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.
1,110 Comments on “Simple Sourdough Pizza Crust: A Step-by-Step Guide”
“see notes about thawing…” doesn’t exist? Unless I’m blind, I just don’t see it!
I froze half the dough for 3weeks. I let it thaw overnight, pulled it out of the fridge 1 hour before to rest. It was VERY sticky, but using wet hands and a lightly oiled pizza pan, got it into a round shape.
It was absolutely disgusting when pulled out of the oven – the crust was almost pancake like (soft, floppy, no strength, gummy and practically translucent.
What happened? Making it fresh from the refrigerator ferment was awesome!
Hi Sarah!
Bummer, but yes, I’m not surprised that after 3 weeks in the freezer this happened. Sourdough just doesn’t hold up that well in the freezer for long periods of times. The freezing notes are up above in the post itself (not the recipe box). But in the post I note that I have good luck with dough that’s been in the freezer for 1 week; at 3 weeks, the dough just doesn’t perform as well. I don’t know if over-fermenting is the accurate term or if “death” is more accurate (the natural yeasts simply can’t survive at freezing temperatures) but for whatever reason sourdough doesn’t freeze as well as commercial yeast-leavened pizza/bread. I’m sorry!
Love this recipe! I use it all of the time!
Great to hear, Stephanie!
I love this dough! Makes a fantastic pizza! I would like to use it to make a calzone or a stromboli. Has anyone tried this? Any tips? Would you still bake it at the same high temp on a pizza stone or since it’s filled, would you reduce the temp and cook it for longer in order to give the whole thing time to cook?
Hi Megan! I have not used this dough to make a calzone, but I have no doubt it would be delicious. I would just reference other calzone recipes on the web for timing and method. I have a recipe on my blog, too: Chez Panisse’s Famous Calzones
Thanks for your reply! I ended up using half of the recipe to make a stromboli last night for the Super Bowl and it was fantastic! I baked it on my preheated baking stone at 450 for about 25 minutes. I used the other half of the dough to make some quick pretzel bites. Also great! What can’t this dough do????
Oh yay! So nice to hear this, Megan!! Love the idea of those quick pretzel bites — so smart! And delicious 🙂
This recipe has fallen into a weekly favourite in our house. We all love the sourdough bubbly crust. This recipe turns out perfect every time. Would highly recommend it!Thanks Ali!
Wonderful to hear, Jennifer! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
This was a joy to use. First time making pizza AND the creme fraiche. Both came out great! I baked two 8 inch personal size pizzas for the Super bowl game and reserved the remaining quarters. One was baked on a pizza stone and the other in a enameled cast iron skillet. I really like the higher rise in the skillet. When I have extra time on my hands, this recipe will definitely be my go to for sourdough crust pizza.
Thanks for offering such clear instructions and visual aides!
So nice to hear this, Vickie! I love skillet pizzas, too, especially when I don’t have time to preheat my Baking Steel. Thanks so much for writing!
Hello! Just wondering if there is any specific role of the quart containers other than just storage? Like do they need all that extra room bc they’re going to rise more in the fridge? Do you think it’d be okay to just put them in plastic bags? I don’t have containers like that & I’m working with very limited fridge space anyway, so if I can get away with it I’d rather just wrap em in saran wrap or plop it in a ziplock.
Hi Sarah! I find plastic bags a little bit tricky to retrieve the dough out of, but maybe if you coat them more liberally in flour, they’ll be fine in the bags — if that’s what you are used to doing, then go for it. Otherwise, the dough won’t change too much in the fridge, though one woman commented at one point that her dough burst out of pint containers, so there is a risk of your dough growing too much in a smaller container. I would experiment with the plastic bag first, and if you find success, then use that moving forward. I am a firm believer in finding methods/systems that work best for you.
I have been looking for a good pizza dough recipe forever and have finally found it!
light, crispy and delicious and I get to use up some of my sourdough starter. perfect, thank you!
Wonderful to hear Georgann!
Hello,
I’ve followed recipe as per instructions with scales etc but my dough is super sticky and tacky? I’ve added extra flour just to get a bit more structure but dont want to add too much either? Any tips?
Hi Lucy! At what point was it sticky? When you first mixed it? It definitely is sticky in the beginning before you do the stretches and folds.
