temperature (68ºF) overnight or in the refrigerator (especially in the summer, when my kitchen is much warmer). In the morning, it’s typically ready to be portioned (if it rose at room temperature), transferred to quart containers, and stashed in the fridge. If I had let my dough spend time in the fridge for the bulk fermentation, I remove it in the morning, and let it complete its bulk fermentation at room temperature. Once complete, I portion the dough and stash it in the fridge. Sometimes I’ll use the dough that same evening; sometimes I’ll use it the following day or the next. I encourage using the dough within 3 days.
In short: If you want pizza for the weekend, mix your dough on either Wednesday or Thursday.
Troubleshooting: If you have issues with your dough being too sticky, please read this post: Why is my sourdough so sticky? The 4 common mistakes.
Water: If you live in a humid environment or if you are making this on a particularly humid day, consider starting with less water, such as 335 grams of water, which will bring the hydration down to 70%. This amount of water will still produce a light airy crust but the dough will be more manageable.
Flour choice:
- Due to supply issues, I’ve been making this recipe with all-purpose flour, and it works beautifully. You absolutely can use bread flour or tipo 00 flour if you can get your hands on either. If you can’t, know that all-purpose (unbleached) flour works great here. If you use 00 flour, you’ll likely need to reduce the amount of water. I would start with 350 g, and adjust moving forward based on your results.
Favorite Pizza-Making Tools:
- Baking Steel
- Pizza Peel
- Parchment Paper: I bake my pizzas on parchment paper on my Baking Steel. Parchment allows for easy transfer from peel to steel.
- Cast Iron Skillet: If you do not have a Steel or stone, you can use a cast iron skillet. Rub a half teaspoon of oil over its surface, transfer a stretched dough round to the skillet. Top as desired. Bake at 450ºF for about 15 minutes.
- Quart Containers for storing dough
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 375 g water (or less, see notes above)
- 100 g sourdough starter, active and bubbly, see notes above
- 10 g salt
- 500 g all-purpose or bread flour
For each Margherita pizza:
- 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
- 1 to 2 oz mozzarella
- handful of grated Parmigiano Reggiano (less than an ounce)
- drizzle olive oil
- pinch sea salt
For each kale and crème fraiche pizza:
- extra-virgin olive oil
- a couple handfuls of baby or Tuscan kale
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic
- Sea salt, such as Maldon
- 2 tablespoons crème fraîche
- grated Parmigiano Reggiano, about 1/4 to 1/3 cup
For each naked pizza with ramp or scallion oil:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup minced scallions or ramps
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 to 2 tablespoons crème fraîche
- handful grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- sea salt
Instructions
- Mix the dough. Place the starter, salt, and water in a large bowl. Stir with a spatula to combine — it doesn’t have to be uniformly mixed. Add the flour. Mix again until the flour is completely incorporated. Transfer to a straight-sided vessel (if you have one.) Cover vessel with tea towel or cloth bowl cover and let stand 30 minutes.
- Stretch and fold: after 30 minutes have passed, reach into the vessel and pull the dough up and into the center. Turn the vessel quarter turns and continue this pulling 8 to 10 times. See video for guidance. Let the dough rest for another 30 minutes; then repeat the stretching and folding. If possible, repeat this cycle twice more for a total of 4 stretch and folds. By the 4th cycle, you will notice a huge difference in the texture of the dough: it will be smoother, stronger, and more elastic.
- Bulk fermentation: Cover vessel with a tea towel or bowl cover and set aside to rise at room temperature (70ºF/21ºC) for 4 to 18 hours (the time will vary depending on the time of year, the strength of your starter, and the temperature of your kitchen; see notes above) or until the dough has roughly doubled in volume. (UPDATE: In the past I have recommended letting the dough rise until it doubles in volume. If you’ve had success with this, continue to let the dough double. Recently, I have been stopping the bulk fermentation when the dough increases by 50% in volume, and I feel my dough is even stronger in the end.) Note: Do not use your oven with the light on for the bulk fermentation — it is too warm for the dough. When determining when the bulk fermentation is done, it is best to rely on visual cues (doubling in volume) as opposed to time. A straight-sided vessel makes monitoring the bulk fermentation especially easy because it allows you to see when your dough has truly doubled.
- Portion and shape: Turn the dough out onto a work surface and shape into a rough ball, using as much flour as needed — the dough will be sticky. Using a bench scraper, divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Sprinkle portions with flour. With floured hands, roll each portion into a ball, using the pinkie-edges of your hands to pinch the dough underneath each ball. Transfer each round of dough to a plastic quart container, cover, and store in fridge for at least 6 hours or up to 3 days or transfer to the freezer (see notes in post about thawing).
