Learn how to make this easy sourdough discard pizza crust. It only has four basic ingredients, no kneading or rising required. You really can’t get much simpler than this.
When I found out about this method for making sourdough pizza crust somewhere in internet land several years ago, you might say I felt a bit perturbed.
You see, up until this point, my experience with homemade crust involved proofing, rising, kneading…Repeat. Repeat. Bake.
I needed to plan the whole thing five days in advance (slight exaggeration) and you know how I feel about planning.
(Side note: I learned my non-planner ways result from me being a ‘P’ in a personality test. My ‘millennial’ sister introduced me to Meyer’s Briggs over the weekend.) Ok, back to the crust.
The tutorial I found years ago went something like this: Put sourdough starter on a pizza stone and bake. Wha??? How could it really be that simple? I mean, come on. One ingredient.
I made a few modifications to add more flavor, but the premise remains. It really is that simple.
Pizza is a family favorite and some of our favorite kinds include: Chicken Alfredo, Sourdough Pizza with Pesto and Cream Sauce, or Sourdough Mini Pizzas on English Muffins.
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Tips for making sourdough pizza crust:
- This recipe is super simple because it utilizes sourdough starter (active or discard); the downside is you can’t use a regular pan. You must use a cast iron or pizza stone.
- The secret to cooking this recipe is preheating the stone or cast iron skillet.
- Easy sourdough pizza crust makes a super fast meal as long as you have some sauce and cheese on hand. It really takes like no time.
- Chop up your veggie toppings while the stone or cast iron is preheating. Then sauté your veggies and/or meat while the crust is cooking, because the crust will be basically done cooking after the first bake.
- There is one downside to this impossibly easy homemade sourdough pizza crust recipe. You can’t pour regular pasta/pizza sauce on it without it getting soft, even when it is nicely browned before you add the sauce. See my tips below to get around this.
Ingredients
Fed Sourdough Starter or discard: Either will work! Most of the time I just pull my sourdough starter right out of the fridge and use it. If you are new to sourdough and want to learn how to make your own sourdough starter, check out my post that shows you exactly how to do it.
Italian Seasoning: This is optional, but it adds the delicious Italian flavor that we all love and come to expect on pizza.
Salt: Sea salt or pink Himalayan salt
Olive Oil: A good quality extra virgin olive oil is always my first choice.
Supplies you may need:
Pizza Stone or Cast Iron Skillet
How to Make The Easiest Sourdough Pizza Crust Ever:
Preheat a pizza stone, or cast iron skillet, on 425 degrees F.
When the oven is preheated, and the pans are scorching hot, take them out of the oven.
Drizzle your baking vessel (stone or skillet) of choice with a little extra virgin olive oil.
Ladle the sourdough discard onto the hot pan. Now, this is the part that will really bother my recipe-lovin, rule-abidin blog readers. I am not going to give you an amount. I can’t. You just spread it out until you have a nice thin layer in the size you want.
When I am making this in a cast iron skillet, I also like to run it up the side, so the crust has edges.
Hit it with another drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Sprinkle it with salt and Italian seasoning. The more the better, in my opinion. 😉
It will already start to bake when it makes contact with the pan. This is totally good and expected.
Pop it back in the oven, until it is crispy and easily pulls up from the pan. About 10 minutes.
A note on avoiding soft crust
There is one downside to this impossibly easy homemade sourdough pizza crust recipe.
You can’t pour regular pasta/pizza sauce on it without it getting soft, even when it is nicely browned before you add the sauce. (That’s not to say we don’t just do it anyway most of the time!)
You may think, “Ah, I’ll bypass this problem eazy peazy. I will just bake the crust longer until it’s extra crispy. That’ll do the trick.” Or “I’ll just use less sauce.” Your mind may even wander into the idea of putting the sauce on top of the veggies, so its not sitting right on top of the crust. I would say you’re pretty smart to try all those things, but let me go ahead and make it easier on ya. It doesn’t work.
