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
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
1,109 Comments on “Simple Sourdough Pizza Crust: A Step-by-Step Guide”
I’ve used this recipe twice now and each time I’ve put it on the board to cut into portions. It has been extremely wet and I have to add a ton of flour and rework it. Then it seems tough when it’s pizza. I measured everything exactly. Anyone else have this problem? Or have any ideas on how to fix it?
Hi! It’s possible that your dough is over fermenting during the bulk fermentation. How many hours is the bulk fermentation? And at what temperature.
Next time, I would suggest cutting the water back, too. Try 350g and see if that helps.
Does this recipe call for a starter that is at its peak activity or one that is hungry and need to be fed?
Hi! Yes, fed starter, ideally 4-6 hours after a feeding. Note: a few people have had success using discard with this recipe, so discard may work, but I personally have only ever made it with fed starter.
Hi! I made it just today with discard. I figured with such a potentially long ferment time, if it wasn’t active when I started it would be active by the time I was done.
And WOW was it. In the maybe four hours I’d turned my back on it, it had more than tripled in size. The dough is still in balls in the fridge, so I can’t yet say how it’ll bake, but I _can_ say that starting with discard did not seem to slow the ferment down one bit.
Great to hear this, Nicole! Thanks for sharing this. So helpful for others … people ask this all the time.
Alexandra, thanks for the recipe. I have made it multiple times and this has never failed me. Have you ever tried wholemeal wheat flour with vital gluten?
So nice to hear this, Risha! I have not tried wholemeal flour with vital wheat gluten. My advice with whole wheat flour is always to start small: substitute 50 grams of the all purpose flour or bread flour for the wheat flour and see how it goes. Maybe google the appropriate amount of vwg for that amount of wheat flour? I have to confess I’ve never used vwg.
Hi thanks for this awesome recipe. I was just wondering at what point you freeze the dough? Before step 4 or after step 4? Can I shape the balls and freeze them without putting them in the fridge for final proofing? Thank you!
Hi Leigh! Yes, you can shape the balls, stick them into their individual containers, and freeze them right away. Keep in mind, sourdough doesn’t do great being in the freezer for very long periods of time. I find the longer the dough is in the freezer, the less puffy the bread will be ultimately. How long are you planning on freezing them for?
Do you notice any difference in the dough using it the day after making vs. waiting 3 days? I have to wait a full 58 hours after sticking the dough balls in the fridge and I am worried it will adversely affect the dough! (very excited to try and loved how easy the prep was)
Hi Siri!
I do… sometimes at day 3 it’s great, just as good as day 1… sometimes on day 3, it’s beginning to lose some steam. It all depends on how the bulk fermentation goes though. If I am good about stopping the bulk fermentation when the dough is not quite doubled in volume, then the 3 days in the fridge is fine. If my bulk fermentation goes a bit too long, 3 days in the fridge is not ideal.
Let me know if that helps!
Hi there! Quick question…I’ve made this recipe a couple of times now and am having trouble getting a good rise/bubbles/dark blisters. I’m getting small bubbles throughout, but nothing like in your video and the crust is remaining pretty white even after 8 minutes in the oven.
Getting good rise in the dough during ferm (double size, using 00 flour), 1.5 days in the fridge afterwards. Baking exactly as you describe with pizza stone. I’m wondering if I’m not developing enough dough strength (should I add a slap and fold at the beginning) or if my oven just isn’t hot enough. If you think it’s an oven issue, should I try messing with either the convection or maybe the broiler setting? It’s a brand new electric oven. Thanks so much! The dough is tasting amazing, just a little too dense for me, hoping i can fix that.
Hi Andrew!
OK, a couple of thoughts: Try shortening the bulk fermentation.Let the dough increase in volume by 50% as opposed to double.
Definitely do 4 sets of stretches and folds during the bulk fermentation (first 2 hours) or a slap and fold if you prefer.
It’s definitely possible your oven isn’t quite hot enough. Do you have an oven thermometer? How long are you preheating your stone for? And on what rack do you place your stone?
This recipe made me go out and buy a cast iron pizza pan. I’ve never been a fan of homemade or even store bought pizza dough. I thought it might have something to do with the oven type but it isn’t. This is just a good recipe!
This will be my second time making and I’m doubling the recipe. So good and I got compliments on my air pockets On my crust with just a picture posted on FB. Thank you for sharing!
So wonderful to hear this, Naomi! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
I made this recipe but it did not turn out well. I have a very active starter and the dough was in the fridge for 3 days with a lot of bubbles and very porous. When it came time to stretching, it was extremely wet. I had to add so much flour just to make it move. No bubbles in the dough when it baked either. Came out flat and very dry. No tang. What went wrong?
