Soft, chewy, and tangy, this sourdough pizza dough is the perfect recipe for those family pizza nights. Start the dough in the morning and it will be ready to bake up with your favorite toppings in the afternoon.
Pizza is so great because it is quick to throw together and it makes the perfect base to be topped with whatever you desire. This sourdough pizza crust recipe puts you just a few ingredients away from the most delicious bubbly pizza with a chewy crust. Whether you choose to cook it in an outdoor pizza oven, your home oven, or even a grill, it is sure to come out amazing!
Top your pizza with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and fresh basil for a classic taste, or skip the pizza sauce and use homemade pesto as the base. Make a chicken Alfredo pizza by topping your crust with Alfredo sauce, chicken, cheese and any veggies you like. You can also get a little fancy and try an olive oil, goat cheese, and date sauce pizza. Serve a fresh salad with homemade dressing on the side to round out the meal.
No matter how you choose to adorn your perfect pizza crust, it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser next time you have a pizza party!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Tasty – The sourdough in this recipe adds so much flavor and tanginess. This crust also has the best chewy consistency. There is just something about making your own pizza at home, it’s fun and tasty!
Crowd pleaser – Homemade pizza is so delicious, plus being able to customize it with your own topping preferences makes it great for picky eaters.
Make ahead – Make this dough days or weeks ahead and have pizza dough ready for a quick and easy meal.
Ingredients
Active sourdough starter – Active starter is sourdough starter that has been fed within 4-12 hours, and it’s active and bubbly. You want to use starter that is at the peak of its bubbling in order to give the dough the most rise.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Tools You May Need
How to Make Sourdough Pizza Dough
Step 1: The morning of pizza night, add the ingredients to a stand mixer bowl, using a kitchen scale if you choose to weigh the ingredients.
Step 2: With a dough hook attachment, mix the dough on medium speed until the dough passes the windowpane test, which might take up to 10 minutes.
Step 3: Place in an oiled bowl and cover with a lid, plastic wrap or a plastic bag. Rest at room temperature for about 8 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
Step 4: Preheat oven to 475. Divide dough into 4 equal portions and allow to rest while you prepare your toppings.
Step 5: Roll out on a lightly floured work surface with a rolling pin. I like to create a bit of a ridge around the outside for hand stretched thickness.
Step 6: Spread pizza sauce on top of the dough and top with your favorite toppings.
Step 7: Bake for 13-15 minutes. (I like to use a preheated pizza stone or cast iron skillet but you can also use a pizza pan). Finish off with a 3 minute broil to achieve the browning on top of the crust.
Tips
- Be careful not to over-ferment the dough. This will leave you with a sloppy mess.
- This dough can be made days or even weeks in advance. If you are planning to use it within a few days, place in the fridge in an airtight container until ready to use. You can also freeze for later.
- Make sure that your dough is at room temperature before rolling. The correct dough temperature allows the dough to relax, and makes it easier to shape and roll.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Sourdough starter and the fermentation process adds another layer of flavor to pizza dough and makes it easier to digest
Most dough uses conventional yeast like instant yeast to give it rise. Sourdough is made with a sourdough starter, which uses wild yeast and bacteria to leaven the dough.
This could be caused by a few different things, such as over baking, over working the dough, or adding too much flour.
Store dough in the fridge up to a week, or place in the freezer after it has risen and has been divided. Wrap with plastic wrap and then store in a freezer plastic bag.
Pre bake crusts for about 8-10 minutes and then allow to cool. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Sourdough Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Sourdough Pumpkin Bread
- Sourdough Sandwich Rolls
- Easy Sourdough Dinner Rolls
- Sourdough Cheese Bread
- Sourdough Cornbread
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Easy Homemade Sourdough Pizza Dough Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Kitchen Scale optional
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup starter
- 4 cups flour
- 1.5 cups water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- The morning of pizza night, add the ingredients to a stand mixer bowl.
- With a dough hook, mix the dough on medium speed until the dough passes the windowpane test, which might take up to 10 minutes.
- Place in an oiled bowl and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Rest at room temperature for about 8 hours.
- Preheat oven to 475.