But, no worries. There is a wonderful -make that TWO-wonderful solutions, for amazing homemade pizza. And, they’re better than a jar of store-bought sauce anyway!
Sourdough Pizza Making Options:
- Option One: Thinly slice fresh tomatoes. Spread them out in a thin layer on your baked sourdough pizza crust, and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Put it in the oven and roast for about 10 minutes. Add the other toppings and cheese. We especially enjoy this option in the summer, when the garden is bursting at the seams with fresh tomatoes. Something about roasted tomatoes!
- Option Two: Make a homemade cream sauce with cheese, cream, garlic, and salt. Spread it on the crust and top with chicken, mushrooms, and cheese. Chicken Alfredo pizza. This is just about our favorite meal of all time. We seriously feel like we are eating in a fancy gourmet restaurant. It really is that good. And don’t get me started on when it is morel and chanterelle season.
- Option Three: just add the tomato sauce and eat it a little soft. We do this often and it still tastes great.
FAQ
Can I just use a regular pizza pan?
You can’t use a normal pizza pan, because the liquid starter would totally stick to it. You would have quite the mess on your hands.
Cast iron and pizza stones are wonderfully nonstick, when preheated. Plus, this ability to preheat a pan that is so heavy is what makes for a crispy crust. It’s that baking-upon-contact thing, or something like that. I’m not a scientist, but I can tell you it makes a crispy crust like no ordinary aluminum pizza pan ever could.
Why Sourdough, Anyway?
If you are new to my blog, and haven’t yet been introduced to the wonder of sourdough, hit up this post for more info.
If you’re looking for another sourdough recipe, check out Sourdough English Muffins. They are a favorite in our home. I have also tried my hand at making Sourdough Donuts.
Once you start using a starter, you’ll never go back.
What does sourdough pizza taste like?
It tastes a lot like regular pizza crust, but the crust itself has a delicious, slightly tangy flavor that you would expect from sourdough.
Can you freeze sourdough pizza crust?
Yes! Sourdough pizza crust can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Bake it first and then let it cool. Store it in an air tight container, and then allow it to thaw in the fridge just a few hours before needing it.
What happens if you bake sourdough discard?
For this recipe it turns into pizza crust. You can also bake discard and turn it into sourdough crackers.
Can you eat sourdough starter discard?
Yes, as long as it is cooked. Using discard is an easy way to use up excess discard and a way to eat fermented grains.
How long is sourdough discard good for?
Sourdough discard can stay fresh in the fridge up to a week before it will need to be fed again. Personally, I don’t discard any sourdough and use them for recipes like this one.
Can you freeze sourdough discard pizza dough?
Yes! For this crust, cook it first and then place it in an air-tight container for up to 3 months. When you want to make pizza, just preheat your oven to 450, take our the sourdough pizza crust, top it with your favorite toppings and then bake until everything is bubbly and melted.
Check out my other sourdough recipes and posts
- Sourdough English Muffins
- How to Make a Sourdough Starter from Scratch
- Our Favorite Sourdough Pancake Recipe
- Healthy One Pot Meal- Sourdough Skillet
- Sourdough Tortillas
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Thank you! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust
Delicious sourdough discard pizza crust is super fast and there is no kneading or waiting.
Ingredients
- Fed Sourdough Starter
- Italian Seasoning
- Salt
- Olive Oil
- Pizza Stone or Cast Iron Skillet
Instructions
- Preheat a pizza stone, or cast iron skillet, on 425 degrees.
- When the oven is preheated, and the pans are scorching hot, take them out of the oven.
- Drizzle your baking vessel (stone or skillet) of choice with a little extra virgin olive oil.
- Ladle fed sourdough starter onto the hot pan. Now, this is the part that will really bother my recipe-lovin, rule-abidin blog readers. I am not going to give you an amount. I can't. You just spread it out until you have a nice thin layer in the size you want. If you want to see how this looks, watch the video in the blog post.
