🍕Homemade Sour Dough Pizza
There’s something extra satisfying about pizza night when the crust is made from scratch, especially when it’s sourdough. It’s chewy, flavorful, and has that little tang that makes even the simplest toppings taste like a treat.
This is the dough we’ve been making here at the farm: simple ingredients, slow fermentation, and a method that fits real life. Make it the same day, or (my favorite) let it cold ferment for deeper flavor and an easier stretch.
Chewy, Tangy, & Worth the Wait
Sourdough gives pizza crust a texture you just can’t fake! Crispy edges, a soft chew, and that beautiful depth of flavor from fermentation. The best part? Once you learn the rhythm, it’s an easy routine to repeat every week.
Sourdough Pizza Dough (Makes 6 crusts)
Ingredients
- 360 g active sourdough starter (fed, bubbly, passes float test)
- 720 g warm water (about 85–95°F)
- 90 g olive oil
- 1080 g flour (bread flour preferred for chew)
- 2 TBSP salt
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the active starter, warm water, and olive oil until the starter dissolves.
- Add flour: Add flour and mix until no dry flour remains. Dough will look shaggy and sticky. Cover and rest 20–30 minutes (autolyze).
- Add salt: Sprinkle salt over the dough. Mix by hand, squeezing and folding until fully incorporated (2–3 minutes).
- Bulk ferment (first rise): Cover and rise at room temp for 4–6 hours. During the first 2 hours, do 3–4 stretch-and-folds every 30 minutes. Look for a 30–50% rise (not necessarily doubled).
- Divide & shape: Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 6 portions (about 550–600g each). Shape into tight balls.
- Cold ferment (recommended): Place dough balls into lightly oiled containers, cover, and refrigerate 12–48 hours.
- Before baking: Remove dough 2–3 hours before baking to come to room temperature. Preheat oven as hot as possible (500–550°F) and preheat stone/steel at least 45 minutes.
- Stretch & top: Press dough from center outward, leaving a thicker rim. Avoid rolling pins (they press out the air). Add toppings.
- Bake: Home oven: 7–10 minutes. Pizza oven: 90 seconds–3 minutes. Bake until blistered, golden, and lightly charred in spots.
Notes for texture control:
- If dough feels too sticky → lightly flour your hands (not the dough).
- If dough spreads too much → increase flour slightly next batch.
- For crispier crust → bake directly on a steel.
- For softer chew → use parchment.
Portioning Makes Pizza Night Easy
Dividing the dough into individual balls means you can grab exactly what you need! One crust, two crusts, or the whole batch for a pizza party. A tight dough ball also holds air better, which gives you that puffy rim when it bakes.
The Fridge Does the Magic
If you can plan ahead, the cold ferment is where the flavor really deepens. The dough becomes easier to stretch, bakes with better blistering, and tastes like something you’d order from a real pizzeria! All from made in your own home oven.
Make Ahead & Stay Organized
Labeling containers with dates keeps everything simple, especially if you’re fermenting for 24–48 hours. This is also a great way to prep for the weekend: mix once, enjoy fresh pizza multiple nights.
Hot Oven, Golden Crust
Whether you’re using a steel, stone, or cast iron, the goal is the same: high heat and a well-preheated surface. That’s how you get a crisp bottom, airy edges, and that irresistible “pizza shop” bite at home.
If you try this sourdough pizza dough, I’d love to see your creations. Tag me on Instagram @thehippiefarmer, share on Facebook, or leave a comment below.
With love and flour-dusted fingers,
The Hippie Farmer