An easy homemade pizza dough made with a sourdough starter and no commercial yeast. Make this recipe in the morning and enjoy pizza in the evening or make in advance and refrigerate for up to 1 day (24 hours) before use.
100 gramssourdough starter (about 1/2 cup) freshly fed so it's active and bubbly (meaning the starter has doubled in size since feeding, usually within 4-10 hours of a fresh feeding)
350gramswater (about 1 3/4 cups)
15gramsextra virgin olive oil (1 tablespoon)
500gramsall-purpose flour(about 4 cups) I use the heritage white flour from Sunrise Flour Mill or einkorn
1-2baking stoneor baking sheet (this recipe makes enough for one large pizza or 2 medium-size pizzas)
damp kitchen towel for covering the dough during the fermentation rest
Instructions
Make the Pizza Dough:
In a large bowl, whisk the sourdough starter, water, and olive oil. I use a dough hook. If you don't have a dough hook, use a fork.
Add the flour and salt to the bowl and use the dough hook (or a wooden spoon) to stir the ingredients until everything is well mixed and the ingredients form a wet and jagged-looking dough. If this becomes difficult to mix with your spoon or dough hook, you can use your hands to bring the ingredients together.
Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rest at room temperature for 6-8 hours, until doubled in size. I like to drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the dough, but this is completely optional.
After 6-10 hours, the dough will have doubled in size and appear smooth and have an elastic and wet feel. At this point, you can use the dough to make pizza or place the dough in the fridge (in a bag or the same bowl, just be sure to cover with a damp cloth) and use within 24 hours. If you choose to place your dough in the fridge, the flavor and texture of the dough will continue to intensify. I actually prefer dough that's been refrigerated like this and find the crust to be much lighter and fluffy.
When you're ready to use the dough to make pizza, grab a piece of parchment paper (or two if you're making two medium-size pizzas). Sprinkle the parchment with extra flour. If you want two medium pizzas, split the dough in half and scoop out one half of the dough onto the floured parchment paper. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour and roll out the dough using your hand or a rolling pin to your desired size and thickness. If the dough is too sticky and wet, knead in extra flour until it's workable.
Add the desired toppings over the dough (red sauce--see an easy recipe in the notes, pesto--see an easy recipe in the notes, cheese, veggies, meats, etc.).
Cook the Pizza:
Preheat the oven to 475F. Place a large baking stone or sheet pan, or two medium-size baking stones or sheet pans, in the oven to preheat.
Carefully pick up the parchment paper (we use a pizza peel to do this--this one), and place the parchment and pizza on the hot baking stone or sheet pan (in the oven). Bake the pizza for 15-20 minutes, OR until the crust is golden brown (this will depend on your oven). Allow the pizza to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
To make pizza sauce, here's what you need:
2 cups crushed tomatoes (from a can)
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
Combine the ingredients together and then spoon on the pizza crust before baking. To make pesto, check out this recipe.