- Hit it with another drizzle of olive oil.
- Sprinkle it with salt and Italian seasoning.
- It will already start to bake when it makes contact with the pan. This is totally good and expected.
- Pop it back in the oven, until crispy, and easily pulls up from the pan. About 10 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 213Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 308mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 3gSugar: 1gProtein: 7g
Marie says
Love watching your videos.
Lisa says
Thank you so much Marie!
Tamela says
Lisa i Love, love,love the farmhouse style and all your vlogs,you are an inspiration!!
Lisa says
Thank you so much Tamela!
Erin says
I just found your site and I’m so intrigued!! I’ll be trying this recipe and several others…can’t wait!
Christy says
I made this tonight with leftover starter, and we just ate it as a side “flat bread” with BBQ. I just put herbs de province on it and it was so tasty!! Delicious flavorful option for last minute bread!
Catherine says
Tried this today for lunch in a hurry, roaring success. topping was a small tin of tuna, fresh herbs, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella. Actually skipped baking it until the topping was on thus making it even more speedy. Got around the sauce creating sogginess by adding home made tomato sauce after baking. Thank you for the idea
Jana Bertrand says
I have a 35 year old sour dough starter I use for bread, cinnamon rolls, pancakes and pizza. I wanted to try your pizza crust. My starter is liquid. How much bread flour do I add to make the crust?
Karen says
Lisa, this is amazing! Thank you. I made a gluten-free starter since I have celiac disease and made two pizzas tonight in my cast iron skillets. They turned out absolutely perfect and they were super easy to make. In fact, these were the best pizzas I have ever made!
Sally says
What recipe do you use for a gluten free starter?? Would love to try that!
kate says
Thank you so much! Because of your “I don’t measure anything and I haven’t killed my sourdough” attitude, I finally took the plunge. I can’t thank you enough. The family has enjoyed every one of your sour dough recipes I have tried. And I love all the super easy recipes with the “throw-away” starter–keep’em coming!!! But I came to say I might have a solution to the crispy crust, or lack there of…baking soda. I mixed some salt and soda into the starter and then poured it on to the heated dishes…and the dough is a little thicker, but it stays crispy! Again, thanks from my whole family!
Kathleen says
Cool, Kate! How much soda did you use?
Michelle says
Could you use an enameled cast iron skillet?
Donna says
Hello, you mentioned baking soda, but you didn’t say how much to use. Can you share that with us?
Lacy says
We finally tried this recipe tonight and it was incredibly easy and delish! Just used 2 of our cast iron skillets and it worked like a charm. My husband and I each had our own personal pizzas! Thank you for yet another great recipe!
Lisa says
I’m so happy to hear that!
Lori says
Hi Lisa! I am so inspired by you.
I am on day 7 of my sourdough starter!
Two questions
1. Can I use it now for pizza crust?
2. How long after feeding should starter be used for this pizza crust?
Lori
Lance says
Put your toppings and cheese down then drizzle your pizza sauce over the top then back. A pizza place here does that and is still great pie.
Lori says
Lisa, thank you so much for your recipes. I have tried quite a few. I did the pizza crust tonight and it was delicious. i added some sauteed veggies and topped it with cheese. it was scrumptous and will be having it again.
Jill says
You should title this recipe “magical free pizza crust”
I’ve been doing sourdough for just about a month now and I have starter coming out my ears! I can’t bring myself to throw away discard. This is perfect!
Kelly says
I’ve tried the pizza crust with a pizza stone twice now and the crust keeps sticking to the stone.
Any suggestions?
Valerie says
I melt a little butter on my cast iron skillet before pouring it. As soon as it’s cooked thru it peels itself up. Of course you could do a different source of fat/oil I’m sure!
Sarah Miller says
Hi! What hydration is your starter? Mine is 100%. I know this could throw off results if yours is different. Thanks
Emma says
I watched your recent video where you put a bunch of starter into your preheated not additionally oiled cast iron. I have my grandma’s cast iron and they’re in constant use without sticking but dang I can’t get the pizza out without a LOT of oil. Pans preheat at least 30 minutes. Any suggestions?