Hi Jenny! Your dough likely over fermented. I just put together an extensive FAQ page with answers to common sourdough mistakes. Can you check that out here: Why is my sourdough so sticky? The 4 Common Mistakes
Wow! This turned out amazing. Thank you!
Wonderful to hear this, Dorota!
Love this recipe we are cooking these pizzas in a pizza oven – struggled getting the dough (pizza) off the pallet as the dough is very soft . This is one of the best recipes we have had but need help getting it in the pizza oven successfully 😀
Hi Nadia! As you know, I’m kind of a wimp, which is why I use parchment paper to transfer, but there’s no way parchment would work in a pizza oven.
A few thoughts: reduce the water a bit — cut back 25-50 g … it might make the dough more manageable. Use cornmeal and be generous.
Hi Alexandra,
I’ve been making your bread for the past few months and am now excited to try the sour dough pizza crust recipe. I want to take 8 pizza crusts with me to a family beach vacation next week. Today is Monday and I wondered if I make them tomorrow if I should freeze them until we leave for the beach on Saturday. We would hope to have pizza Sunday night.
Also I’ve ordered the 32 oz containers but they won’t be here until Thursday. Is it okay to wrap the pizza balls in parchment paper and put in zip lock bags until the containers arrive?
Maybe I’m complicating this?
Thanks for the video guidance…so very helpful!
Hi Julie!
Yes, I would definitely freeze the balls, but I would freeze them immediately after you shape them and get them into the quart containers. Something you could do instead is coat the balls in oil, and place each in a quart-sized ziplock bag. I would not recommend waiting until Thursday for the containers to arrive. You could mix the dough Wednesday evening and do an overnight rise (provided your kitchen is cool enough) or a fridge rise (after you do the stretches and folds, which is what I would recommend); take the dough out Thursday morning, let it complete its bulk fermentation; then transfer to the quart containers; then freeze.
Let me know if this makes sense!
I am going to try making this recipe for pizza night tomorrow. There are only 3 of us to eat it though, so I am wondering if it would work to cut the recipe in half? I would rather make the dough fresh instead of freezing some of it. Thanks!
Absolutely!
Awsome. Just perfect, thanks for sharing.
Wonderful to hear this!
Hello!
Your recipe looks awesome. Quick question: on what oven rack do you place your stone? And how long do you preheat it for?
Thank you!
Hi Pilar! I preheat in the top third of the oven, and I heat it for at least 45 minutes but sometimes longer. The longer you can heat it, the better.
Thank you for the recipe. It’s easy and result soooooo good.
Wonderful to hear this, Siri!
If the hydration is not 75%. If you as sour dough starter that is made of 50% percent of water. Other bakers include sourdough water amount with the hydration.
Yes, you are correct. 75% is not completely accurate here, but I wanted to give people a rough idea of the hydration.
Sorry you have already replied and noted.
No worries, got it!
I had amazing results using this recipe. I learned to feed my starter and wait until it was nice and bubbly. The weather is warm this around here right now and my dough more than doubled in size in 4-5 hrs. My balls of dough were so airy and moist. The pizza crust turned out my best ever and was full of flavor. Thanks for the how to and recipe! This will be my go to from now on.
Wonderful to hear this, Jennie! Thanks so much for writing 🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕
My friends and family said we’re never allowed to order pizza again! This dough was heavenly. Did 2 in the oven and 2 on the grill. Both were delightful, but I recommend grill. Using olive oil to help shape gave a great flavor and crispiness.
So nice to hear this, Nicole! Thanks for the encouragement to use the grill, too … I need to do this. Thanks for writing!
All I can say is THANK YOU!!! this is by far the best pizza dough recipe I’ve come across yet! So fantastic. So incredibly chewy, crispy and airy. I wish I could send you a photo. Just so proud! Thank you for making my pizza dreams come true!! Book marking and printing out your recipe. Definitely going in the family recipe box!
Wonderful to hear this, Hanna! Your photo on IG was unbelievable! Thanks so much for writing and sharing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Opps! I misremembered and didn’t reread recipe! I wanted to remove my pizza from bulk fermentation, portion and use in an hour. I’m not sure if I should risk it, but I did want to grill these babies this evening…ie a few hrs from now. I may go ahead with that plan.
Hi Susan! How did it turn out? Sorry just seeing this.
