Sourdough discard pizza dough is easy to make ahead so pizza night is a snap! Basically, you already have the sourdough starter, for your bread baking, so you may as well use it for pizza dough, right? Before we started making sourdough pizza, we didn’t realize what we were missing. The crispy edges, the chewy crust, but mostly, the wonderful sourdough flavor!
Instead of tossing that discard, lets make pizza dough! Since this recipe calls for it to be made ahead, you are gonna wanna plan to make it at least the day before your pizza party!
First, you are gonna want to have a digital food scale. But if you are a sourdough bread maker, you probably already have one! The measurements are in grams, but it is super easy, once you set your glass dishes on the scale, and measure it out! And this pizza is worth it!
Sourdough discard pizza dough is an excellent way to utilize excess sourdough starter, resulting in a flavorful and chewy crust.
Next, you plan out the ingredients to have on hand for pizza toppings! Tomato sauce or garlic oil make a great base. Without a doubt, you will want to have a block of mozzarella cheese that you can grate fresh! Obviously you will want a variety of veggies, and meats.
6 simple ingredients for sourdough pizza dough:
- Water: Hydrates the flour, activating gluten development and creating the dough’s base.
- Instant Yeast: Accelerates fermentation, ensuring the dough rises effectively.
- Olive Oil: Adds richness, flavor, and elasticity to the dough.
- Sourdough Starter: Infuses the dough with a tangy, complex flavor while contributing to leavening.
- Flour: Provides structure and elasticity, forming the foundation of the dough.
- Sea Salt: Enhances the dough’s flavor and strengthens the gluten network for a better texture.
How to Make the Dough:
- Mix Wet Ingredients: Combine water, yeast, and olive oil in a bowl and let rest briefly.
- Incorporate Starter: Whisk the sourdough starter into the wet mixture until smooth.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Sprinkle flour and salt into the wet mixture, mixing until the dough forms.
- Rest the Dough: Cover and let it rest for a short period to hydrate the flour.
- Knead: Knead the dough on a floured surface until it becomes elastic and smooth.
- Divide and Shape: Portion the dough into smaller pieces, rolling each into a ball.
- Refrigerate Overnight: Place dough balls on a parchment-lined tray, cover, and refrigerate.
- Prepare for Baking: Allow the dough to come to room temperature before shaping and topping.
- Bake: Top with your favorite ingredients and bake in a preheated oven until golden and crisp.
Tips for Success:
- Use a digital scale for consistent results.
- Experiment with flours like whole wheat or bread flour for different textures.
- Prepare toppings in advance to make assembly quick and easy.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Enhanced Flavor: The sourdough starter adds a unique tanginess to the crust.
- Perfect Texture: Achieves a balance of crispiness and chewiness.
- Resourceful: Makes good use of sourdough discard, minimizing waste.
- Convenient: Prepping the dough ahead makes pizza night stress-free.
Storage and Shelf Life:
- Refrigeration: Keeps well for up to 3 days in a covered container or plastic bag with parchment to prevent sticking.
- Freezing: Freeze after dividing the dough into balls. Thaw in the fridge overnight before use.
Below are some of our favorite pizza toppings:
- Garlic oil
- Tomato sauce
- Smoked Chicken Thighs
- Olive tapenade
- Freshly shredded mozzarella
- Thinly sliced red onions
- Italian sausage
- Pancetta or Bacon
- Prosciutto
- Cherry tomatoes, halved
- Shishito peppers
Other sourdough recipes to try:
Equipment
- bowl
- Whisk
- bench scraper
- parchment
- sheet pan
- clean tea towel
- scale
Ingredients
Ingredients for Sourdough Pizza Dough:
- 400 grams water
- 10 grams instant yeast
- 20 grams olive oil
- 200 grams sourdough starter
- 625 grams flour
- 20 grams sea salt
Instructions
Instructions for Sourdough Pizza Dough:
- Whisk together water, yeast and olive oil, Let sit for 5 minutes.Â400 grams water, 10 grams instant yeast, 20 grams olive oil
- Whisk sourdough starter into the water. Pour flour over the top and sprinkle salt evenly over the flour. Using a stiff spatula mix until well combined. Cover bowl with a moist towel and let dough rest for 15 minutes.Â200 grams sourdough starter, 625 grams flour, 20 grams sea salt
- Using a plastic bench scraper, scoop dough onto a well floured surface. Knead dough until stiff and elastic, about 3-4 minutes. Divide dough into 3 equal pieces for large pizzas. Roll each piece into a ball. Place dough balls onto a sheet pan lined with parchment. Cover with a moist towel and refrigerate overnight.Â
- When ready to make the pizza, let dough sit on counter for 30 minutes. Using your hands, shape each ball on a well floured surface, into rounds. Top with your favorite toppings and bake at 500 degrees for 10 –12 minutes.Â
Can I freeze this dough and if so at what point should I freeze?
Tina,
Hello! We have freezer the leftover dough after it raises in the fridge. You will want to get dough out to thaw, 24 hours in advance. Thank you for your questions! We hope you love this pizza dough as much as we do!
Best, Dina and Bruce
Hello,
You can freeze this dough. The point your want to freeze it at is when it is ready to roll out for pizza. We make our pizzas and then the leftover dough we place in a bag, but we use parchment paper around it so it won’t stick. Let thaw overnight and bake as usual.
Have the best day.
Such a delicious use for sourdough discard! That pizza crust looks absolutely amazing and I love all the pizza topping options.
Tara,
A simple recipe the whole family will love selecting toppings for!
Dina and Bruce
Oh wow, this looks so delicious. My family is going to devour it!
Shadi,
Better make extra! Hah! So happy!!
Dina and Bruce
My pizza turned out great and the kids loved it! Thank you for sharing your sourdough pizza dough recipe
Maayke,
We are so happy! They will be asking you to make again soon!
Dina and Bruce
Amazing! The crust on this is outta this world!
Erik,
That is very kind of you!
Dina and Bruce
This is a fabulous way to use sourdough discard. I can’t wait to make one of these delicious pizzas.
Andrea,
Yay! It is a fav at our house!
Thank you,
Dina and Bruce