Wendy Berg says
I made pizza for my family tonight, using your sourdough pizza crust recipe. My family said it was the best pizza they have ever had! Thank you so much!
Lisa says
So glad to hear it!
Patty Lanz says
Thankyou so much for this great ebook.your the bomb girl.the sour dough is just what I needed.cant wait to experiment.tomorro I’m doing a couple pizzas.im so excitedi never would have been able to do it and I understand the starter that I have been doing for like 2 weeks.lol it’s a bit hungry.ill feed it a bit more flour and water and do my pizza in 8hrs.THANKU AGAIN.BABY IS A DOLL.I should had one of those baby holders back in the day.much luv Patty
Taylor says
Just here to say…. Do it! Make the pizza! We’re pretty new to sourdough starter at our house but so far this is our favorite application, even ahead of making a sourdough loaf. It’s like a perfect thin crust/flatbread pizza. Mmmm. Oh man.
Kami says
If i fed my starter a couple days ago and I wanted to make the pizza crust now, would I just take it straight from the fridge and use it, or would I still need to feed it and leave it out overnight?
Michael says
I can’t wait to get started.
Angelina says
This was SO much fun to make! Incredibly easy, no stress at all. My husband did his on the pizza stone on the grill and I did mine in my cast iron in the oven, both different but super yummy results. My husband did the pizza sauce and it wasn’t bad at all..no soggy dough at all. I did the fresh tomatoes and wow. So so so good!! New Friday night go to. Affordable, easy, and fun. The kids enjoyed helping in on this one too! Thank you!!
Janet carter says
After feeding sourdough, how long do I need to let sit out before making the pizza crust?j
Jessica says
I made this tonight for my family. I had three cast iron pans going. We did one, pastrami, Swiss, spicy mustard and thousand island as the “sauce”. This one was SO good!!!! The other was a veggie lover and the last was was a cheese. Oh my goodness, they were ALL a hit!! I will definitely be making these on the regular. I had my hubby come in to help me. I told him you are a super star with your baby literally strapped to you and and the other little ones. I’m a full grown adult and needed help 😂 you rock!! Thank you so much for sharing your amazing talents ❤️
C Gabrielson says
I did it! Whole family loved it. It was impossible to burn. Layered it with deli meat, mozzarella, ground spaghetti seasoning, tomatoes and green onion. It was so easy! I don’t know how you get your sourdough to pour so easily, mine comes out like a thick mucus(I have kids, sorry for my description) but even then it baked up great. Maybe changing flour would make it easier to incorporate into other recipes? I’m just using unbleached at the moment. But anyway, so glad I found this recipe. Made 2 pizzas already.
Teri says
This is a great recipe. I made it with regular sourdough starter and gluten free starter and both came out great. Thank you for this recipe. I made the gf one with brown rice flour starter. So easy.
catherine says
When you refer to “fed starter” does that mean fed and allowed to sit and rise for about 12 hours. I’ve done the recipe one time and was delicious. I allowed it to rise overnight. . You indicate using it in a pinch so thought it may mean you can feed and use w/o rising overnight.
Valerie says
Lisa, this is genius!! It tastes amazing and soooo similar to the Sicilian pizza I grew up eating! I’ve made two margarita pizzas since yesterday, and my family loves it! Even my 2 year old ate it. It only takes about 10 minutes to put together and bake and is now my favorite lunch/dinner.
Lissa says
My kids love fluffy pizza crusts so I added a little baking soda. My kids and the neighbor kids said this is a must keep recipe. No more frozen pizzas for us!
Misty says
Do you think you will ever add all of your recipes to a cookbook?
McKenzie says
This recipe was very good! I highly recommend! Super fast and easy pizza dough.