I wanted to start off by saying that Alexandra is simply the best. Not only is this recipe an absolute gift, but the instructions are so detailed and easy to follow. I love to cook but baking has always been a little bit intimidating, but after reading a few recipes I decided to give it a shot. The first time making the dough it came out extremely sticky, so I reached out to Alexandra and she responded the next day! She recommended I lower the amount of water used by 50 g which yielded an absolutely perfect dough. Ive made pizza three times in the last week and every time it has came out as restaurant quality. This is a recipe that you may have to play with, so don’t be too critical on the first attempt. Just keep trying (definitely use the scale) and soon enough you will be making the best pizza you’ve ever had. Plus with pizza the opportunity for creativity is limitless. Thank you so much for this recipe!!! If you are thinking of making this crust, please do, you will not be disappointed.
Bryan, you are too kind, thank you so much for all of this 🙂 I’m so, so happy to hear that reducing the water amount solved the stickiness and is giving you a dough that is easy to work with and also delicious. Yay 🎉🎉🎉🎉 Thanks so much for writing, and good luck with all of your future pizza making and other baking endeavors!
Fantastic recipe! This will be my go-to from now on. I really appreciate you simplifying the process to something manageable and including the videos. I’m used to working with yeasted pizza dough, but for health reasons I’m switching to sourdough. I just made my first pizza today with this recipe (and also some traditional Italian garlic bread). It turned out quite good, much better than my previous attempts without a recipe. I live in a warm, humid climate, so I left the first proof from midnight to 7:00 AM, and it was looking nice and gassy and bubbly. Then I transferred it to the fridge until 7:00 PM the same day. My only complaint with the dough is that it is much more hydrated and softer than yeasted dough, so I had a hard time trying to make it round while holding it up with my hands, as its own weight made it stretch down with gravity. I had to put it straight onto the pan and stretch it there, so it wasn’t an even thickness. Any more tips for that stage? Thanks again!
Hi Sam! I think you should reduce the amount of water by 50 g and see if that gives you a better result.
Question for you: When you transferred the dough to the fridge, had you portioned it into 4 balls?
I’m also wondering if midnight to 7am may have been too long for the bulk fermentation given your warm, humid environment. It’s possible your dough over fermented.
Hi Alexandra, thanks a lot for the reply!
That makes sense, I’ll try reducing the water as you suggest. I only made a half batch and I divided it into two balls and stored them in the fridge for 12 hours. I haven’t yet used the one that was stored in a better tupperware container with an airtight gasket. The other portion that I cooked was stored in a regular plastic container, and after several hours in the fridge a few mL of liquid appeared at the bottom, I assume it’s the humidity from the air, so that also probably raised the hydration level. Tonight I’ll test the one that was stored in the better container to see if that turns out better, and I’ll post back. Thanks again!
Great, Sam! Keep me posted. I think reducing the water will make all the difference for you!
Hi Alexandra, I really appreciate the help! I reduced the water as you suggested, and I just took the dough out after the cold proof. It feels more manageable now, but I’m still having trouble with the inside of the containers sweating. I’m not sure if it’s condensation from the air that was trapped inside and then chilled, or if it’s seeping into the containers. But at least one of the containers appears to be airtight (one of those latch and gasket style ones) because after taking it out of the fridge and letting it warm up to room temperature there is a *poof* of gas that escapes from the dough when I open it. The excess moisture definitely affects the dough, because the side of the dough that was in contact with the walls of the container is noticeably more moist and flabby. On the other hand, I put the other half of the dough to cold proof in a bread loaf pan and covered it with plastic wrap, and that one doesn’t seem to have any condensation issues. Any other ideas?
Hi Sam,
I think maybe you should try placing the dough in containers that don’t have such a tight seal. I use deli containers and the lid is sealed, but it’s definitely not a super tight seal. Maybe next time place the portioned dough in containers and cover each with plastic wrap?
Also, are you using a straight-sided vessel for the bulk fermentation? I’m just wondering if your dough is doubling in volume or more than doubling in volume or less than doubling?
More and more, I stop the bulk fermentation when the dough has increased in volume by 50%. That seems to help in terms of making the dough more manageable while shaping.
Hi again Alexandra, it looks like your original concern about the over-fermentation of the first batch proof was correct. My most recent attempt was fermented from 10:30 AM to 3:00 PM on a very warm and humid day, then divided and stored in tupperware in the fridge. I just made pizza and garlic bread with it over 24hrs later, and it was definitely more manageable. It still had some condensation, but it was definitely easier to work with. I also didn’t let it warm up to room temperature as much this time. Overall I think I’m getting the hang of it now. Thanks a lot for your guidance!
