Crusty, Chewy, and Delicious: The Best Sourdough Pizza Recipe
This recipe guides you through making the best sourdough pizza with a crust that’s both crusty and chewy. Using an active sourdough starter, the dough is slowly fermented for enhanced flavor and texture. Finished with your choice of classic pizza sauces, mozzarella cheese, and toppings like pepperoni, chicken, and fresh basil, this pizza is baked at a high temperature to achieve a perfectly crisp base and bubbly cheese topping.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes (plus 4-6 hours fermentation or up to 48 hours refrigerated fermentation)
- Cook Time: 12-14 minutes
- Total Time: Approximately 5 hours to 2 days depending on fermentation method
- Yield: 1 large pizza or 2 smaller pizzas 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Scale
Dough
- 1 cup (240g) active sourdough starter
- 3/4 cup (180ml) warm water
- 2 1/2 cups (300g) all-purpose or pizza flour
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp honey (optional, helps with browning)
Pizza Sauce
- Rao’s Pizza Sauce
- Pesto & Alfredo Sauce (mix together for a yummy pizza sauce)
Toppings
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
- Pizza toppings such as pepperoni, chicken, red onion, basil, parmesan
Instructions
- Activate the Starter: Ensure your sourdough starter is active and bubbly. If it’s been refrigerated, feed it 4-6 hours before use, or overnight if possible, to revive its activity.
- Mix the Dough: In a large bowl, combine the sourdough starter, warm water, olive oil, salt, and honey. Stir until mostly combined.
- Add the Flour: Gradually add the flour a little at a time, mixing until the dough begins to form. Use your hands to assist as necessary.
- Knead the Dough: Turn dough onto a clean surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add small amounts of flour if sticky, but avoid over-flouring.
- Bulk Fermentation: Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap, and let rise for 4-6 hours at room temperature. Optionally refrigerate for 24-48 hours for enhanced flavor; remove 1-2 hours before baking to reach room temperature.
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat oven to 500°F (260°C) or as high as possible. Place pizza stone or steel inside while preheating for at least 30 minutes to ensure it is thoroughly heated.
- Shape the Dough: Once dough has doubled in size, gently punch down to release air. On a floured surface, divide into two for smaller pizzas or keep whole. Hand stretch or toss dough to desired size with a thin base and thicker edge, then place on parchment paper.
- Assemble the Pizza: Optionally brush dough with olive oil for browning. Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, and add desired toppings without overloading to prevent sogginess.
- Bake the Pizza: Transfer pizza using a peel or slide directly onto the hot pizza stone or baking pan. Bake for 12-14 minutes, checking after 12 minutes. Crust should be golden and cheese bubbling and browned.
- Finishing Touches: Remove pizza from oven and garnish with fresh basil, a drizzle of olive oil, or sprinkle of Parmesan cheese as desired. Serve hot.
Notes
- Feeding the sourdough starter ahead of time ensures proper fermentation and rise.
- Refrigerating the dough for 24-48 hours improves flavor and texture but requires advance planning.
- Use a pizza stone or steel for best crust crispness; preheat thoroughly.
- Do not overload pizza toppings to avoid soggy dough.
- Let refrigerated dough come to room temperature before baking for even cooking.
- Adjust flour quantity slightly based on humidity and dough stickiness.
Keywords: sourdough pizza, homemade pizza dough, pizza recipe, Italian pizza, crispy crust pizza, fermented dough pizza
