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. But, in my experience, the pizzas made from frozen dough do not spring as high upon being baked, but they still taste delicious as long as the time spent in the freezer is relatively short: the more time sourdough spends in the freezer, the more air bubbles it loses. After 1 week in the freezer, my dough will bake up fairly well. 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.
What is a Pizza Peel?
A pizza peel is a long-handled tool used to transfer pies into and out of the oven. Simply shape your pizza dough on the peel, then slide it onto your preheated baking steel. I prefer wooden peels to metal because they tend to be more nonstick and easier to use, and my favorite peel is the Epicurean Pizza Peel, which is lightweight, incredibly nonstick, and easy to maneuver. It sells for around $46.
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 here 🍕🍕🍕
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 everywhere books are sold. 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 for up to 1 week. (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.)
- 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
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
1,341 Comments on “Simple Sourdough Pizza Crust: A Step-by-Step Guide”
I just make this recipe for the first time and have a question. Is there a reason why EVOO isn’t used while the dough rests, since other non-sourdough pizza dough recipes call for EVOO to be added to coat the dough and the vessel it rests in? Sure makes me want to add some since it’s led to great success with my non-sourdough pizzas!
Hi! If you are using a lidded vessel, you shouldn’t need oil to prevent a crust from forming. However, using olive oil will not harm it!! Go for it 🙂
Thank you, that helps to know! I’ll add a glug to each of the divided portions. I’ve read EVOO helps prevent the dough from sticking to vessels, forms a barrier so the dough won’t become floppy from the moisture of the sauce, and makes the crust bake up crispier! Plus the added taste is so nice! Looking forward to enjoying many more of your recipes! Thanks again, and Happy New Year 2024!
That all makes sense, too! Thank you for the kind words. Happy New Year!!
Hello
I was unable to find the side note about freezing the dough. How long will it keep in the freezer and best way to defrost it
Thank you
I do not recommend freezing sourdough dough. It doesn’t perform well. You’re better off shaping the rounds for pizza and parbaking them for 1-2 minutes untopped; then letting them cool and freezing them.
This pizza crust is amazing, so airy and perfect crunch! I will never buy or make another pizza crust ever again!
Great to hear, Tanya!
Can the dough be frozen at some point?
I do not recommend freezing sourdough dough. It doesn’t perform well after being removed from the freezer. You are better off parbaking the rounds for 90 seconds to 2 minutes; then freezing those once they cool.
If I plan to use all the dough, is it necessary to split into 4 balls prior to refrigerating? Or can I keep it all in one large ball in my bulk container for the 6 hours in the fridge, pull it out an hour before baking, and divide it then? Also, does this have to be used in a traditional oven or would this work for a pizza oven such as an Ooni?
Hi:
First, if you are making this in an outdoor oven, you’ll want to reduce the water to 340 grams, so that the hydration is roughly 70%. Also: Baking times will vary depending on the temperature of your oven, but I generally try to heat my Gozney to 650ºF to 750ºF. After launching my pizza into the oven, I lower the flame, and I bake my pizzas for roughly 2 to 2.5 minutes each, turning as needed. If you want video guidance using your Ooni, I made one with my friend Chrisy Alia, who is an Ooni embassador: https://pizzaeveryfriday.substack.com/p/why-christy-alia-loves-her-ooni-koda
You can keep your dough in bulk form and divide before baking, but keep in mind you want those shaped dough balls to rest for at least an hour (in a lidded covered vessel) before stretching. So just budget in that time.
You’ve convinced me to shape the extra pizzas for freezing. What temperature do you use for parbaking? How long will the frozen pizzas last in the freezer? Thanks!
550ºF convection roast… or as hot as your oven will go. Let them cool completely, tuck into a jumbo ziplock bag, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Hi ,
My parchment paper is just up to 450 F and I was unable to find any with higher temp resistance. Could you please advise? Thanks
Just use it! It will char a little bit but will not catch fire. Do not use it under the broiler.
Can I mix the dough at night and do stretch and folds then bulk ferment overnight and in the morning put in the fridge????? Will it still do well rolling into dough cold from fridge?
You can! I’d make sure the dough is in a cooler part of your kitchen so that it does not over ferment. It’s slightly risky to do this because your dough potentially could overferment, but I have done this many many times with success. How many hours do you think you’ll let it rise before you tend to it in the morning?
Maybe 8-10 hours?
Should be fine if your kitchen is cool.
What are the nutritional contents? Is there a way to calculate this?
I made the pizza at 300F for 50mins to an hour for a light crust on the bottom. It was perfect and delicious.
Great to hear! I unfortunately don’t have a nutritional calculator on the blog. I would plug it into my fitness pal dot com.