Wonderful to hear this, Sam! Shortening the bulk fermentation has been a revelation for me as well. With yeasted breads, you can really let the dough double or triple in volume; with sourdough it’s really better to let it get to about a 50% increase, and call it done 🙂
Good luck on your trials!
Hi, I’ve been making your bread which has been fantastic so I thought I would try the pizza dough. It looked great but when cooked had no bubbles and was a bit doughie in the middle. What did I do wrong?
Hi Jude! It sounds as though your dough over fermented. When you were doing the stretches and folds, did it feel strong and elastic? How many hours was the bulk fermentation? When you turned the dough out to shape it before transferring it to its storage vessels, did it have any strength? Or was it wet and sticky?
Please read this comprehensive troubleshooting post.
Hi, I want to try making this, but I calculated the total hydration of this dough to be about 77%. This will be the first time I try making pizza dough. Would it be difficult to shape it with such high hydration? Should I reduce the hydration?
Hi! It definitely is a high-hydration dough, and if that makes you nervous, definitely cut back the water by 25-50 grams, which will make the dough more manageable.
I’m interested to know what the refrigerator does? If we plan to use the dough that evening and it’s in the 60s do we need to refrigerate it?
Hi Jessica! The refrigerator slows the fermentation. I would definitely transfer the dough to the fridge for a few hours. Remove as many rounds from the fridge as you think you’ll cook that evening an hour or so before you bake.
Hello,
I made this recipe and made pizza’s tonight for dinner. This is a wonderful pizza dough! Was easy and the crust was beautiful! My husband and I really enjoyed it. Thanks for the recipe! Will be a regular for our house from now on.
Katherine
Wonderful to hear this, Katherine! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hello,
I’m excited to make this recipe but I have a question regarding the flour. I have 00 flour and want to use it in this recipe. Should I substitute the 500g of regular flour for 500g of 00 flour? I saw your 00 flour pizza dough recipe used 1000g so I wasn’t sure if I should change the amount when substituting for this recipe.
Thank you!
Max
Hi Max! So sorry for the delay here! You can use 500g of 00 flour here. The thing to keep in mind is that you may want to reduce the amount of water when using 00 flour — it makes for a wetter dough, so if you are not comfortable working with wet doughs or if you live in a humid area, you may want to cut the water back by 25-50 grams.
I’ll be giving this a try tomorrow but just curious why you don’t autolyse the dough prior to adding starter? It seems to me it could only result in better gluten development in the end. I’ll try the recipe cut in half and allow half the dough to autolyse for two hours prior to adding the starter to see if there’s any improvement. I certainly don’t mean to be critical as the pizza looks outstanding as is, I just know I make vastly better sourdough loaves when I take the extra couple hours to autolyse while the levain is developing than if I form the dough entirely initially so I’m curious if this would carry over to pizza dough. Let me know if you’ve experimented with this already.
Hi Neal,
I would love to know if you see a difference. I have experimented with an autolyse here, and I did not see any advantage to using the dough that had been autolysed vs the dough that hadn’t. That said, I know humidity/environment and types of flour affect the strength of people’s dough, so for some people, I totally believe an autolyse is beneficial. Let me know how your trials go.
Wow absolutely wonderful. Lowered hydration to 65 as I live in hot country. Let it rest for 30 minutes before handling. It was wonderful. My first sourdough pizza!
Oh yay! So nice to hear this, Mo!
OK, so, I think I committed the cardinal sin of over fermenting. I let it do its thing overnight (about 8 hours) and I woke up to an absolute UNIT of a dough ball. It was a little sticky with a slight alcohol smell to it.
My question is, how do I know if it’s too far gone? I don’t want to waste all my toppings and have it come out inedible. If I can tell that it’s bad now I can at least run to the store for some crusts and try this recipe again later on.
Hi Mateo,
It happens to us all! OK, a little alcohol smell can be OK.
When you shaped the balls and transferred them to the fridge, did the dough have any strength and elasticity? Were you able to get some tension in the ball when you shaped it before you transferred it to a storage vessel?
If so, the dough is probably OK. If the dough, on the other hand, was a wet, sticky, puddly mess without any strength, it’s unsalvageable.
One thing you could do to test, is to take one ball out of the fridge, let it come to room temperature for 45 minutes to an hour; top it simply with some olive oil and sea salt and bake it. If it puff in the oven and has some lightness to it, the dough is fine. If it is very dense and without any loft, it is likely unsalvageable.
The beauty of storebought dough is that it tends to last longer than homemade, and I think (think … double check) you can freeze most of them if you don’t end up needing them.
Every time a perfect pizza. Amazing! Thanks a lot.
Wonderful to hear this, Ania!