- Make the pizzas: Pull out a round (or more) of dough from the fridge one hour before you plan on baking. Dust dough with flour and place on a floured work surface. Let sit untouched for about an hour (a little longer or shorter is fine). Place a Baking Steel or pizza stone in the top third of your oven. Set oven to 550ºF. Heat oven for at least 45 minutes but ideally 1 hour prior to baking.
- Shape the dough: Gently shape dough into a 10-inch (roughly) round handling it as minimally as possible. (See video for guidance.) Lay a sheet of parchment paper on top of a pizza peel. Transfer the dough round to the parchment-lined peel.
Top and Bake
- To make a classic Margherita-style pizza: Spread 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce over the surface of the dough. Top with mozzarella to taste. Sprinkle with parmesan to taste. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Shimmy the pizza, parchment paper and all into the oven. Bake pizza until top is blistered, about 5-6 minutes. Transfer to cutting board. Sprinkle with basil, if you have it. Cut and serve. Discard parchment paper.
- To make a kale and crème fraîche pizza: Place the kale in a small bowl, drizzle with olive oil, season with sea salt, and toss. Spoon crème fraîche over the dough leaving a 1/2-inch border or so—I use about a tablespoon per pizza. Sprinkle with minced garlic and a handful of grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Top with the kale. Shimmy the pizza, parchment paper and all into the oven. Bake pizza until top is blistered, about 5 – 6 minutes. Transfer to cutting board. Cut and serve. Discard parchment paper.
- To make a naked pizza with scallion oil: Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a skillet with 1/4 cup of minced scallions (or ramps!) and 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. Keep it over low heat while you make the pizza. Spoon crème fraîche over the dough leaving a 1/2-inch border or so—I use about a tablespoon per pizza. Sprinkle with a handful of grated parmesan. Shimmy the pizza, parchment paper and all into the oven. Bake pizza until top is blistered, about 5 – 6 minutes. Transfer to cutting board. At this point, the scallions should be starting to “frizzle”. If they aren’t, crank up the heat until the oil is sizzling. Spoon a few tablespoons of the hot oil over the pizza (you’ll have extra oil). Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt. Cut and serve.
- Prep Time: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 5 to 6 minutes
- Category: Pizza
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American, Italian
Keywords: sourdough, pizza, simple, margherita, mozzarella
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
967 Comments on “Simple Sourdough Pizza Crust: A Step-by-Step Guide”
My husband made this but did not do the 6 hour fridge step right before baking (in other words, did all the steps including doubling in the main mass, then separated in to 4 balls, and then made pizza). The pizza dough did not get any bubbles and was pretty flat. He also rolled the dough instead of shaping by hand. Could either of those differences explain the lack of any rising or bubbles in the final bake? We are trying to use discard from my sourdough bread baking (the bread always does fine but I do a longer process with a fridge overnight) but our pizza attempts are always flat. I am thinking it’s because we are skipping the 6 hr to 3 days in fridge step. Please let me know.
Hi Lisa,
I think using a rolling pin and skipping the fridge time both can attribute to the lack of bubbles. Are you using discard in this recipe or active bubbly starter?
Thank you. This is my first sourdough success (outside of pancakes). I have had many fails and your recipe was easy to read, easy to follow and easy to prepare. So grateful. The pizza was amazing.
★★★★★
Great to hear, Lora! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Absolutely the best sourdough pizza recipe I have tried! Thank you! The family loves it
★★★★★
Great to hear, Inna 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for writing.
Hello,
I am consistently getting the top layer of the dough undercooked just below the sauce/toppings. I don’t put a lot of toppings or sauce. If I cook longer, the crust and edges begin to burn. I do use a pizza stone, and am baking at 475 for about 12 minutes. Any suggestions?
Hi Peter! Try par-baking the dough without anything on it. If your oven goes hotter, I would crank it up to its highest setting. Be sure the stone preheats for 45 minutes at the very least. Then, slide your un-topped dough onto your preheated stone — I always use parchment — and bake for 1 minute or 90 seconds at the very most. Remove, top, and return to the oven.
This was the best tasting pizza crust I have made! I truly could taste the sourness of the dough. I am assuming it was the time in the fridge? I actually had to leave it in the fridge for 4 days due to something unexpected, but it turned out bubbly and great.
