Sourdough Pizza Crust

This might be my new favorite sourdough recipe! [I know I say that a lot...but for real this time]. This pizza crust is naturally leavened with sourdough starter and is easy to make! It rises in the fridge overnight which gives you a ton of flexibility with the timeline. I've also included my recipe for super simple and delicious pomodoro sauce because what's pizza without a good sauce?

Pizza Tips

For all of my sourdough recipes, I measure my ingredients in grams. If you don't have a kitchen scale, I highly recommend getting one! You can find lots of affordable ones on Amazon that work great! (Don't have a sourdough starter? Never fear! Just check out my Sourdough Guide for all my tips and tricks!)

One of the key ingredients in both recipes is olive oil. So you want to make sure you're using good olive oil. If you're a nerd like me, you might enjoy this article all about the different kinds of Olive Oil. Long story short, since we're using olive oil to impart extra flavor into our pizza dough and sauce, we want to use high quality extra virgin olive oil. The good stuff can be a little pricier but if you have a Costco membership you should definitely be using your membership to buy Costco Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It's extremely affordable and delicious!

I also highly recommend investing in a good pizza stone if you don't already have one! The key to crispy pizza crust that doesn't get soggy in the middle, is a super hot oven and a preheated pizza stone. More on that below.

Sourdough Pizza Dough

This pizza dough is super flexible and can be easily adjusted to work with your schedule! So here’s rough timeline of how I make the dough:

Day 1

• 12 pm - feed sourdough starter
• 5 pm - make dough and let ferment for 2-3 hours at room temp
• 8 pm - place dough in refrigerator overnight

Day 2

• 11 am - remove dough from fridge and let proof for 5-6 hours at room temp
• 5 pm - make pizza! 

You can also put the proofed dough balls back in the fridge for another 24-48 hours and then shape/cook immediately after removing from the fridge. 

1. Night before: In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine all of the dough ingredients and knead until the dough comes together in a cohesive ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl (5-10 minutes). It should be somewhat smooth but still a little wet and tacky.
2. Cover the bowl and let the dough bulk ferment at room temperature for 3 hours. Perform a set of stretches and folds every 30 minutes (3 sets is plenty) and let the dough rest for the remainder of the 3 hours.
3. Shape the dough into a tight ball and place into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and place in the fridge overnight.
4. In the morning: Remove the dough from the fridge and divide in half. Shape each half into a tight ball and place in a lightly oiled proofing container (I just use an enameled baking dish). Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 5 hours or until doubled in size and puffy.
5. Preheat your oven and baking stone to 500 degrees for at least 15 minutes.
6. Place one of your dough balls on a piece of parchment paper and gently press into a large circle with lightly oiled fingers. Start from the middle and press out to the sides. It should feel like you're pressing all the air to the edges of the dough. The dough will be very elastic at first but will relax as your keep pressing it. The dough will rise about double in the oven, so press it out to about half your desired thickness. 

7. Lightly brush the dough with olive oil (especially the edges), then add the sauce and all your desired toppings.

8. Slide the pizza onto the preheated baking stone and then switch the oven from bake to broil. Broil the pizza for 2 minutes (this helps the crust get nice and crispy) and then switch back to bake and bake the pizza for another 4-5 minutes. Switch the oven back to broil for another 2-4 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly.

9. Top with fresh herbs and enjoy that perfectly crispy crust!

Pomodoro Sauce

If you aren’t making your own tomato sauce, you are missing out! It’s insanely simple, super quick, and so much healthier than what you get in a jar. It also tastes amazing on pizza, pasta, in shakshuka, or just eating by the spoonful.

I always use San Marzano tomatoes which can be a bit pricier than other canned tomatoes. Pro tip: they are always cheaper at Trader Joe’s! Cento is a fantastic brand that I always use but you can substitute with whatever you prefer. However, using high quality tomatoes is what gives you that amazing flavor that needs very little added to it.