It’s possible you need to reduce the amount of water you are using. Do you live in a humid climate? What type of flour are you using?
Hi Alexandra. Thank you for sharing this. I tried making the dough using your recipe. First try, my dough was super super sticky it was impossible to handle so I had no choice but to discard it. I’m thinking I probably should adjusted the hydration? (please correct me if I am wrong) I live in a humid country so I am thinking that could be the trick. Second attempt, I tried my guess of tweaking the hydration so I adjusted the water from 375 grams to 320 grams. It was easier to handle this time. I divided the dough into 4 pieces and cooked a quarter. Sadly, it did not puff up and the dough was thick and was I think half-cooked/a little bit wet. Would you know how I can make it better next time? Appreciate your help.
Hi Agnes! OK, it sounds as though you’ve gotten the hydration corrected. You may want to decrease the amount of water even more.
Regarding where things are going wrong, it could be so many things: a weak starter, over fermentation, under fermentation. I would read this post first and see if it can help you pinpoint where things are going wrong: Why is my sourdough so sticky? 4 Common Sourdough Mistakes + Answers to FAQ’s
Best pizza I have ever made, thank you for the recipe
Wonderful to hear this, Anne!
Hello, I’m excited to try this recipe but wanted to know, if I don’t have a pizza stone or steel or cast iron skillet, how long and at what temp should I bake if I’m using a large rectangular baking pan? Thanks for the tips!
I also do not have a baking steel or stone so would be interested to see a reply on above, thanks in advance!
Hi T! See below 🙂
Hi Eliya! What size is your pan? 18×13 inches?
If so, I might not divide the dough up at all. After if proofs in the fridge for 24 hours, you can turn it out onto a sheet pan — definitely butter the pan; then use olive oil to prevent sticking. Or: use parchment. Olive oil alone might not prevent the dough from sticking.
Then maybe let the dough rest in the pan for about 45 minutes before spreading it and topping it. I might try baking it at 450ºF for 25 minutes or so … it might take some trial and error to get the timing and temperature right.
I’ve been making sourdough bread for 10 years yet this is the first time I’ve made sourdough pizza! This was the first recipe I found and it’s perfect! Will definitely be making this A LOT now! Super simple and perfect results! I followed the recipe exactly except for the amount of water. I used Manitoba 00 flour and used only 320 grams of water. It spent about 20 hrs in the fridge after bulk fermentation and shaping. I actually portioned it into 3 instead of 4 because my iron pan is pretty big. It had perfect consistency and so easy to stretch and shape into a circle. I baked it on a preheated iron pan in the oven with the fan on. My oven only goes up 480 f (250°c) and took about 10-12 mins which resulted in a perfectly gorgeous bubbly crust. I will never make a yeast dough again! This will be my go yo recipe! My guests were absolutely in love with this pizza tonight!
Oh yay! Wonderful to hear this, Izabella! Nice work on cutting the water back — I truly think that is half of it with sourdough … just getting the water amount right given your environment and the type of flour you are using. Thanks so much for writing!!!
Dear Ali, Thank you so much for this detailed page! I have obsessed over it for two weeks now and have had two excellent Saturday Pizza Nights! It’s such a joy and a relief to trust what seem like implausible instructions (the incredibly wet dough that isn’t even in a loaf tin!) and for them to be right!
I’m dying to know: have you tried your ooni yet and, if so, any tips? With much appreciation, Caitríona (in Ireland)
Hi Caitríona! So wonderful to hear this! I cannot believe this, but I still have not tried my Ooni! I did however take it out of the box, and I did buy a new propane tank, so I’m hoping to have an Ooni pizza night soon in my garage. I’ll be sure to report back when I do!
Ali, I’ve made this recipe 4 times and I cannot get a bubbly crust. Mine comes out way dense. This morning I used starter that was fed 5 times before using and the last feed was the night prior to mixing. Any idea what I’m doing wrong? We’re also baking in an Ooni pizza oven. My loaves come out great but I cannot get a good bubbly crust 😕 thank you!
Hi Serena!
OK, questions: After you feed your starter, does it double in volume within 4 -10 hours?
When you shape the dough after the bulk fermentation, does it have strength and elasticity?
