Simple Sourdough Pizza Crust: A Step-by-Step Guide
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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”
3rd time making this recipe (since learning i have an avm and having gamma knife to stop the bleed from happening again) this time I have no distractions (aka kids) so I’m hopeful to get 4 pizzas out of it. Regardless it tastes great and I love getting back into the kitchen!
Ashley! Oh my word, I’m sorry to hear this. Great to hear you are back in the kitchen. And I hope the pizzas turned out well 💕💕💕
How is it without cold proofing and just baking day of?
It’s fine! Delicious even. You’ll just get a lighter/airier crust with some cold fermentation.
Just about to try out this recipe, is it possible to get the calories and such?
Hello, I think w/in the last year you wrote about a company, not Caputo, that sells 00 flour for pizza. I’ve serached your site but can’t find the company name. Would appreciate you letting me know. Thanks!
Best, Nicole
Yes! Petra flour, I wrote about it my pizza newsletter: https://pizzaeveryfriday.substack.com/
I wrote about it in a few posts:
https://pizzaeveryfriday.substack.com/p/charred-broccolini-pizza-with-creme
https://pizzaeveryfriday.substack.com/p/petras-special-pizza-flour
https://pizzaeveryfriday.substack.com/p/something-i-wish-all-flour-producers
I’m new(ish) to sourdough, I made this recipe twice. First time it was bulk fermenting overnight and then cold proofing for 24+ hrs. It was airy and delightful. 2nd time BF overnight but the house was much colder this time overnight and then in the fridge for 6 hrs. It was still lovely to work with but didn’t have bubbles and looked flatter. Do you think it was more the bulk fermentation to blame or cold proofing?
I do think a nice long cold proof (ideally 24-48 hours) makes for an especially nice, airy crust.
I’m new to sourdough. My starter is ready. At which point do I use it in this recipe? Straight from the fridge? After letting it warm up? Or after feeding and rising?
You want to use your starter after you’ve fed it and let it rise at room temperature until it doubles in volume.
This was my very first attempt at sourdough pizza and it turned out amazing. Thank you! I also used one of the crusts to make a goat cheese, honey, arugala pizza. Delicious.
Great to hear, Bay! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
The weather is VERY humid where I live so even with 335g of water the dough was like porridge. So I added more flour to make up do 60% hydration and it came together beautifully. The taste was amazing! I baked 4 pizzas with homemade tomato sauce, eggplant and plenty of cheese and my family devoured everything. I’ll definitely be making this again. Thank you for this beautiful recipe.
Great to hear you were able to adapt the dough to work with your environment! Thanks so much for writing and sharing all of this 🙂
Hi! I decided to make this and also one of my weekly loaves (also your recipe) and was thinking maybe I should have doubled my crust recipe then realized it’s just about exactly the same as the loaf. Is that right? If so, wonderful! Will be nice to know I can make pizza or bread with my proofed dough ♥️. Love your recipes!
Yes, nearly identical! Thank you for your kind words. Happy holidays 💕💕💕
This is my absolute go to pizza dough recipe!! We love it so incredibly much. And it never fails. Except this time a bit of human error. (Of course when I’m making them for a party!!) I had too many things going on yesterday and realized today I didn’t let my dough rise enough before shaping into rounds. My rounds do look significantly smaller than usual. Should I let them rise as rounds or jusg keep them in the fridge until tomorrow and make them as is?
Hi! I would just get them in the fridge! As long as you remove them from the fridge long enough before baking them, they’ll proof up beautifully. Be sure to let the dough balls proof at room temperature in a lidded vessel so that the dough doesn’t dry out/form a skin on the surface.
Of course this happens for company!!
Hi Ali,
I absolutely love your recipes – just got the Pizza Night book as well! I’ve made tons of loaves of sourdough now with your recipe (with great success!), but can’t seem to get this pizza dough right. It is always soggy in the middle for me, despite looking/feeling right throughout all other steps. I am using a baking steel as directed. What adjustments would you recommend to get the middle of the crust more crisp/less soggy? Should I try parbaking?