Emily says
Wow, I just made this and it is phenomenal. I made the crust a little bit thicker than Lisa’s looks to be in the pictures, and baked it a little longer, and WOW! Super crunchy crust that holds it itself upright (I expected to need a fork since it was supposed to turn soggy with the sauce, but I didn’t!). I am so glad I tried this!
Lisa says
Wonderful! This is our favorite and easiest way to make pizza! Glad you enjoyed it as well.
Anna says
Hello Lisa! I’ve been using several of your sourdough recipes as of late and have licked everything I’ve tried. I did this recipe and added tomatoes and seasoning and baked then added cheese once it came out.
When exactly do you add your sauce if you use it or toppings ect. ? And if you add it at the end do you place it back in the oven or no? I’ve never baked a pizza like this and didn’t know what’s best?
Lisa says
I usually add sourdough starter to the skillet or pizza stone then bake it. After it is baked then top with sauce, cheese, and any other toppings and then bake a second time until melted.
Cassie says
My crusts keep sticking to my pizza stone, so I just need more oil? My discard also bubbles a lot when it comes into contact with the stone or my cast iron pan.
Lisa says
That is most likely the culprit.
Lana says
This was so much better than I expected! I made a small pizza and my husband and kiddo devoured it haha. I used bubbly, active starter and the pizza was airy but crispy. So perfect. Making more tomorrow!!
Lisa says
How wonderful. So glad everyone in the family enjoyed it.
Denise Maggard says
I have been using this recipe ever since I watched you make them. I love it! It tastes great and such a great way to use up extra starter rather than dumping or wasting it. Thank you so much for sharing!
Lisa says
Thank you for the positive review! Glad you enjoy this recipe as well.
Erin says
Your you tube channel and this recipe inspired me to try sourdough. Our starter is 7 days old and growing like crazy, today I was able to use the discard for pancakes, I fed it this morning and by bedtime it was about to crawl out of my Wecks jar, so I did some discard and fed my starter again and plan on surprising the kids with pizzas for lunch. Can’t wait to try this.
Lisa says
That’s so exciting! I hope they enjoy the pizzas!
Meg Mayo Lucas says
I just made my first “discard” pizza with my gluten-free sour dough starter. It taste 100 times better than most of the awful GF pizzas I have been served in restaurants for a very high price! I used a pizza stone, and didn’t drizzle it before I added the batter (Ooops!), but it didn’t stick at all. I did it right over the open oven, and DID NOT use my fingers, but instead, a heatproof spatula. I needed to bake it another 6-8 minutes after I added the cheese and garlic (white pizza) because it very not really cooked after the initial 10 minutes. Thank you, Lisa!
Lisa says
So glad you enjoyed this one!
Shelsea says
I was skeptical at first, I make loads of baked goods with my discard card but nothing has ever been this simple. But I was! And it was tangy and delicious, thanks for the brilliant crust idea. Homemade Pizza night in under half an hour.
I sautéed my veggies in a separate skillet, then added the pizza sauce and reduced it a bit- so that was there was no soggy bottom crust.
Lisa says
So smart! Glad you enjoyed it. It’s a really good one!
Brittany says
Our favorite (way better and way better for you) alternative to frozen pizza!!
We mix in salt, garlic powder and dried basil to the crust before cooking and it’s delish!
Mandy says
I think this might be my favorite way to make pizza. I needed dinner quickly the other night and my family wanted pizza. After a quick search I came across this recipe and it’s so good. It came together so quickly. I made it again today for lunch! So delish!
Lisa says
So glad you enjoy it! Have a great day!
Gaylynn says
I can’t work quickly enough with the wooden spoon so I roll it around in the pan. Works perfect…I love these!
Jenifer says
Thank you for this discard recipe. We love this pizza crust. We use pesto for the sauce and it works great. Sometimes soft, sometimes not. Ha! We love all your recipes. We make your sandwich bread recipe artisan style and cinnamon rolls each week!! My husband is the cinnamon rolls man. He likes to take this to work to share. 😊
Lisa says
So glad you are enjoying those recipes! And pesto sauce sounds amazing! I may have to try that myself! Have a great day!
