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Sourdough Pizza Crust

Sourdough Pizza Crust makes everyone’s favorite food even better. It takes several hours to make the dough, but the vast majority of the time is hands-off.

A closeup shot of a pizza made with sourdough crust. The pizza is on a cutting board.

If you still need to make your sourdough starter, go ahead and use this recipe for Easy Pizza Dough in the meantime.

You can learn How to Make a Sourdough Starter for next time. Then I can show you how to Feed and Maintain Sourdough Starter or How to Keep a Small Sourdough Starter.

Now, for those of you who are ready to make the best pizza of your life, lets see how to do it.

Recipe Ingredients

  • Active sourdough starter (100% hydration)
  • Warm water 
  • Unbleached Bread flour (see Tips and Tricks below for alternate flour options)
  • Salt
  • Olive oil
  • Cornmeal

How to make the best Sourdough Pizza Crust:

three side-by-side images showing the starter and sponge for making sourdough pizza crust.
  • Start with an active starter.
  • Mix the sponge.
  • Allow the sponge to rest for 30-60 minutes before mixing the dough.
a closeup photo showing the texture of sourdough pizza dough
  • The dough will be quite sticky right after it’s mixed.
  • The dough will become more elastic and cohesive over the 3-5 hours of fermentation.
4 images showing the stages of fermentation for sourdough pizza
  • Over 3-4 hours of fermentation the dough will become lighter and more elastic.
  • Once the dough is ready, visit this post to see exactly how to shape pizza dough by hand.
an unbaked pizza crust on a wooden peel dusted with cornmeal
  • Place the dough onto a wooden pizza peel or the back of a sheet pan heavily dusted with cornmeal. The cornmeal will act as ball-bearings so you can slide the pizza. You’re now ready to top and bake (or grill) your pizza.
  • You can bake your sourdough pizza dough in a very hot oven, or you can grill your pizza over charcoal for the best pizza in the world. The lightly charred crust is a thing of beauty!

Recipe Tips and Tricks

  • Make sure your starter is fed and very active before mixing the dough.
  • This sourdough pizza dough recipe was developed using a 100% hydration starter. You’ll need to adjust the water or flour if your starter is not 100%.
  • This recipe was developed using unbleached bread flour. The recipe also works well with semolina or 00 pizza flour.
  • If you want to work ahead, you can make the dough, allow it to ferment and then refrigerate for up 2 days. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and go right ahead and shape the pies.

A timeline for making Sourdough Pizza Crust from scratch:

  • Feed your starter the day before or early in the morning of the day you want to make the dough. You want to make the dough with an active starter.
  • Make the dough in the late morning or early afternoon. The entire process can take up to 5 hours so allow enough time if you plan to use the dough the same day it is made.
  • The dough will ferment for about 3-5 hours over the course of the afternoon. The more active your starter is and the warmer the ambient temperature, the faster the dough will ferment. In cold months allow closer to 5 hours for fermentation.
  • 30 minutes before you’re ready to bake (or grill!) the pizza, begin the process of shaping the dough.

Recipe FAQs

Why does my sourdough pizza dough come out bready?

If you add too much flour or not enough water to the dough the pizza can bake up dry and bready. A wetter dough will make a lighter and crisper crust. Do not knock all the air out of the dough before shaping. If you vigorously knead the dough before shaping you’ll end up with lots of tiny air bubbles and a bready texture.

Can sourdough pizza dough be made in advance?

Yes. Sourdough pizza dough can be held in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or frozen for several weeks.

Should you punch down sourdough pizza dough?

There is no need to “punch down” pizza dough. After the initial fermentation gently fold and stretch the dough to redistribute the yeast. By gently folding the dough you retain some of the air bubbles that formed during fermentation and your pizza will have a lighter and crisper crust.

I know you hate to throw away that sourdough discard. Check out these recipes that use sourdough discard.

Since you’ve got your starter fed, peruse the entire list of My Best Sourdough Recipes. Have fun!

a grilled pizza on a cutting board
a closeup shot of the crumb on a slice of sourdough pizza

Hey, since the grill (or oven) is still hot, why not try this light & luscious Dessert Pizza with fresh berries and Greek yogurt drizzle.

You can also use this dough to make Philly Cheesesteak Calzones or Breakfast Calzones with chorizo & eggs.

Can You Freeze Sourdough Pizza Dough?

Yes, you can freeze Sourdough Pizza Dough. Make sure your starter is very active so you have plentiful yeast in the dough. Bring the dough through the initial fermentation. Form it into a tight ball, wrap it in plastic and put it into a freezer bag.

If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d really appreciate a 5-star review.