How long is it spending in the fridge before you bake it?
What type of flour are you using?
Thank you for your reply Ali!
Yes, my starter will usually double in about 4-5 hours.
The dough was feeling pretty stroking after a few folds. After bulk, and when it was time to start making pizza, the dough didn’t seem strong anymore. It was pretty sticky and I have to make the pizza super fast or use a lot of flour or else it will start to stick to my board or peel.
I usually put my dough in the fridge overnight and then take out a few hours before I’m ready to bake. I’m using a bread flour that I buy from a popular bakery that specializes in loaves. I don’t have the specifics on the dough 🙁
OK, great to hear your starter is strong.
I think you may need to reduce the amount of water you are using. Do you live in a humid environment?
How long is your bulk fermentation?
It’s possible you may need to shorten your bulk fermentation as well. And I would try to only remove your dough about 45 minutes to an hour before baking. 2 hours might be too long.
Thank you! Yes I’ll try less water next time. I live in CA so it’s not humid here but I’m doing something that makes my dough runny/less strong. I’ll also try to shorter bulk or incorporate more folds.
OK, great, keep me posted!
I keep daydreaming about how delicious this pizza crust is! I followed your directions exactly because sourdough is still very new to me. I ended up with four 10-inch pizzas that I baked on parchment paper on preheated pizza stones. I set my oven to 450°F because my seasoned stones produce a lot of smoke at high heat. Eleven minutes of cooking was about perfect. My favorite had creamy garlic sauce, sliced artichoke hearts, julienned bell peppers, thinly sliced red onion, with mozzarella, parmesan, and feta cheeses.
So nice to hear this!! Thanks for sharing all of your notes — so helpful for others whose ovens don’t get up to 550ºF, which is common. Your pizza combination sounds AMAZING!!
Hi Alexandra, thanks for the recipe! I made my starter last week and it’s actually my very first time using it. Unfortunately the dough was very sticky and a bit runny even after the stretches and folds, and I let it ferment overnight and it increased to about 2.5 in size. This morning it was way too runny to work with (although it’s not hot or humid where I live) so I just added some flour to it and it’s now in the fridge to ferment for 36 hours or so. Next time I’ll try with less water and shorter bulk fermentation time, but do you think this one may still turn out ok? Or was it a mistake to add flour after bulk fermentation? Thanks!
Update: the pizza wasn’t great but still edible! It didn’t rise very much in the oven and unfortunately didn’t get brown at all, which led me to overcook it (I only later realised that overfermented dough might not brown). Still ok or a first try, next time I’ll just make sure to ferment it less and maybe use slightly less water!
Hi Maria! Apologies for the delay here!
Yes, it sounds as though your dough over fermented. Your thoughts about the next go in terms of using less water and shorter bulk fermentation are great.
It sounds as though you have a handle on where things may have gone wrong, but this troubleshooting post might be of some guidance: Why is my Sourdough so Sticky?
Thanks, Ali. I made two individual pizzas with half the recipe. The dough sat in my fridge for almost 48 hours. It has a chewiness that my yeast pizza dough doesn’t, and I loved that. I didn’t get big air pockets but hopefully with time I’ll get them. The dough wasn’t hard to handle but mine were NOT circles—more like irregular rectangles LOL. Also, I have a baking steel and cooked at 550 for about 8-9 minutes each. My oven will not allow a higher setting and although it was cooked beautifully no charring at all on the top (a bit on the bottom). I’m satisfied but hope one day my pizzas wil look more like yours!
Great to hear this, Peg! OK, a few thoughts:
1. I think getting a round shape starts when you divide the dough into 4 pieces (or 2) and ball them up. At this point, if you can really use your pinkie edges to create tension and get the dough into a ball, I think you’ll have better luck when it comes time to shape them 48 hours later.
2. Preheating your baking steel for a long time (45 minutes to an hour) really helps … you likely did this but just wanted to reinforce that idea. And you may need to play around with your location: I find I get the best browning in the upper third of the oven.
3. Bubbles: I think bubbles really comes down to using as light a hand as possible when shaping. And I find that when you get good bubbles, you often get good char, because the bubbles tend to burn … so I think the charring will come with the bubbles 🙂 Also:I find that when I am sure to sauce those bubbles — they’ll char bc the tomato sauce will burn. Sometimes it’s excess flour on the dough that chars, so you can always try using a heavier hand with the flour while shaping and see if you like those results.