Thanks so much,
Julie
Hi Julie! Thank you for your kind words 🙂 Parbaking is a great idea but before you do that, let’s troubleshoot a little bit more:
Are you using a scale to measure?
What type of flour are you using?
Do you live in a humid environment?
Are you letting your dough proof at room temperature sufficiently before baking? And in a lidded vessel?
Are your sauce and cheese at room temperature?
Hi Ali!
Yes, using a scale to measure always.
Using KA bread flour.
Live in a very dry environment actually (Denver).
Yes – proofing at room temp until doubled in lidded vessel!
Sauce at room temp (even maybe a bit warm), cheese is probably a bit cold? Haven’t paid much attention to cheese temp to be honest!
Thanks!
Julie
OK! It sounds as though you are doing everything right. I think parbaking might be a good idea. My only other suggestion would be to make sure you are preheating your Baking Steel sufficiently (ideally an hour at 550F convection roast or as hot as your oven will go) and using it on the top rack (or upper third of your oven) if you haven’t tried that location yet.
I have two suggestions:
Reduce the water slightly: try holding back 50 grams of water and see if that makes the difference. If it doesn’t, I think parbaking might be the best option: 60-90 seconds without any toppings; then top and finish.
Can you make this with sourdough discard? How much instant yeast would you add?
Sure! I’d add 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast.
OK, Alex and all you dough-heads. I’ve made this pizza dough 3 times. First two, the heavens opened and angels sang. PERFECT! Third time, used my “floating” starter, mixed, did stretch/folds, refrigerated overnight. Let sit for several hours the next day, then divded and froze for a couple of days. It baked up without rising, although the dough had air bubbles. I’d love to know what I did wrong so I don’t repeat. Maybe needed a second overnight rest?
thanks for reading this long message.
I think freezing the dough might be the issue. I just don’t think sourdough does well in the freezer — I have had success freezing for as long as a week, but it’s still not as good as when freshly made.
Did you freeze the dough the first two times you made it?
And just to make sure: you’re using a scale to measure, right? What kind of flour?
Thanks for your speedy response! I cannot remember for sure, but I believe I DID freeze the previous pizzas. I will NOT be doing that again. I used AP and 00 flour for the pizza dough, but use bread flour for feeding my starter. I’ve been very happy with the recipes I’ve found on this site. Thanks again. I’ll report later…
Got it! I would encourage you at some point to try 100% bread flour or a mix of bread and ap flour and see how you like it. I love 00 flour for my outdoor oven but I prefer bread and ap flour for my indoor/home oven.
Thanks! Will do!
My LAST question: I saw posts about par-baking the crusts. Your thoughts? How long at what temp? Thanks for everything!
Are you using a Baking Steel? And are you unsatisfied by the texture of the bottom crust… in other words, are you getting a soggy bottom? Or is it nice and crisp?
I find a parbake is a great tool if you are not happy with the crispness of your crust and if you have tried all the options, namely baking on a preheated Baking Steel in a screaming hot oven.
I write a pizza newsletter on Fridays, and last fall I made the Rubirosa tie dye pizza, which is especially crisp, and so I employed a parbake. You can watch the video here: https://pizzaeveryfriday.substack.com/p/how-to-make-rubirosas-tie-dye-pizza (it’s a free newsletter)
In short: parbake for 60-90 seconds at your hottest temp (550ºF convection roast if possible). The dough should take on very little color though it may bubble a bit.
Can this be made in a pizza oven?
Yes! But you’ll want to reduce the amount of water. I like a 70% hydration dough for my outdoor oven, so here that’s 335 grams of water. And I like the 650-750ºF range and I cook the pizzas for 2.5 – 3 minutes total. Good luck!
This recipe is fantastic!
Is there any way to make the crust chewier post bake while still getting the crunch?
Hi! Are you using a Baking Steel? What kind of flour are you using?
I’ve been using KA all purpose, but need to try KA bread flour.
Also been using a pizza stone but just order the baking steel.