I tried your recipe for the first time this weekend and it was phenomenal. I will never use another pizza dough recipe again! In fact, I just preordered your pizza book. I wish I could post a picture here so that you could see the results. I wish you would write a sourdough bread book (hint hint). Thank you!
Awwww it’s so nice to read all of this, Rachel 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thank you so much for your kind words.
Hey, there
I can’t tell you how much I love your pizza recipe and counting days until your book! How long can dough sit on counter after coming out of fridge? It says one hour before baking but can it sit out longer without causing harm?
Thanks!
Raine
Thank you 🙂 🙂 🙂 Means so much, truly. Yes! I actually, especially in the winter, let my rounds proof for at least 90 minutes, but they definitely can go longer, too. The key is to make sure the dough balls are proofing in a lidded vessel so that they don’t dry out. I’d say 2-3 hours would be the max… you run the risk of them potentially overproofing and then actually being less springy in the oven.
Hi there – Im excited to make this recipe again because it was my favourite pizza recipe so far! last time I believe when I took them out of the fridge for that hour rest before cooking, I covered with plastic wrap loosely. Is that correct? or do you just leave them on counter exposed? I just wanted to confirm with you how you do it. thanks!
Definitely let them proof in a covered vessel on the countertop — you can use a 9×13-inch pan or something similar and cover that pan tightly with plastic wrap. DoughMate containers are ideal, but if you don’t have one, the pan + plastic wrap will work. This will prevent the dough balls from drying out. Do not leave them on the counter exposed 🙂 Good luck!
okay i have this big tupperware that has a lid so that should work 🙂 do they have to have space between them at this point or as long as they are not touching? (i have to make double , 8 pizza disks/balls) . Also, I sprinkle flour on bottom and top of them in the big tupperware right? thank you so much for your quick reply! I will probably use Bread Flour unless you think All Purpose flour yields better results?
Bread flour is great. And the balls should have a little space between them in the container, because they will spread. That said, if they spread and bump into one another that is OK — use a bench scraper to separate them rather than try to pull them apart. And yes, dust the container with flour and dust the top of the balls with flour.
I’m working on making this now! Sorry if I missed it somewhere, but is it possible to freeze this dough when the process is complete? It’s just two of us, so it would be nice to be able to save some for later!
I do not recommend freezing sourdough actually — it just does not perform well after it’s spent time in the freezer, even short periods. I would recommend parbaking the round — stretch it to roughly 12 inches; then parbake it without any topping for roughly 90 seconds. It will be very pale but slightly puffy. Freeze the parbaked rounds.
Loved this recipe!! It was easy and absolutely delicious!!
Great to hear, Margaret!
Hello! Maybe a stupid question but my oven can’t go over 400F without burning the parchment and the toppings (paper burns at 425F) and the dough is still raw inside. I am using a pizza stone. Could I bake it at 400F with all toppings or I should bake first the dough and then put toppings and get it all back in? Also, do you have any suggestions on timing for 400F?
Thank you in advance!
Hi Nikki!
To clarify, does the paper actually catch on fire? Or does it just char a bit? How high does your oven get up if you’re not using parchment paper?
Hello again! Most of the times it is just charring but once it actually caught on fire (it was on a higher rack also, I admit), so I never tried an higher temp afterwards.
I think the oven can do 500 at best, but at the same time the pizza stone instructions say not to heat it over 450… the oven has a pizza button, too, which automatically does 400 with fan and that works wonderfully for your regular pizza dough – the best we’ve tried… I am so confused as to what to do with the sourdough crust bc I don’t want it raw but I don’t want to break the stone/burn the paper either… Thank you for your reply and willingness to help!! Much appreciated!
OK, got it. I have had parchment catch fire when I’ve used it under the broiler, but never at my oven’s hottest setting, which is 550ºF convection roast.
I do worry about your stone cracking — that would be a real bummer. I think it will just take some trial and error. I would shoot for 450F if that’s what your stone manufacturer suggests. I would try one pizza without a parbake — just top and bake until it looks done — it may take 8 to 10 minutes. Definitely give the stone a long preheat (ideally one hour). And if that doesn’t yield great results, try parbaking the dough without any toppings for 60-90 seconds; then top and bake.
Thank you so very much, Ali! I appreciate it. Will try your suggestions!
And just to add – I have been using different brands of parchment too – one was very thin and would brown super quickly compared to another. Maybe I should find the right paper too.
My pleasure! I like the If You Care brand, King Arthur Flour, and Reynolds.
First time making sourdough pizza and it worked well for me. Very crispy and tasty. Thanks so much!
Great to hear, Steph! Thanks for writing 🙂
Best pizza crust I have ever had outside of Italy and Brooklyn. Easy to make. I don’t even have a pizza stone. Baked on a baking sheet with parchment. Still amazing.