Thanks, Ali. I definitely need to work on shaping! I did preheat the steel and had it in upper part of oven. I do all veggie pizzas, without tomato sauce. Maybe I use too much topping. In any case, the end result is good and I’ll keep trying.
Really appreciate your help.
Excellent pizza dough, we’ve been eating much more pizza since I found this recipe 🙂 the dough is tangy and comes out with a wonderful crust, even though I bake it at 475 degrees on a regular sheet pan. I found that I had to brush the baking sheets with some olive for the dough to not stick to them, but I think that this makes the pizza even tastier 🙂
So great to hear this, Anastasia! I do love what an olive oil crust does to pizza dough and focaccia and the like … so tasty 🙂 Thanks for writing!
Hello, can you please tell me how much instant yeast to add if my starter isn’t very active? I still would like to use my inactive starter tho. Thanks so much!
I think 1/2 teaspoon at the most would be great. Goof luck!
I have regularly been making sourdough pizza dough for a year, and this is BY FAR the best recipe I have tried. The crust was near-perfect baked in my landlord-issued oven at 525 (its limit) on a baking stone for 7 minutes. I love the way you write recipes — it is really like having a friend next to me to show me everything I need! I never dreamed I could make crust this good in my kitchen. THANK YOU!
So nice to hear all of this, Kallan! Yay for making great pizza at home… there’s really nothing better sometimes. And thank you for the kind words regarding the recipe writing. Means a lot. Thanks for writing!
Can’t wait to try this recipe!
I’m curious, tho…..doesn’t the parchment burn at 550°? All the parchment paper I’ve used says the highest temp is 420°-450°.
And, if I use a cast iron skillet, do I preheat it first then slide the pizza onto it?
Thanks!
Hi Jeff!
I have never had parchment paper burn at 550ºF, and every brand I have used has also had that warning. Just be sure not to use the broiler! It will burn under the broiler.
Regarding the cast iron skillet: You can either preheat it, if you want to create something like a Baking Steel or a pizza stone, or you can simply bake the dough in it without preheating it. Here is my Cast Iron Skillet pizza method.
i look forwards to tryin this love that you show photos to your directions for those of us that have never done this. where do you get the container with straight sides you put the dough in to rest? thank you di
Hi Diane! This is the one I have: Straight-Sided Vessel.
thank you i bought one now to try 🙂
Oh yay! Great to hear, Diane!
Hello Alexandra,
This recipe was a lot of fun to make. I ended up with delicious pizza. I particularly like the crème fraîche ones. So this was overall a success but I did not get those beautiful air pockets. Oh well, It’s just an excuse for me to try again!
I will try a shorter bulk fermentation 6-8h instead of 12h. I think also that the pizza steel plays an important role. Unfortunately I don’t have one I just used a regular pizza pan. Maybe it was my handling of the dough, but I think I was pretty delicate.
Any pointers? I live in Montreal.
I’ve done your sourdough bread and sourdough focaccia and both were very successful! Love your recipes.
Hi Mimi! Great to hear.
I think if you handled the dough delicately, and if you feel pretty confident in the strength of your dough, then you likely did all you could given you are using a pizza pan. What material is it?
Other things you can try include: preheating a sheet pan (one you don’t care about) or a cast iron skillet, which will create a surface similar to the Baking Steel or pizza stone.
Here is my general sourdough troubleshooting page … if you haven’t given that a read yet, it might be helpful.
Simple and straightforward. Great results.
Great to hear, Walter!
I searched for a pizza dough that uses sourdough.
Truly simple to make. I’ve made this dough several times and will make them frequently until the weather warms up, unless I get an outdoor pizza oven.
Every brand of parchment paper I’ve used had a max temp of 450.
Yes, they burn at 550 oven temp. But I still rather use Parchment paper to get my pizza from pizza peal on to the stone, vs. cornmeal which I have not mastered yet and is messy.
I heat up the pizza stone in the oven while I’m prepping my dough and toppings. I’ve had success every time.
Thank you!
