This sourdough pizza crust is naturally leavened with sourdough starter and is super easy to make! With a perfectly crispy, chewy crust, you'll never want to order in pizza again! It rises in the fridge overnight which gives you a ton of flexibility with the timeline. I've also included my recipe for classic margherita style pizza!
You might also like these sourdough garlic knots or these sourdough pretzels!
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Ingredient Notes
You only need a few ingredients to make the best chewy sourdough pizza crust!
- Sourdough starter - Don't have a sourdough starter? Never fear! Just check out my Sourdough Guide for all my tips and tricks
- Italian flour - I always use Italian style flour to make the dough super light and tender. But all purpose flour works in a pinch!
- Whole wheat flour - This is optional, but I like adding a small amount of whole wheat flour for extra flavor. Feel free to substitute with all purpose flour instead.
- Pizza dough flavor - This is completely optional, but I just love the extra flavor it gives to the dough!
- Olive oil - You want to use good, high quality extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor! Adding olive oil to the crust also helps it get super crispy!
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
Sourdough Pizza Timeline
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
- 5 pm - remove dough from fridge and let proof for 2 hours at room temp
- 7 pm - make pizza!
How to Make Sourdough Pizza Dough
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!
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.
To stretch and fold the dough, you'll do one stretch north to south, and one east to west.
- Grab the top edge of the dough and stretch upwards as far as you can without the dough breaking.
- Then fold it over on the bottom.
- Repeat the same motion from side to side.
Shape the dough into a tight ball and place into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and place in the fridge overnight (up to 48 hours).
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 2-3 hours or until doubled in size and puffy.
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.
Classic Margherita Pizza
There are endless types of pizza you can make with your homemade sourdough pizza crust! So I've just included my recipe for classic margherita pizza, but feel free to do whatever you want!
- Pomodoro sauce - If you aren't making your own tomato sauce, you're missing out! It's super simple, quick, and healthier than what you get in a jar.
- Fresh mozzarella cheese - Burrata is also a good choice!
- Parmesan - This is optional but I'll never pass up an extra sprinkle of parmesan or pecorino cheese!
- Campari tomatoes
- Fresh basil
- Red pepper flakes - I love adding just a little red pepper for some heat, but you can leave it out if desired.
- Balsamic glaze - Totally optional, but my favorite thing to add to margherita pizza!
How to Make Homemade Pizza
Preheat your oven and pizza 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 pesto 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.
Top with fresh herbs and enjoy that perfectly crispy crust!
Sourdough Tips & Tricks
If you've never baked with sourdough before, it can be a little tricky. But don't worry, I have a full Sourdough Guide all about making and maintaining a sourdough starter! I also have a full guide on different types of flour you can use to make sourdough. Below are a few quick tips and key terms you need to know.
- Sourdough Starter - A culture of wild yeast and bacteria that leavens and flavors sourdough bread. I use what's called a "liquid starter" versus a stiff starter. This means the starter is made with equal parts flour and water and should be a consistency similar to cake batter.
- Sourdough Discard - The portion of your starter that is discarded when feeding your starter (can be used in tons of recipes like sourdough discard blueberry muffins or sourdough pancakes).
- Ripe Starter - A starter that's ready to be used in baking. Your starter is ripe roughly 6 hours after feeding and will have doubled in size, have lots of visible bubbles, and a fresh acidic aroma.
Weigh your ingredients! For all my sourdough recipes, I measure the ingredients in grams because it's much more accurate! I highly recommend getting a kitchen scale if you don't already have one! However, I have included alternate US customary measurements for your convenience.
Use an oven thermometer! Just because your oven says it's 350, doesn't mean it is! If you oven hasn't been calibrated recently, it can be as much as 30 degrees off, which will negatively affect all breads and baked goods! An oven thermometer is the easiest/cheapest way to ensure your oven is always at the proper temperature.
Easy sourdough recipes for beginners! If you've never made sourdough bread before, I recommend starting with some simple, no-fuss recipes like my sourdough naan or sourdough bagels! But if you're already a pro, I have a ton of fun sourdough recipes you can try!
Recipe FAQ's
1. Use a super hot oven and preheated pizza stone! Preheat both your oven and pizza stone to 500°F. Switch between bake and broil to help get rid of excess liquid from the cheese.
2. Don't use too much sauce! Sauce that contains a lot of liquid can cause your pizza to be soggy. Just spread a thin amount over the crust.
3. Don't use too much cheese!! Make sure you drain excess water from the cheese and don't use too much or else the liquid won't be able to evaporate.
No, but you should!! Preheating a pizza stone or baking steel before baking is the best way to get super crispy pizza crust!
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
More Recipes You Might Like!
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Recipe Card
Sourdough Pizza Crust
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 80 grams ripe sourdough starter
- 300 grams Italian style flour, substitute all purpose flour
- 22 grams whole wheat flour, substitute all purpose four
- 162 grams water
- 31 grams extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 4 grams kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon pizza dough flavor, optional
Margherita Pizza
- 112 grams pomodoro sauce
- 226 grams fresh mozzarella cheese
- 2 small Campari tomatoes, sliced
- 6 leaves fresh basil
- red pepper flakes, optional
- parmesan cheese, optional
Instructions
Pizza Dough
- 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.
- To stretch and fold the dough, you'll do one stretch north to south, and one east to west. Grab the top edge of the dough and stretch upwards as far as you can without the dough breaking. Then fold it over on the bottom. Repeat the same motion from side to side.
- Shape the dough into a tight ball and place into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and place in the fridge overnight (up to 48 hours).
- 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 2-3 hours or until doubled in size and puffy.
- 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.
Margherita Pizza
- Preheat your oven and pizza 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 pesto 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.
- Top with fresh herbs and enjoy that perfectly crispy crust!
Notes
2. Don't use too much sauce! Sauce that contains a lot of liquid can cause your pizza to be soggy. Just spread a thin amount over the crust.
3. Don't use too much cheese!! Make sure you drain excess water from the cheese and don't use too much or else the liquid won't be able to evaporate.
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ireneluv says
Beautiful and thoroughly written.I cannot WAIT to try. I agree that Cento is a great recipe trick for pizza sauce. Might you have a recipe for balsamic glaze?
Jessica Formicola says
Oh my, this is genius! I love sourdough bread, so making it into pizza crust sounds right up my alley!
Kristina says
This tastes amazing!
Maur says
So glad I found this website, I was just discussing with the boys about making pizza from scratch this weekend.
Chef Dennis says
This is such a great timing! I need a recipe for sourdough pizza crust! Thanks for sharing.
Emily says
I love sourdough pizza crust, I can't wait to try your recipe!
Angela says
Delicious!
Ashlea C. says
I'd been looking for a great sourdough pizza crust recipe for awhile now, this one is yields the perfect crust! Just the way that I like it. And the sauce! Yum!
Jessica says
This is the perfect stay at home Valentine's Day recipe! Great tips!!
Sue says
Delicious crust!
Luke says
This sourdough pizza base is amazing the family absolutely loved it, thanks for sharing:)
Janet says
You knocked this crust out of the park! I loved the sauce as well. Made a great base for my veggie pizza. Thanks!
Matt L. says
AMAZING! I love your tips for making the crust super crispy!
Lucille Snellgrove says
I have tried MANY sourdough pizza crust recipes, always ending up disappointed. I found your recipe last week & gave it a try. I followed your directions exactly & what a game changer! Using the parchment paper made such a difference. It is the perfect amount for two small pizza's. Thank you, thank you for posting your recipe!
Kyleigh Sage says
Oh I’m so happy to hear that!