Print Recipe
4.65 from 137 reviews

Sourdough Pizza Crust Recipe

Sourdough Pizza Crust makes everyone's favorite food even better. It takes several hours to make the dough, but the vast majority of the time is hands-off.
Prep Time30 mins
Bake Time15 mins
Rising Time4 hrs
Total Time4 hrs 45 mins
16 servings

Ingredients

  • 8 oz active sourdough starter (1 cup, 100% hydration)
  • 8 oz warm water (1 cup)
  • 15 oz bread flour (3 cups)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • cornmeal for dusting

Instructions

  • Combine the starter, water and 2 cups of the flour. Mix on low speed with the paddle until the flour is incorporated. Cover the bowl and set aside for 30 -60 minutes.
    8 oz active sourdough starter, 8 oz warm water, 15 oz bread flour
  • If using a stand mixer, change to the dough hook. With the mixer running on low, add the salt, olive oil and the remaining the flour. Mix on medium speed until the dough begins to clear the sides of the bowl and gathers on the hook. Increase the speed to medium-high and knead for 5 minutes. If mixing by hand add as much of the flour as you can using a spoon or spatula, then turn the dough out onto a floured surface to finish kneading in the rest of the flour.
    1 1/2 teaspoons table salt, 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Dump the dough onto a floured surface and knead into a smooth ball. Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and turn it over to coat the surface. Cover the bowl and set aside at room temperature.
  • After 30 minutes uncover the bowl, lift one side of the dough and fold it into the middle of the dough. Repeat with the other three sides of the dough then flip the dough over. You're basically turning the dough inside-out to redistribute the yeast and stretch the gluten. Cover the bowl and after 30 minutes repeat the procedure. Cover the bowl and after 60 minutes repeat the procedure again.
  • Cover the bowl and set aside for another 60 minutes. By the end of 3 hours the dough should be lively, elastic and airy. If the dough is still sluggish give it another hour at room temperature. At this point you can refrigerate the dough for up to 2 days or you can go ahead and make the pizzas.
  • Dump the dough onto a floured surface, do not knead. Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut the dough into 2 equal pieces. Form each piece into a tight ball by cupping the dough in the palms your hands and moving the dough in a circular motion. This is a soft dough so this step will help make forming and moving the pizza easier. Cover the dough and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. If the ball flattens right away and the dough still seems very soft, form the ball again and give it another 20 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, if you're baking the pizza in the oven preheat to 500 °F. If you have a pizza stone preheat that too. If you're
  • Using the tips of your fingers, gently flatten and press the dough into a disc. Use your fingers to stretch the dough into a 12-14” "round. You can also try to drape the dough over your two fists and pull from the edges to slowly enlarge it to a 12" round. Avoid using a rolling pin because you don't want to deflate all the air bubbles in the dough. Visit this page to see step by step photos of how to shape pizza dough by hand.
  • Place each crust onto a wooden peel or pizza pan sprinkled heavily with corn meal. Proceed to top and bake/grill or as you like.

Equipment

My Book
KA Stand Mixer
Pizza Cutter
Pizza peel

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Notes

The recipe makes enough dough for 2 pizzas.

Nutrition

Calories: 124kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 219mg | Potassium: 27mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @eileen.bakingsense or tag #bakingsense!
Recipe Rating




Shelby K

Saturday 18th of March 2023

Best pizza crust recipe! This is my new go-to!

Ann

Sunday 12th of March 2023

Thank you for sharing this recipe! We have used it the last two weekends and we love it! I’ve been splitting the dough in half and throwing it in the fridge overnight. It’s super easy to stretch and cook.

Shelby

Tuesday 7th of March 2023

This was so easy and delicious! I ended up freezing half of the dough and cooking it the next week - it was just as good! My only tip would be if you like a crispier crust, bake the crust without toppings for 10 minutes first! I've made a lot of different pizza dough recipes and this is by far the best! Next Time I'll make double for extra freezer meals!

Theresa

Thursday 23rd of February 2023

I just found your fb page and the yummy recipes you have there.

Theresa

Thursday 23rd of February 2023

This recipe is perfect in all ways! I love the tender yet crispy crust. Thank you for this killer pizza crust! This even beats traditional pizza shop crust.

I have been making all things sourdough for years now. I have also been using the same pizza recipe for the same amount of time. Although my go to dough was easy, completely done in the stand mixer and only one rise required, I found it tough, and not really close to classic pizza.

I've had your recipe saved for some time and I finally decided to try something new. Yes, the folds and time spent with the dough require a little more attention, but it was sooooo worth it. So, pizza night will be Saturday or Sunday, when I'm home and can give it the attention it deserves.

Do you have any other sourdough recipes to share? I make bread (sandwich/artisan), pancakes, and waffles, but I'm open to trying anything interesting.

Thank you!

Theresa

Thursday 23rd of February 2023

@Eileen Gray, Thanks. I'll be visiting often!

Eileen Gray

Thursday 23rd of February 2023

Thanks, Theresa. I have lots of sourdough recipes, including loads that use discard. If you click on the "recipes" tab at the top of the page and click "sourdough recipes" on the drop down menu you'll get a complete list. You can also use the search bar to search specifically for things like "waffles". Let me know if there are any particular sourdough recipes you can't find.