Sourdough Pizza
The reason I started making sourdough pizza dough is that I already had the starter and a pizza craving on the same evening, and it seemed reasonable to combine the two. It was not ready that evening because sourdough dough is never ready the same evening, but the next night I had the best pizza I had made at home, and that is the thing about sourdough: it asks you to plan ahead, which is something I am still working on. I feel that most homemade pizzas fail at the toppings, not the dough: the instinct is to load them up, and then you end up with a soggy middle and cheese that has steamed rather than browned. Most of the time, less is always more. Fresh mozzarella is not negotiable, and if you are going to spend two days on the dough, let me just say: spend the extra few minutes on the cheese.
Sourdough Pizza
Sourdough pizza dough is slower than anything made with instant yeast, which is both the point and the inconvenience. The overnight ferment gives the crust a depth of flavor you simply cannot rush into existence, and the slight tang pairs with a bright tomato sauce in a way that makes everything else feel like a compromise. My starter and my oven have a complicated relationship, but when all three of us are getting along, this is the pizza I make in a heartbeat.
Ingredients
For the dough
150g (⅔ cup) active sourdough starter, fed and bubbly
300ml (1¼ cups) warm water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp fine sea salt
450g (3½ cups) bread flour, plus more for shaping
For the sauce
400g (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, finely grated
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp fine sea salt
¼ tsp dried oregano
To top
250g (9 oz) fresh mozzarella, torn
A few fresh basil leaves
Olive oil, for drizzling
Flaky salt
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine the sourdough starter and warm water. Stir until the starter is mostly dissolved. Add the olive oil, then the flour and salt. Mix until a shaggy dough forms with no dry patches.
Cover and rest for 30 minutes. Then perform four sets of stretch and folds over the next 2 hours: wet your hand, grab one side of the dough, stretch it up and fold it over itself, rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat until you've gone all the way around. Do this every 30 minutes.
After the final fold, the dough should feel smooth and slightly springy. Cover and refrigerate overnight, at least 10 hours and up to 48. The longer it sits, the more flavor it develops.
For the sauce: stir together the crushed tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, and oregano. No cooking needed. This is one of those times where the oven does the work.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator 2 hours before baking. Divide into two equal pieces and shape each into a smooth ball. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest at room temperature.
Place a baking stone or heavy baking sheet in the oven and heat to its highest setting, 260°C / 500°F if it will go there. Let it preheat for at least 45 minutes. This is not optional.
On a lightly floured surface, stretch one dough ball into a rough 30cm (12-inch) round. Work from the center outward with your fingers, letting gravity do some of the stretching. It will not be perfectly round and that is fine.
Spoon a thin layer of sauce over the dough, leaving a border around the edge. Less sauce than you think, a wet pizza is a sad pizza. Scatter the torn mozzarella across the top.
Slide onto the hot stone or sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the crust is deep golden at the edges and the cheese has taken on some color. Watch it.
Remove from the oven, scatter fresh basil on top, drizzle with olive oil, and finish with a pinch of flaky salt. Eat immediately. Repeat with the second dough ball.
Hi, I'm Sarina!
I'm passionate about food, photography, and food styling. I want to share my unique perspective with you. Have a look around at my recipes and blog
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