Judy says
Hi Lisa,
I love all your YouTube videos. I tried this pizza today and the discard stuck to the sides of my cast iron skillet. I added avocado oil to the pan prior to preheating. I’m wondering if my pan isn’t seasoned enough. Keep on producing content. Thanks, Judy
Helen Katy Blair says
I am having great success with my starter and making sourdough bread – thank you so much for the tutorials.
However, on the discard pizza attempt, I followed your instruction to the letter with a well seasoned cast iron skillet and the sour dough stuck terribly. What should I do next time?
Lisa says
Oh bummer. Did you oil the pan before adding the starter? Also, starting with a hot pan can also help.
Warren says
Hi Lisa
I started baking sourdough bread late last year. I was diagnosed with type two diabetes and recently discovered that sourdough bread has zero effect on my glucose levels because it is such low GI. (I can’t eat regular bread at all).
Pizza had to be relegated to very occasional and two slices only.
I am now using my discard to make a pizza once or twice a month, thankyou for giving me back one of my favourite foods.
You mention in your recipe that a regular tomato past base turns the pizza base soggy, and you offer a few alternatives.
I would like to show you my alternative. I simply place a few very thin slices of cheese straight on the pizza base before adding the sauce. (Reduce the amount of cheese on the top by a little)
Also, after slicing up the pizza on a board, I place a paper napkin on the serving plate, this stops and juices which Leak out of the sliced edge from sogging the pastry.
I had pics but could not seem to add them
Warren, Adelaide Australia
Lisa says
So glad you enjoy this recipe! And thank you for sharing your tips and tricks as well!
Shirley says
I found a way to use sauce and keep the crust crispy. Once the crust has cooked I use a pastry brush and spread a thing layer of sauce on the crust. Then I put it back in the oven and let that bake on 5- 10 minutes. After that I spread miners sauce and add my toppings and put in to melt the cheese. Crust is still nice and crispy.
Monique VonDeylen says
I want to make this but I am confused. It claims to be a discard recipe, but in the ingredients it says fed sourdough starter. Isn’t fed the active bubbly one and discard is the extra stuff that is cold and not bubbly in my fridge? I’m confused
Carol says
I’m also confused about using discard,fed sourdough starter. I have discard in the fridge that is about 1 week old. I could pull out of fridge and use, or I must feed first????
Lisa says
If it hasn’t been fed in over a week I would feed it first and then use it.
Darrian says
Some of the best pizzas are made with this dough recipe! My family loves getting to make their own! Great recipe.
Lisa says
Love to hear that!
Melinda Knatterud says
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious and super easy! I got around the soft crust issue by adding the cheese first to the crust after baking it, then the other toppings, then baked again. After it came out of the oven I put the sauce on top, sort of Chicago-style. So delicious!
Lisa says
So glad you enjoyed it! And thank you for your tips!
Renee says
Hey Lisa, these continue to be my favourite pizza crusts. So easy and so flavourful. Thanks for sharing!
Lisa says
So glad to hear this! Thanks for sharing!
Angela says
Add Dutch oven to the list bc I made this in mine just fine 😅 (no lid). Also doing it flat with no edges it can be flipped to help crisp, and I added grated Parmesan to the top and flipped it right before adding sauce and toppings which crisped up when I put it back in making the bottom of the crust super crispy!
Lisa says
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Amy says
This was so easy and good. Loved it!
Deb Moran says
Thank you for this recipe. My discard was so thick I didn’t have much luck pushing it up the sides of the skillet and extra discard made it too thick and doughy. I opted not to drizzle with oil after first one and flipped in skillet to continue baking for 3 more minutes. Very crispy. I used tomato paste spread sparsely across crust with toppings and cheese and results were still nicely crisp. Will definitely make again!