So wonderful to hear this, Roubina! Wouldn’t an outdoor pizza oven be a dream? I’m dying to build one. And yes, the parchment burns, but it’s so much easier than dealing with cornmeal. Glad you agree!
Hello should the starter be activated?
Yes! Active and bubbly.
Thanks a lot I will surely try it as it looks wonderful
Thank you! I finally can now make the kind of pizza I’ve been trying to make for a long time. This happened on the third try. The first two tries were fine, but the third time, was oh so good. I halved your recipe to make two personal pizzas and used maybe a tablespoon extra of my rye-only starter (I’ve had enough breads not rise enough that I’m insecure) but certainly no powdered yeast.
I read an earlier comment about sticky dough, which scared me the first two times too and led me to add more flour. But don’t. You have to give in to turning the super-sticky dough four or five times every 30 minutes before the overnight rise (and getting it off your hands each time) but the dough is so different by morning, and again after sitting in the fridge.
I think another key on the third try was handling the dough much less while stretching it out – it ended up looking like the ones on your blog – crunchy, airy, tasty. And it formed a natural ridge around the circumference without trying to make that happen. I’d have never thought of baking it on parchment paper, but that worked really well too. Your sourdough bread recipe also is wonderful. Thanks again.
So great to hear this, Steve! And yes, I think you are right: accepting that it will be sticky initially is so important — the high hydration dough is what gives it such a lovely texture in the end. And yes: minimal handling is so key too. So glad the parchment worked out as well! Thanks so much for writing 🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕
I loved this recipe, it was delicious!! I hope someone can help me out. I found mine didn’t stretch well and had a fair bit of recoil when trying to put in on my pizza pan. I feel it’s something I did as I am new to the sourdough and baking world. Any suggestions would be appreciated
Hi Terri! When dough recoils, let it rest for 5 or 10 minutes to allow the gluten to relax; then stretch again.
I’ve used this recipe twice with my rye starter and it turned out fantastic! Thanks so much!
Having guests this weekend and will be doubling the recipe. I won’t have room in my fridge for all the dough. I’m wondering can I leave it sit in my kitchen for a few hours instead (which is very cold as I live in Ireland and we’re having a cold snap this week)?
Thanks!!
Thank you so much for putting together this wonderful recipe—my partner and I are now so thrilled with at-home pizza, we can’t really fathom getting delivery again… we’ve even had success using unfed starter. I’ve also been able to convert it to a gluten-free crust so I have some very ecstatic family members!
With regards to the clear straight-sided vessel to monitor the dough rising, do you think a clear slope-slided vessel with volume markers (e.g. a glass mixing bowl with quart/litre lines) would work as well? In my head, I think it would, but I often think things sound logical and that ends up not being the case!
Hi Vee, would you mind sharing how you make your gluten free crust? I’m a newbie GF baker and would love to try this.
Absolutely! I keep a GF starter that’s approximately 2 parts gluten-free all-purpose flour (any mix works, I’ve used Great Value and Trader Joe’s of late) to 1 part buckwheat flour and 1 part corn flour (not meal) by weight.
(I don’t have a proportion for the water, unfortunately, as I’ve noticed all GF AP blends absorb water differently.)
To make Alexandra’s crust, I just swap in the GF starter, and use 300g of the GF all-purpose, 100g of buckwheat flour, and 100g of corn flour in place of the 500g regular all-purpose flour. I reserve about 100g water while mixing and add it in gradually if it seems like it’s not coming together.
I haven’t baked this using a pizza stone or steel; I do this crust more pan pizza-style in a 10″ cast iron skillet at 500°F, checking for doneness around 15 minutes but it can go as long as 23 min.
I feel like these are probably oddly specific flours (and an oddly specific blend), but they’re what I usually have on hand and have worked for my family. Definitely experiment with what you’ve got—I haven’t tried a 1:1 swap with just gluten-free flour but I think that could work just as well.
Hope that helps, Laura!
Yes, thank you so much!!
Hello Ali,just wondering if you can please explain why this recipe does not include oil whilst your recipe for sourdough discard does include oil, kind regards, Dee
Hi Dee! Can you clarify what you are asking for me? I’m not sure what you mean by my “recipe for sourdough discard”? Thanks!