Description
This Sourdough Pizza Dough recipe yields a flavorful and chewy crust with a delightful tang from the natural fermentation of the sourdough starter. Perfect for homemade pizzas, it requires simple ingredients and basic preparation, allowing the dough to rise slowly for enhanced texture and taste. Ideal for those who enjoy artisan-style pizza crusts made from scratch.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup active sourdough starter
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Prepare the dry mix: Gather all ingredients. In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt thoroughly to distribute the salt evenly throughout the flour.
- Add wet ingredients: Add the active sourdough starter and lukewarm water to the flour mixture. Stir gently until all ingredients are just combined into a shaggy dough.
- Knead the dough: Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic, which develops the gluten for structure.
- First rise: Lightly grease a large bowl and place the kneaded dough inside. Cover it with a damp cloth to retain moisture, and let it rise undisturbed for 4 to 6 hours, until it doubles in size due to fermentation.
- Divide and shape: After the dough has risen, punch it down gently to release excess gas. Divide it into two equal portions and shape each into your preferred pizza base shape, ready for topping.
- Preheat oven: While preparing the toppings and shaping the dough on baking sheets or pizza stones, preheat your oven to 475°F (245°C) to ensure a hot baking environment that crisps and browns the crust perfectly.
Notes
- Make sure your sourdough starter is active and bubbly for best fermentation results.
- Use lukewarm water to help activate the yeast in the sourdough starter without killing it.
- Kneading time is crucial for gluten development—do not rush this process.
- The long rise time develops flavor and texture; avoid shortening it.
- You can freeze unused dough portions before baking for up to 1 month.
- Baking stones help achieve a crisper crust but baking sheets also work well.