My oven only gets to 525, so don’t know if that is part of the issue. I feel like I have to cook it longer to get the browning, but i sacrifice chewiness. Plus the bottom doesnt get charred like i like it.
I think bread flour and the baking steel (preheated at your oven’s hottest setting for an hour) set on the top rack will help. I would try that before making any other adjustments. MAke sure you are letting your dough rest at room temperature for a sufficient amount of time (this time of year, that might be 1.5-2 hours) in a covered vessel. Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature.
I think you’ll get the results you want texture-wise if you can cook your pizza in less than 5 minutes — I totally understand what you are saying by sacrificing texture to get the browning.
If after you get the Baking Steel you are still unsatisfied, my next suggestion would be a parbake of the crust before topping it.
i need help understanding something. this recipe is basically the exact same i use for regular sourdough — same proportions. but regular sourdough needs like 45 min in the oven to bake. how is it this just needs 5-6 minutes? am i missing something? is it because it’s just stretched so thin?
Yes! The dough is divided into 4 portions, stretched thinly and baked on a preheated Baking Steel or stone.
for some reason they each ended up taking more like 12 minutes in the oven but it was DELICIOUS!!! best pizza crust ever. everyone in my house loved
Oh yay! Great to hear, Victoria! Thanks for reporting back on your experience 🙂
I forgot to say that I used a 50/50 blend of “00” flour and organic AP flour with 335g of water as you suggested.
Hi there,
I’ve been making you sourdough bread with your recipe and it’s wonderful! I notice the sourdough pizza dough is exactly the same recipe, which is great for me. Two questions:
1. After the bulk fermentation, do you have to refrigerate the dough for at least 6 hours, or can you just make the pizza from there?
2. After the bulk fermentation, can you put it straight to the freezer, or must you refrigerate for at least 6 hours and then freeze it?
Thanks so much!
Josephine
Hi! You do not need to refrigerate after the bulk fermentation, though if time permits, a couple days in the fridge is beneficial for flavor development and browning potential. But again, not necessary.
If you are going to freeze, you do not need to refrigerate. That said, I really don’t love how my sourdough performs after the dough has been frozen even for short periods (like a week) — it just loses some oomph. I prefer parbaking the rounds and freezing the parbaked rounds.
Hi Ali! I made your sourdough pizza crust and had problems with the texture of the finished crust. I used KA all-purpose flour and measured everything using a scale. My bulk fermentation nearly tripled but the dough seemed to be in good shape. I placed the 4 dough balls in the fridge for about 9 hours. I took 1 ball out of the fridge but forgot to let it come completely to room temp before shaping. My oven only heats to 500° and I used a pizza stone. Pizza stone had heated for about 45 minutes. The pizza was on parchment paper and did not brown much. The crust rose a bit but there were no large holes and the texture was more like Greek style pizza crust. Any thoughts on how to get that lovely bubbly crust? Thanks!
Hi Donna! Can you elaborate more on what “Greek style pizza crust” is?
I do think letting your dough rest at room temperature (in a lidded vessel) until it is properly proofed (this time of year that might take 1.5-2 hours) is important — it will stretch out effortlessly, and because of this, you’ll be able to better preserve all of the lovely bubbles created during the long, slow fermentation process.
My only other thought is that your oven just isn’t hot enough, which is very commmon — it might say 500ºF, but it might not really be there. An oven thermometer would help you better gauge how hot your oven really is.
If you are not placing your stone on the top rack, that is another thought, as is using convection roast if you are not doing that.
Finally, you may get better results with bread flour once you make your way through your current stash of flour.
Hi, I don’t have a pizza stone or pizza steel. Would I be able to make this on a pizza pan? What time or temperature do you recommend? Thanks!
Do you have an old sheet pan you can preheat?
I have a pizza pan that I usually use to make regular pizza crust.
Is it something you can preheat? Is it perforated?
It is a regular nonstick pan, not perforated. I would guess it could be preheated.
I worry about preheating nonstick actually. I think you could try baking on the nonstick perforated pan, but keep in mind you might not get quite as much oven spring.