Thank you for a wonderful recipe and the step by step instructions!
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Great to hear, Jennie! Thanks so much for writing. Great to hear it still turned out great after 4 days, and yes, no doubt that extra time in the fridge created that nice sour flavor.
If I want to use this dough recipe for sheet pan pizza, do you suggest maybe only dividing into three dough balls? I’m worried that dividing into four will not give me enough dough to fit a half sheet pan.
Hi! I would probably divide the dough in half or even use the whole amount of dough — I use roughly this amount of dough (slightly less) for my Sicilian-style pizza, which is baked on a half sheet pan. Now, that’s a much thicker dough and a different style. I’m thinking dividing the dough into two portions is your best bet. Good luck! Keep me posted on your experiments.
Absolutely wonderful. I didn’t get the air pockets for ours yet, but I’ll keep trying. I only got to fold it twice and I need to read your tips on why my sourdough is always sticky dough!
Thanks so much for a great recipe and helpful tips! Love a good sourdough recipe! Best sourdough pizza ever.
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Great to hear, Tara! I find that handling the dough very minimally when stretching is the key to getting air pockets. A few more stretches and folds will help, too. Definitely read the troubleshooting/sticky dough post and let me know if you still have questions. Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
This is our favorite recipe for sourdough pizza. I shared this with a friend and now her family has pizza every Friday night! I’ve used a cast iron to bake and have also tried a pizza stone. Both methods come out lovely!
Quick question: I’ve always used bread flour for the crust recipe but wondering if there’s any texture/taste difference with using AP flour?
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Great to hear, Ann Marie! I think you’ll find the difference between using bread flour and all-purpose flour to be very subtle. All-purpose flour might yield a slightly less chewy crust and potentially lighter crust, but again, the difference will be very subtle if noticeable at all.
I’ve made this recipe many times at this point, and it always turns out well! I sprinkle some corn meal on the base of the silicone baking sheet I use for some added texture, and I make two large pizzas instead of four small just to make things go faster in the kitchen!
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Love this idea, Wendy! Thanks so much for writing and sharing. Definitely going to try a larger pie soon… love the idea of cutting back work. I will need a larger peel however 🙂
Hi Alexendra,
Thank you for the recipe! I have tried ot few times.
The taste is always great but I never get airing bubbles in the end.
Can I please I you few questions?
1. I know sometime my dough is over fermented ( like tripple size) Can it be one of the reason that I couldnt get bubble air at the end? Even when after the frige ‘stage, I can still see some nice little bubble there!
2. What make the difference between stretching and folding 4 time vs doing it 1 time until the dough is nice and smooth after resting 30m? Is it for creating airing bubble as well?
Thank you for your answer! I’m quite obsessed with making airing pizza. 🤪
★★★★★
Hi! Great to hear the taste is great.
To answer your questions:
I know sometime my dough is over fermented ( like tripple size) Can it be one of the reason that I couldnt get bubble air at the end? Even when after the frige ‘stage, I can still see some nice little bubble there!
This is definitely possible. I would try hard to end the bulk fermentation before the dough doubles. Are you using a Baking Steel? How long is the cold proof? How long are the dough balls staying at room temperature before you bake them?
2. What make the difference between stretching and folding 4 time vs doing it 1 time until the dough is nice and smooth after resting 30m? Is it for creating airing bubble as well?
This helps build strength in the dough. That said. I think ending the bulk fermentation before the dough doubles is more important than doing 4 sets of stretches and folds.
Is there a reason you add salt from the start? I bake sourdough bread and salt is added after letting the dough rest (before the first stretch and fold) so the glutens can form since it can inhibit the autolyse.
Hi! I never have found the autolyse step to make much of a difference especially when using bread flour or ap flour. I think with stone-milled flours and whole wheat flours, the autolyse step helps build strength, and with those flours, I do think it’s a good idea to add the salt later. But for this recipe and many of the other sourdough recipes on my site, I never do an autolyse.
Hi, I’m newbie here, and I am located in the equator of the world country which the temperature are mostly humid and hot. Si it’s difficult for me to get the sourdough starter can hold for sometime, I mostly discard it after the forth days because it’s very liquidly, but I keep trying and I really want to try this Pizza recipe so bad, so I use the sourdough starter that looks like mature but still a little bit liquidly. Sorry, too much information I’ve shared here 🙂 so after divided the dough into 4 partial dough, can I directly use 1 doughball to make the pizza, or I still have to wait for min 6 hours to make the pizza (not include 1 hour thawing the dough).