- Divide the dough into 4 equal sections and allow to rest while you prepare your toppings.
- Roll out on a lightly floured surface. I like to create a bit of a ridge around the outside for hand stretched thickness.
- Spread pizza sauce and top with your favorite toppings.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes (I like to use a preheated pizza stone or cast iron skillet but you can also use a pizza pan.). Finish off with a 3 minute broil to achieve the browning on top of the crust.
Notes
- Active starter is sourdough starter that has been fed within 4-12 hours, and it’s active and bubbly. You want to use starter that is at the peak of its bubbling in order to give the dough the most rise.
- Be careful not to over-ferment the dough. This will leave you with a sloppy mess.
- This dough can be made days or even weeks in advance. If you are planning to use it within a few days, place in the fridge in an airtight container until ready to use. You can also freeze for later.
- Make sure that your dough is at room temperature before rolling. The correct dough temperature allows the dough to relax, and makes it easier to shape and roll.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve made this several times and while I love the flavor, I sometimes let it knead for 30 minutes in the mixer and it still doesn’t pass the windowpane test. What should I do? I use bread flour.
I would let it rest for a bit and try it again. You can also use the stretch and fold method.
How long can I ferment at room temperature without the dough being hard to manipulate?
If I ferment in the fridge what is the minimum amount of time I should allow for fermentation?
What is the maximum amount of time it can sit in the fridge before baking or freezing?
24 hours on the counter and then you can move it to the fridge for up to 3 days.
Can I freeze the dough unbaked with all the toppings on? Or do I need to bake and then freeze it? If I can freeze it unbaked, then would I thaw and then bake or bake frozen? thanks! I love all your recipes!
I would look up par-baking and do that!
Can this recipe be done with a long fermentation? I have a gluten sensitivity, so I’m thinking I might need to ferment for at least 18-24 hours according to your other posts about long fermentation. I’m new to sourdough, so I was just curious!
Yes, aboslutely.
I have never been one to comment on really anything, but I can spend hours reading them because they are so helpful! After learning a few tips and tricks, I now make this recipe once a week or really for any gathering to feed a crowd!
I mix the dough just like the instructions call for and let it ferment on the counter. Then I weigh the dough and split it into 4 discs. Normally I do this step beforehand and leave it in the fridge until I’m ready to use it. I found that I can actually shape the dough easier when it’s cold but that’s just me lol. Using my hands, I keep flattening the disc until I get the dough pretty thin without tearing. Then I transfer it to a piece of parchment paper and bake the crust (with nothing on it) on the pizza stone for 7 minutes. At this point, I either take the crust and wrap it in Saran Wrap (once it’s cooled) to refrigerate or freeze based on when I need it, or I add my sauce, cheese, and toppings and bake it for another 8-10 minutes.
I love freezing the pre baked crusts because it truly does give you the convenience of making a frozen pizza!
So thankful I found this recipe!!
Hey Lisa when making a sourdough pizza crust can you use your hand instead of a mixer? I don’t have one. Thanks.
Yes, that’s fine.
If I make my dough at night and plan to use it the next evening can I put it in the fridge to slow down the fermentation process?
Yes.
I have only made the dough and fermented an hour. I did a stretch and fold. The dough is absolutely beautiful. It is my new go to recipe for pizza dough, etc. Thank you. I made it with discard that was active but not super bubbly. I used regular AP flour.
I have only made the dough and fermented an hour. I did a stretch and fold. The dough is absolutely beautiful. It is my new go to recipe for pizza dough, etc. Thank you. I made it with discard that was active but not super bubbly.
I loved this recipe , first time tried sourdough pizza. i have few things to confimr though:
1. i only ferment it for 3 hours as i dnt want my pizza crust to taste sour .so it was not that soft . how long can i ferment to make it soft but not sour.
2. With same temperature and time, my curst was little undone . Should i bake the base for few minutes before adding the sauce and toppings?
3. I used king arthur organic bread flour and exact measures of water and ohter ingredients but the dough was little stiff , it could be due to less fermentation but just wanted to confirm .
but for first try this recipe was a hit . thank you !
Usually 12 hours without it coming out too sour.