Hi,
So good! I’m new to sourdough, it worked even for a novice like me. I also make your artisan loaf. It’s very rewarding so all the stars, all the thumbs up!
Great to hear, Karen! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
Hi! I am making your recipe for the first time as part of my postpartum freezer meal stash. My plan was to make the dough and after the cold ferment, shape it into pizzas, parbake, top, and then freeze. On pizza night, I’ll bake them from frozen. Any thoughts on temp and times?
Thanks!
Sounds like a great plan! I would try 450ºF (ideally on a baking steel) for 5-10 minutes. Good luck!
So good. Can the crust be baked and then frozen?
Yes! I recommend a 60- to 90-second parbake.
My oven doesn’t reach 550. Just 500. What do u do?
Just go for it! Ideally you are preheating a stone or a Baking steel for roughly 1 hour before using. You may need to bake your pizza slightly longer than 5 minutes to get the browning you are looking for.
Can you par bake?
Yes!
Love the recipe! Works so well. Can you pre-cook the base so that someone can just put the toppings? How would you do so pls?
Yes! Preheat Baking Steel or pizza stone at 550ºF convection roast or your oven’s hottest setting. Par bake for 60-90 seconds — the dough will take on very little color aside from some very faint browning. It will bubble and puff, however, which is great. Remove, top, and continue baking for 4 to 5 minutes more or until browned to your liking.
Hello, I want to triple check before I attempt this am I able to use King Arthur 00 pizza flour for this recipe?
Thank you!!
You can but keep in mind a few things: it will make for a much wetter dough, so you may want to hold back some of the water. You might also not get quite as good browning as you would if you were to use something like King Arthur Bread flour. 00 flour is known for its extensible gluten structure, so it will extend beautifully ad easily, but it might not spring as much again as something like bread flour. I love using 00 flour when I cook at really high temps in my outdoor oven, but I prefer using bread flour for my indoor oven.
Hi, I noticed your recipe doesn’t call for oil in the dough. Is there a reason? I have a batch of sourdough bulk fermenting and I might switch it up and make pizza tonight. Thank you!!
Hi! There’s no need for oil in the dough for this style of pizza, which is Neapolitan-ish. Oil in the dough isn’t bad! Just not necessary. Does the sourdough you were thinking to turn into pizza contain oil in the dough?
I have not made this yet but have made your foccacia recipe which is delicious! I do have a question about the pizza dough recipe. Once you have divided the dough into 4 parts can you freeze a couple of the parts for future use? Or is it better to cook them up and then freeze for future use?
I think it’s better to parbake (60-90 seconds untopped); then freeze. I just don’t find sourdough dough freezes that well — even after short periods in the freezer, the dough loses some of its oomph.
Quick question. Can I double this recipe? Or should I make it twice? I’m sorry if it’s mentioned in the article. This will be my second time making it, can’t recommend it enough!
You can double it! Go for it 🙂
What if you don’t have quart sized jars with lids to put in the fridge? Any other thing you can use for this step?
So many grocery stores carry small food storage containers — anything 2-4 cups size will work. You do want individual containers, and you do want lids.
I saw that you can par bake 50-60
Seconds. I’m trying to make in bulk for baby coming to have frozen pizza crust in freezer.
What would be the baking directions for if you wrapped up the pizza to use a different day , the crust would be at room temp?
What would be the directions for if you wanted to freeze the par bake and then take out of freezer to bake?
I have the same question 🙈
I just responded! Let me know if that answered your question.
Ideally, after the crust is frozen, let it thaw at room temperature before using. It will thaw quickly: in an hour or less. Then follow the baking instructions as usual: preheat the oven to 550ºF convection roast if possible with a Baking Steel on the top rack for roughly an hour; top the crust; bake for 4 to 6 minutes or until browned to your liking.
Thank you! If you don’t have a baking steel, what would directions be?
I encourage heating up an old sheet pan (because it will warp) or a large (at least 12 inches) cast iron skillet if you have one.