Thank in advance!
Hi! You can use one right away, but you might not get as many bubbles … just give it a try and see how it works! If it doesn’t work well, you’ll still have 3 balls in the fridge to use the next day.
I’m thinking of trying this next week and wondering about the parchment paper. Most say 425-450 range and this recipe calls for 550F. Is that even safe to use parchment paper that high? I once used it while broiling ribs after instant pot and the parchment paper caught on fire after a few minutes (5 mins total in the oven) and it was a mess. I used to do a quickie method of baking pizza and we used corn meal and a pizza peel instead of parchment paper though i’d rather use parchment paper for easier clean up. So I guess i’m asking if it’s ok/safe to use it?
Parchment is definitely safe to use at 550ºF. It will also definitely catch fire under the broiler … been there! I’ve never had an issue when using it in the oven, and I always set my oven to 550ºF for pizza.
Hi! Is it possible to cook the pizzas just on a normal tray that has been preheated? I don’t have a pizza stone or cast iron tray… And should I use baking paper?
Thanks
Marianne
Hi! And apologies for the delay here! Yes, you can use a preheated baking sheet. I would use parchment paper on the peel, and stretch and top the dough on top of the parchment. Then shimmy the unbaked pizza parchment paper and all onto your preheated baking sheet.
I make your sourdough bread all the time. It is delicious! I’m trying the pizza dough and was wondering what brand of parchment paper is oven safe to 550 degrees.
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Honestly, all of the brands I have used are fine at 550ºF. Where they become an issue is under the broiler — so don’t use the broiler with parchment paper. Otherwise, any brand you use should be fine. I often use the If You Care brand or the Reynolds brand.
I’ve made this a couple of times and it’s perfect. I love this recipe so much. This time I tripled the recipe so that I could do a pizza making party at my mom friends house with the kids. I’m wondering what I can do if I don’t have those plastic vessels you have? I’ve never done the fridge step and always skip that part (because I don’t have time lol) and I’ve never had an issue with baking but I know that extra time to rest and ferment will make a huge difference. Plus I need the extra time because we aren’t baking this until tomorrow. What can I use instead? Plastic wrap them individually and then place in a huge plastic ziplock bag?
★★★★★
Hi! Sorry just getting to this. You can try plastic wrap, but I always find that a little tricky bc the dough expands a bit, but that’s maybe your best bet. I might suggest using individual plastic bags (quart size) if you have them? You can also ball them up, and place about 6 in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Wrap the pan very well in plastic wrap to ensure the dough balls don’t dry out.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I just started baking with sourdough and this was my first sourdough pizza attempt which turned out amazing, it felt like we’re eating pizza from a fancy Italian restaurant. I found out the dough that stayed for 2 days in the fridge to be even better, so light and fluffy
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Wonderful to hear this, Yuliana! Thanks so much for writing and sharing. I would agree about the 2-day fridge dough… that’s the sweet spot 🙂 🙂 🙂
Love the recipe and use it every weekend! I was wondering what autolyse would do for the dough? Would it be even better or make it worse?
Also it would be great to skip the baking sheet, any tips for that or is the dough simply to soft?
Thank you!
★★★★★
Hi! I find autolyse to be unnecessary but if you have found your dough lacks strength, it’s definitely a technique to consider employing. Can you clarify what you mean by the baking sheet? I don’t use a baking sheet here.
Sorry, I mean baking paper. Would it work not using it and just use flour?
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You can definitely just use flour! Baking paper just is a little easier for some people. Good luck!
My go to recipe. Not only is it incredibly tasty it’s also very forgiving. Thank you for sharing it!
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Great to hear, Dani! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hi this recipe looks amazing. I’m mid try and my dough looks very relaxed and wet compared to yours – what have I done wrong? Can I save it?
Thanks in advance
Hi Leah! Can you tell me a little bit more about your process … how long was the bulk fermentation? Is the dough completely without strength and elasticity? Have you successfully used your starter with other recipes?
Hi, you mention something about freezing the dough and then say see notes. Well I can’t find these notes! Can I freeze the balls before I bake? Thanks!
Hi Lily! Yes, you can. Unfortunately sourdough doesn’t freeze that well. I find a week to two weeks at the very most, but the oven spring will suffer with any amount of time in the freezer. It will still taste good, but you won’t get much poof.
