Once you try Sourdough Pizza Crust, there is no going back! Chewy, crispy, and super flavorful, it’s the perfect base for all your favorite toppings. Here we’ve added a secret ingredient! Watch the Video.
Pizza, in my humble opinion, is all about the crust and once you try sourdough pizza crust, you won’t want anything else. Not only does it taste better, but it is also much easier to digest, with more nutrients from the fermentation process.
This sourdough pizza dough is incredibly easy to make using simple ingredients. It takes about 10 minutes of hands-on time, with a very adaptable 10 to 48 hours of fermenting time, based on your schedule.
We use the exact same recipe as our Sourdough Bread Recipe but with one optional addition that truly elevates; rice flour! Adding a little rice flour makes the pizza crust light and crispy! Try it – or leave it out, up to you!
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need
- Sourdough Starter – use an active, hungry starter. Make your own sourdough starter from scratch or buy a starter.
- Flour– Pizza flour (00′ flour), bread flour or bread flour all work here. FYI- 00′ flour (double zero flour) is the finest flour you can get, typically from Italy made from durum wheat- and is what is used in Naples, giving their pizza their signature airy pockets, crispy crust and the perfect amount of chewiness.
- Rice flour– optional, to create an amazing texture ( a lighter crispier crust)!
- Salt– sea salt, Himalayan salt
- Water
- Olive oil
*See the detailed ingredients list in the recipe card below.
Ways to Schedule Pizza Dough
Depending on your schedule, pizza dough can be timed to rise in different ways. I personally like a little refrigeration time to slow down the fermentation, which enhances the flavor of the dough (2nd or 3rd option). But in a pinch option- 1 works too.
See the recipe notes for another shortcut.
- Fastest: Make the dough in the morning, let rise during the day on the counter, use it at night. (10-12 hours.)
- Medium: Make the dough in the evening, let it rise overnight, refrigerate until the evening and use it that night. (24 hours.)
- Slowest: Make the dough anytime, place it in the fridge, use it 36-48 hours later. Great for meal prep.
Sourdough pizza Crust (step-by-step instructions)
Step one: In a large bowl, weigh out 385 grams of water ( 1 3/4 cups).
Step two: Zero out the bowl and add 90 grams of active starter ( 1/3 cup).
Step three: Mix well and add the salt (2 teaspoons) stirring to combine.
Step four: Zero out the bowl and add 520 grams of total flour including the optional rice flour (about a 1/3 cup) or 4 cups flour total (spooned and leveled).
I added a 1/3 cup rice flour, then added the remaining 00′ Pizza flour until the combined weight equaled 520 grams. Or skip the rice flour, using only 520 grams of 00′ Pizza flour.
This is roughly 4 cups of total flour, spooned and leveled.
Step five: mix the dough and form a shaggy ball.
The pizza dough should just come together. If it is very dry, add a little more water, just enough to incorporate the flour.
Step Six: Let this rest 10 minutes, then do 1-2 sets of “stretch and folds” 10-15 minutes apart, (same as our sourdough bread method) see the video below.
Step seven: Place in a tall-sided, 2-quart measuring container coated with olive oil – and let this rise according to your schedule -see the 3 options above.
This container is very handy if you want to refrigerate it for the longer proofing period- this way you can easily gauge the rise.
Here I have placed this directly in the fridge for 2 days.
Step eight: Once doubled or almost doubled (1.75) it is ready to use. Divide the dough, on a floured surface, into 4 equal pieces (roughly 220 grams each).
Each pizza dough ball will yield a 10 to 12-inch pizza.
Step nine: Store any remaining dough back in the fridge ( I just use the same container) or feel free to use individual containers.
*The dough can also be frozen individually at this point- see recipe notes.
Step ten: Make your pizza. Let dough rest 45-60 minutes on floured parchment paper or a floured pizza peel.
Preheat oven to 500F with a pizza steel or pizza stone inside. You can also use a sheet pan. If you have convection, use it.
Step eleven: Sprinkle the dough with flour. Stretch out your dough, resisting any urge to flatten it. You want to preserve the air bubbles- so carefully pull out the edges from the middle.
An easy way to do this is to pick it up on one end, let it hang, and turn it letting gravity pull and stretch it down as you turn it, like a wheel. Kind of like how they do in Italy, but without throwing it.
Aim for a 12-inch crust. Place it back on the well-floured surface. Stretch into shape. Aim for thinner in the middle and thicker towards the edges.
Add pizza sauce (or pesto) and fresh mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with pecorino. Now you have a base for other toppings.
Use any toppings you like. Here I’ve added shiitake mushrooms, red onions, oregano, Calabrian chilies and a drizzle of olive oil.
Step twelve: Bake! Slide the pizza onto the hot stone. If using parchment just leave the pizza on the parchment, baking it on the parchment, on top of the stone.
Depending on your oven, and the thickness of your pizza dough, the pizza will be ready anywhere from 6-8 minutes- if you are in the 10-12 inch diameter range.
Feel free to broil the top for a minute or two.
Slide it onto a cutting board and cut it into 6-8 pieces. This is the perfect amount of pizza for 2 people, with a leafy green salad, although I’m guilty of having more.
