Sourdough Pizza Crust Recipe
This Sourdough Pizza Crust recipe offers a flavorful and chewy base made with a fermented sourdough starter, whole wheat and all-purpose flours, and olive oil. Designed to be baked either in a cast iron skillet or on a pizza stone, it yields a crispy, slightly charred crust with a tangy depth that elevates any pizza toppings of your choice. The dough is prepared with an overnight fermentation and an optional cold ferment for enhanced flavor and texture, making it a perfect choice for homemade artisan pizza.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes (plus overnight fermentation and resting times)
- Cook Time: 10 minutes (5-6 minutes stovetop + 2-4 minutes broiler) or 15-20 minutes if using pizza stone
- Total Time: Approximately 12 hours (includes overnight and resting periods)
- Yield: 4 personal-sized 8-inch pizzas 1x
- Category: Pizza
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Scale
Dough Ingredients
- 1/3 cup sourdough starter discard (reduce to 1/4 cup active starter, approx. 50 g)
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
- 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (bread flour or 00 flour can be substituted)
- 1 1/3 cups + 1 teaspoon water
Additional Ingredients for Serving
- Pizza sauce
- Homemade pesto
- Your choice of toppings (e.g., cheese, vegetables, meats)
Instructions
- Mix Dough: The night before baking, in a large mixing bowl, combine sourdough starter discard, fine sea salt, olive oil, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and water. Mix thoroughly by hand until all ingredients are fully incorporated. Cover the bowl and let the dough ferment overnight at room temperature.
- Stretch and Fold: The next morning, perform stretch and folds to strengthen the dough. Wet your hand with water to prevent sticking, gently lift one side of the dough, and fold it over itself. Rotate the bowl and repeat for all sides. Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 36 hours to cold ferment for enhanced flavor. Cold ferment is optional but recommended.
- Shape Dough Balls: Remove dough from refrigerator and let rest on the counter at room temperature for 30 minutes. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. On a floured surface, shape each into a ball, cover with a tea towel, and rest for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat Skillet and Oven: Turn on the oven broiler to HIGH. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium to medium-high heat on the stovetop. Lightly oil the skillet if needed to prevent sticking.
- Shape Pizza Base: On a floured surface, press one dough ball into an 8-inch circle using your hands. Add more flour as needed to prevent sticking. If dough resists shaping, let it rest an additional 15 minutes to relax gluten.
- Cook Base on Skillet: Place the dough circle carefully into the hot skillet. Use fingers to press dough edges to cover the skillet bottom. Immediately add pizza sauce and toppings. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until the bottom crust develops a charred, brown finish. For thicker dough, cooking time can be extended at lower heat or short pre-broiling used.
- Broil Pizza: Transfer skillet to the oven broiler to finish cooking the toppings and crust top for 2 to 4 minutes. Watch carefully to avoid burning as broiler heat varies by oven.
- Serve: Remove pizza from oven, slice, and serve hot.
- Alternative Baking on Pizza Stone: Place pizza stone in a cold oven and preheat to 450°F (232°C). Press dough into crust shape and add desired toppings. Using a pizza peel, transfer dough quickly onto the hot pizza stone (or use parchment paper to transfer). Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until crust is cooked through and toppings are done.
Notes
- If using a different type of salt than fine sea salt, adjust quantity accordingly.
- Bread flour or 00 flour can be used in place of all-purpose flour for variation in crust texture.
- Water quantity can be adjusted slightly based on flour hydration and ambient humidity.
- Cold fermenting dough in the refrigerator for up to 36 hours develops greater flavor complexity.
- Resting dough balls before shaping helps gluten relax, making shaping easier.
- When cooking on the skillet, ensure the pan is hot before adding dough to get a crispy crust.
- Broiler temperatures vary; monitor pizza closely during broiling to avoid burning toppings.
- For thicker crusts, cook longer on the stovetop at lower heat before broiling to avoid a doughy center.
Keywords: sourdough pizza crust, sourdough starter pizza, cast iron skillet pizza, pizza stone recipe, homemade pizza dough, fermented pizza dough
Find it online: https://www.sanacooks.com/sourdough-pizza-crust-recipe/