Wonderful to hear, Amanda! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
This sourdough pizza crust recipe is amazing. I make it every couple of weeks, and I also use it to make focaccia. It’s foolproof, simple and makes a delicious chewy crisp crust with lots of air pockets!
Great to hear, Rebecca! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hi Ali! Would it be possible to use a percentage of whole wheat flour in this recipe? Thank you!
Yes! I would start with no more than 20%. Adjust with more or less the next time around depending on how you like it 🙂
This pizza dough is absolutely perfect. I love the stretch and how well it cooks quickly. I would love to see more recipe for toppings and pizzas you like to make outside of the regular styles.
Great to hear, Tyler! Thank you for writing 🙂 I have a book coming out in April with 52 more topping ideas: Pizza Night.
I’ve tried many other recipes and they are all basically all the same BUT this recipe works 👍. Very similar to the sourdough bread I make. I noticed someone posted that it was just a sticky gooey mess. Mine was like that the first time I made it. So I took a look at your video and realized your “starter” was so much thicker than mine. I make mine thicker for this recipe and all if fine now. I make 1/2 the recipe for a 12″ pizza. Because it’s a larger,I take it out of the fridge up to 2 hours to warm up before shaping it.
Thank you 🙂
Great to read this, Charlie! Thanks for writing. I actually find, especially in these colder months, that even with the smaller balls, a longer room temperature proof is beneficial. I’ll let my dough balls rest for as long as 3 hours in their DoughMate, and when I pick them up to stretch out, they practically stretch themselves 🙂
Amazing pizza crust! So so good, I will never buy or make another kind again! I froze some too.. I partially baked the pizza crust by itself then let it cool, put the toppings on after and then put it in the freezer without cooking it again. I also vacuum sealed them. Take one out when needed, heat it up in the oven frozen and tasted just like it was fresh! Now I don’t need to buy frozen pizza at the grocery store!!!
Amazing!! Love reading all of this. You are smart to vaccum seal… I need to get into that 🙂
I have two nine inch cake pans and a 10 inch cast iron pan that I’ve used successfully to bake yeasted pizzas before at 450 at the bottom of my oven for 18 minutes (no preheating) then broil to finish. Is there any reason why this cooking method wouldn’t work for sourdough?
No reason! Go for it, Cathy 🙂
I did it and it was delicious!! So bubbly and airy with a crisp bottom!
Yay! Great to hear, Cathy!
Hi, is it necessary to refrigerate it overnight? Started the process this morning and was hoping to have it tonight!
Not necessary! I’m likely too late her. What did you end up doing?
It doubled in size by nighttime so I used it! Had trouble rolling it out evenly for the pizza and making it crispy but the taste was great! Also it was my first time using my sourdough starter so very new to this process! Appreciate you responding!
i made this recipe with my own starter and it was fabulous. I figured with so many steps, they cannot all be right but on every step Alexandra was spot on. Also, the dough was VERY forgiving. On the step 2 when you have to stretch and fold, between the 2nd and 3rd fold, I had to leave the house for a few hours, but when I got home, I did step 3 and 4 and proceeded as the directions said and it all worked perfectly!!!
Great to read all of this, Shannon! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hi! I love your recipes! I am curious what happens to the dough if it gets left in the fridge for more than 3 days?
It likely will be fine, but it may just start to lose a little bit of its oomph. But you may find, too, that it’s totally fine — every batch is a little different.
Hi Ali,
I have made many of your recipes and they are wonderful! I have just started using freshly milled flour and want to make this. I have experimented a little with recipes. Since yours is in weight I understand I can make using equal weight in berries and follow the recipe. I normally let the flour sit for an hour before stretch and folds. Have you tried FMF? Thank you!
Hi Barb! Thank you 🙂
I have not experimented with FMF. My suggestion would be to use no more than 25% FMF to start. Then you can adjust with more or less depending on your results. I worry your pizza will be very dense if you use 100% FMF.
Good luck! Let me know how it goes 🙂
I just used this recipe for sourdough pizza for the first time and it was amazing! So light and crisp. I made two large pizzas on air pizza pans on the very bottom rack of my oven because I do not have a baking steel. I just have a question to clarify your instructions. After taking dough out of the refrigerator it says “Dust dough with flour and place on a floured work surface. Let sit untouched for about an hour”. I took that to mean the ball of dough sits exposed to the air for an hour so that’s what I did, but now I see you replying to comments to leave the dough covered? That seems to contradict the instructions in the actual recipe? Thanks!
winner pizza crust recipe! SO good, coming back to this one every time. turned out perfect, and i used bread flour, thank you *chefs kiss*
Great to hear, Genevieve! Thanks for writing 🙂