Recipe Faqs
Tough pizza crust can be caused by too much flour, overworking the dough, rolling out the dough, overcooking the dough, over-proofing the dough or under-proofing the dough.
Yes, sourdough pizza dough can be frozen, but I have noticed it is less bubbly and less airy. It still works though. 🙂
Yes, to speed up the process, you can use a little yeast, like a 1/2 teaspoon. For example, if you want to make pizza crust in a shorter amount of time ( 4-6 hours), add a bit of yeast. The crust will not be fully fermented- but in a pinch, this works.
A tiny bit of rice flour lightens the crust and gives it a deliciously crispy chewy texture. This is optional of course.
Pizza flour (00′ Flour) or bread flour (or a blend of both) is the best flour to use in sourdough pizza dough. However, all-purpose bread flour will work too. Always try to opt for organic flour if possible!
More recipes to try!
Basic Pizza Equipment
Here is what you absolutely need:
- A large bowl and a mixing utensil.
- A sheet pan or a cast iron skillet.
- A sharp knife.
Here are some fun, handy extras!
- a kitchen scale
- a high-sided, 2-quart measuring container with a lid.
- a pizza peel or parchment paper
- a pizza stone or a pizza steel
- a pizza cutter.
Enjoy this recipe- I can’t wait to hear about all the different pizzas you create! Leave a comment and ⭐️ rating below. Happy Weekend!
Sourdough Pizza Crust Video
Sourdough Pizza Crust
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 12 hours
- Total Time: 12 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 x 12-inch pizzas 1x
- Category: sourdough
- Method: fermented
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Once you try Sourdough Pizza Crust, there is no going back! Chewy, crispy, and super flavorful, it’s the perfect base for all your favorite toppings. Here we’ve added a secret. Watch the video.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups water, 385 grams
- 1/3 cup sourdough starter , 90 grams
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 cups 00′ pizza flour (spooned and leveled), 520 grams (see notes)
- olive oil for coating, flour for dusting.
Instructions
- Make the pizza dough: Place water in the bowl. Stir in the starter and the salt, combining well. Stir in rice flour if using. Then add main flour and stir (with a fork or wooden spoon) to create a shaggy ball, incorporating all the dry flour. Let sit covered 10 minutes.
- With wet hands, do two sets of stretch and folds, 10-15 minutes apart (see video above), then place dough in a 2-quart measuring container and cover.
- Proof dough: Choose your rising schedule from the 3 options in the notes. When the dough has doubled (or almost doubled 1.75) it is ready to use.
- Divide pizza dough by 4 (220 grams each) for 10-12 inch pizzas, storing extras in the fridge- best used within 2-3 days (or freeze).
- To make a pizza, let the dough come to room temp on a floured pizza peel or floured parchment for 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 500F preferably with a pizza stone or steel inside on middle rack.
- Stretch out the dough- pulling it from the middle outward, resisting the urge to roll it or press it down preserving those air bubbles! Stretch outward, aiming for 10-12 inches and thinner in the middle.
- Build your pizza. Add your favorite sauce, fresh mozzarella cheese, pecorino, and your favorite toppings.
- Bake: Slide pizza onto a pizza stone or sheet pan (leave it on the parchment) and bake for 6-8 minutes- depending on the thickness of the dough. Feel free to broil for a couple of minutes.
- Cut and enjoy!
Notes
Flour: Substitute ⅓ cup rice flour (40 grams) for ⅓ cup of the 00′ flour … for a crispier texture! Or substitute the 00′ pizza flour with bread flour or all-purpose flour.
This recipe makes 4 x 12-inch pizza crusts.
To freeze pizza dough, coat in olive oil and place in a ziplock, removing air.
For wood fired pizza ovens: If using AP or bread flour, preheat until the pizza oven stone temperature reaches 650F. With a lightly dusted pizza peel, launch the pizza and bake for 3-4 minutes, rotating every 30 seconds as needed and until the cheese is lightly browned. If using 00 flour, preheat until the stone temperature reaches 850F and the flame is high; launch the pizza and bake for 1 – 2 minutes, rotating frequently.
Dough Schedule:
- Fastest: Make the dough in the morning, let rise during the day on the counter, use it at night. (10-12 hours.)
- Medium: Make the dough in the evening, let it rise overnight, refrigerate until the evening and use it that night. (24 hours.)
- Slowest: Make the dough anytime, place it in the fridge, use it 36-48 hours later. Great for meal prep.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12 inch pizza crust
- Calories: 535
- Sugar: 1.4 g
- Sodium: 1304.4 mg
- Fat: 1.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 111.3 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 15.4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
I just wanted to point out that when you use the “1/2X” or “2X” slider on this recipe, for some reason the amount of flour doesn’t change. I originally didn’t notice this and was super confused when my dough was extremely dry (I was making 1/2). Just letting everyone know in case it helps someone else!
Thanks Madison- appreciate this- I am having issues with this multiplier, working on it now!
I don’t have a jar bigger than 2 quarts. Can I leave it in the bowl like I would if making bread? And if so, do I need the olive oil? Thanks
Hi Jennifer, a bowl is fine and yes, I would oil it. 🙂
I don’t have a jar bigger than 2 quarts. Can I leave it in the bowl like I would if making bread? And if so, do I need the olive oil?
Yes, you can leave it covered in a bowl coated with olive oil!