Sourdough Pizza Dough Recipe
Hand-mixed sourdough pizza dough made with active starter, no mixer and no kneading. You fold the dough over itself a few times to build strength, let it rise, and bake the same day, with an overnight option if you want more tang. My favorite is baked deep-dish in a cast iron skillet.
Servings 12 (or two pizzas)
Equipment
- 1 10" cast-iron skillet or a pizza pan, sheet pan, pizza stone or steel
Ingredients
- 100 g active sourdough starter bubbly and recently fed
- 325 g warm water (about 325 ml, 80 to 90°F)
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 500 g flour bread flour or all-purpose flour
- 10 g fine salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the warm water, honey, and active sourdough starter until the starter is mostly dissolved.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the starter mixture. Mix by hand until the dough comes together and no large dry patches remain. It will look shaggy and rough.
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Drizzle in the olive oil. Pinch, squeeze, and fold the dough over itself in the bowl, turning as you go, until the oil works in and the dough feels smoother and a little stronger, about 8 to 10 folds. It may feel slick at first, then come together. No timed stretch-and-folds needed.
- Cover and let the dough bulk rise at room temperature until puffy and about 50% to 75% larger, roughly 4 to 6 hours total, depending on your starter and kitchen.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and divide into 2 equal pieces. Shape each into a ball by tucking the edges underneath. Place each in a lightly oiled bowl or container.
- Cover and rest at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours to bake the same day, or refrigerate 12 to 48 hours (or freeze) to make ahead.
- To bake, preheat the oven as hot as it will go, ideally 500 to 550°F. If using a pizza stone or steel, also pre-heat it at least 45 minutes. Do not pre-heat a cast-iron skillet. If the dough was refrigerated, let it sit at room temperature 1 to 2 hours before shaping.
- Place a dough ball on a lightly floured surface. Gently press from the center outward, leaving a thicker rim.
- For the cast iron deep dish (my favorite), press one ball into an oiled 10-inch skillet (no preheating), add sauce, cheese, and toppings, then bake 12 to 15 minutes, then set the skillet on the stovetop over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes to crisp the bottom. On a stone or steel, add sauce, cheese, and toppings, then bake 8 to 12 minutes until browned and crisp. On an oiled sheet pan, add sauce, cheese, and toppings, then bake 12 to 18 minutes. In every case, bake until the crust is browned, the bottom is crisp, and the cheese is bubbly.
Notes
- Folding the dough over itself replaces kneading, building enough strength for shaping without a stand mixer, dough hook, or timed stretch-and-folds.
- Same-day dough bakes up great. For a tangier flavor and a slightly easier stretch, chill the shaped balls overnight before baking.
- If the dough feels sticky, lightly oil or wet your hands instead of adding extra flour, which can make the crust tougher.
- If the dough resists stretching, let it rest 10 to 15 minutes, then try again.
- Using active starter is best. If you only have discard, feed it a few hours ahead so it perks up first.
- If the dough feels stiff while mixing, add 10 to 25 g water. Flour absorbs differently by brand and humidity.
- To stock the freezer, par-bake plain 12-inch rounds at 475 to 500°F for 5 to 7 minutes, just until set but not browned. Cool completely, then freeze with parchment paper between them. Top and bake straight from frozen at 500 to 550°F for 6 to 10 minutes. You can also par-bake deep-dish crusts right in a cast iron skillet (6 to 8 minutes), lift them out to cool and freeze, then finish later in a same-size skillet.