1. Saute some shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes in 2 tbsp of good extra virgin olive oil until fragrant and beginning to brown.
2. Stir in the tomato paste until combined and continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes. 
3. Add in can of San Marzano tomatoes and crush (I just use my hands to lightly crush them), then simmer for 5-10 minutes.
4. Stir in the ¼ cup of olive oil, thyme, and basil and voila! Perfect, delicious Pomodoro sauce!

Note: if you want a smoother sauce, just use an immersion blender to quickly blend up all the chunks. 

Classic Margherita Pizza

So simple but so good! It’s especially delicious with my homemade Pomodoro sauce.

• Pomodoro sauce
• fresh mozzarella cheese
• Campari tomatoes
• fresh basil

I like adding balsamic glaze to my margarita pizza but Kyle isn’t a fan (you should do it though). That's it! Simple and delicious!

More Sourdough Recipes

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Sourdough Pizza Crust

5 from 13 votes

This sourdough pizza crust is easy, fun, and delicious! Follow my recipe for simple Pomodoro sauce for a classic margherita pizza!

Print Pin

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Resting Time: 15 hours

Total Time: 15 hours 28 minutes

Servings: 2 personal pizzas

Author: Kyleigh Sage

Equipment

• ▢
  stand mixer with dough hook attachment
• ▢
  pizza stone

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

½1x2x3x

Pizza Dough

• ▢ 80 grams ripe sourdough starter
• ▢ 300 grams Italian style flour, substitute all purpose flour
• ▢ 22 grams whole wheat flour
• ▢ 162 grams water
• ▢ 31 grams extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• ▢ 4 grams salt
• ▢ 1 tablespoon pizza dough flavor, optional

Pomodoro Sauce

• ▢ 32 grams extra virgin olive oil, divided
• ▢ 1 large shallot, diced
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
• ▢ 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ▢ 794 grams San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• ▢ 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped (7-8 large leaves)
• ▢ salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Pizza Dough

• Night before: In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine all of the dough ingredients and knead until the dough comes together in a cohesive ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl (5-10 minutes). It should be somewhat smooth but still a little wet and tacky. If the dough doesn't come together, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until it does.
• Cover the bowl and let the dough bulk ferment at room temperature for 3 hours. Perform a set of stretches and folds every 30 minutes (3 sets is plenty) and let the dough rest for the remainder of the 3 hours.
• Shape the dough into a tight ball and place into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and place in the fridge overnight.
• In the morning: Remove the dough from the fridge and divide in half. Shape each half into a tight ball and place in a lightly oiled proofing container (I just use an enameled baking dish). Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 5-6 hours or until doubled in size and puffy*.
• Preheat your oven and baking stone to 500°F for at least 15 minutes.
• Place one of your dough balls on a piece of parchment paper and gently press into a large circle with lightly oiled fingers. Start from the middle and press out to the sides. It should feel like you're pressing all the air to the edges of the dough. The dough will be very elastic at first but will relax as your keep pressing it. The dough will rise about double in the oven, so press it out to about half your desired thickness.
• Lightly brush the dough with olive oil (especially the edges), then add the sauce and all your desired toppings.
• Slide the pizza onto the preheated baking stone and then switch the oven from bake to broil. Broil the pizza for 2 minutes (this helps the crust get nice and crispy) and then switch back to bake and bake the pizza for another 4-5 minutes. Switch the oven back to broil for another 2-4 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly.

Pomodoro Sauce

• Sauté some shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes in 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil until fragrant and beginning to brown. Stir in the tomato paste until combined and continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes. 
• Add in can of San Marzano tomatoes and crush (I just use my hands to lightly crush them), and simmer for 5-10 minutes. If you want a smoother sauce, just use an immersion blender to quickly blend up all the chunks.
• Stir in the remaining olive oil, fresh thyme, and fresh basil and voila! 
• Use as pizza sauce, serve on pasta, or just eat by the spoonful.
• Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes

*You can also put the proofed dough balls back in the fridge for another 24-48 hours and then shape/cook immediately after removing from the fridge.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pizza | Calories: 721kcal | Carbohydrates: 122.5g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 16.2g | Saturated Fat: 2.3g | Sodium: 456.7mg | Fiber: 5.3g | Sugar: 2.4g

Category | Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine | Italian

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