We did a family pizza night and made 6 pizza one right after the other. Pizzas 5 and 6 turned out the best. What we learned; my oven only goes up to 500 so I set the temp to 500 on convection bake. The better oven spring happened after the stone had been at 500 for a full hour. The dough that rested at room temp longer was easier to shape. I’d say set the dough out 1&1/2 hours before use. Keep the toppings light. Some of my peeps used too much sauce meat and cheese. Those who used pesto, and light toppings had better results. It’s a great recipe!! I doubled it and got 8 crusts. I’m impressed with such great results using just AP flour. At the lower temp the pizzas took between 12-15 minutes depending of toppings.
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Great to read all of this, Janet! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes about everything: the oven, the toppings, the bake times, and the dough resting times. So helpful for others.
Delicious pizza crust! I made a few mistakes which I think I know now to do better next time. I’m wondering if you have frozen the dough or parbaked, topped and froze the pizzas for future use? It’s handy to be able to pull put a pizza when life gets busy!
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Hi Alex! I have frozen the dough, but it doesn’t keep well for very long — 1 to 2 weeks. I definitely recommend parbaking the crusts for 1 minutes, removing, letting cool, then freezing. You can thaw, top, and bake the parbaked crusts, and it works beautifully!
I haven’t yet tried freezing partially topped pizzas, but I will at some point, and I will report back.
What do I bake it on if I do not have a pizza steel? And for how long? Dough looks amazing!!
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Do you have a sheet pan you don’t care about? If so, you can preheat it and use that. I would turn it upside down if it is rimmed. Preheat it for an hour at 550ºF, then proceed with the recipe.
I am making your sourdough pizza dough and I am using flour that does not have any malted barley in it which I understand helps with browning. . When I make regular pizza dough I always put sugar and oil in it. Can I add those two ingredients to this recipe?
Hi Charlie, You can if you want, but I don’t find sugar to be necessary for a few reasons. For one, when baking at a high temperature, the sugar can cause dough to burn, but second and more important: during the long, cold fermentation, enzymes in both the flour and the yeast will break down the starches in the flour into simple sugars, which will contribute both to flavor and to browning, rendering sugar unnecessary. Oil is often used in thin-crust pizza dough recipes or focaccia-like pizza recipes, but I find when I’m looking for that light airy crust, I get better results without it.
That said: I am a big believer in experimenting, taking notes, and finding what works best for you in your oven in your home. Good luck!
Thanks for this recipe. I’ve followed it many times.
When it works it works really well but find that the dough is often very fluid / runny. Even at the initial mixing my dough doesn’t form a rough ball as the photo indicates. when I tip onto my work surface after the rise it spreads in all directions and is often too sticky to cut. I then try to fold in more flour simply to be able to handle it. Not sure if I should be reducing the water. Thanks anyway for a great recipe.
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Hello! This definitely is a high hydration dough, and I’m going to add some notes to the recipe as soon as I finish this comment. In the summer or on more humid days, this dough can get a little unmanageable. When I make this at my mom’s house, which is in a very humid climate, I use 335 grams water. This reduces the hydration to 70%. It’s still a wet dough, but more manageable. Try that next time!
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
I would say the optimal time is 48 hours in the fridge. After that, it’s a bit of a gamble.
Absolutely adore this recipe and the style of pizza crust . . . what I don’t adore is the slow loading due to countless advertising and pop-ups. Tried to change all my preferences to not lose my place in following your pointers, but to no avail.
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Why 450 degrees in iron skillet but 550 degrees on steel pan
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Hi Steve! I find that the skillet needs the lower temp to cook the dough entirely through without the top burning. At 550, the top of the skillet pizza will be done, but it will still be doughy underneath. That said, if you were to use less dough in the skillet, and if you were to really preheat it, you probably could use a 550ºF oven with success.
My first pizza was pretty successful. I reduced the hydration but I am curious why you do not include the liquid in the starter as part of the hydration. 375g water plus the water from the starter 50g will put hydration up to 85%. That is hard to handle for most novices.
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Hi Charlie! You are correct, and I do note in the blog post that the calculation is not completely accurate due to the starter. But am I mistaken? If I include the water from the starter and the flour from the starter, the calculation would be: 425g/550g = 77% hydration
I do think that even 77% hydration, especially in these hotter more humid months, is tricky for many novices. More and more I suggest starting with 335 g water if you have any hesitation working with wet, sticky dough.
If I’m using a cast iron do I pre heat it at 550 for an hour?
You can! What size is your cast iron skillet? You may want to use a smaller amount of dough if your skillet is 9 inches or smaller.