Easy Sourdough Pizza Crust Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How much sourdough starter to use in pizza dough? ›

The amount of sourdough starter you need to make pizza dough can vary based on the flour used and the fermentation schedule. Typically, I like to have between 10 to 20% sourdough starter in my pizza dough.

Sourdough bakers are always on the lookout for creative ways to put unfed starter to use. In the case of this pizza crust, the open crumb and distinctive hearty taste of sourdough are well suited to bold toppings and well-aged cheeses.

Incorrect proofing is the most common reason behind inadequate dough rising. This can happen due to the water being too hot or not having enough yeast in the dough. Using expired yeast is another fairly common reason. Insufficient proofing time or low ambient temperature can be the culprit too.

If you have too much starter compared to the additional flour and water you're adding, your hungry starter consumes all the nutrients and then it's not as bubbly.

Tipo 00 flour is widely used for pizza dough because if actually absorbs less water. If you're using bread flour (like I do for my pizza) you would generally use more water because it has a higher absorption rate. This is important because sourdough pizza needs to be a bit higher in hydration to make great pizza.

But sourdough pizza, and I'm referring strictly to the dough itself, is different. It does not require commercial yeast in order to rise. Sourdough pizza is made with bubbly, active sourdough starter which naturally leavens the dough.

Increasing the Hydration. Higher hydration doughs generally have a thinner, crispier crust. This is because there is more water in the dough, so when it hits the oven, there is more steam - allowing your bread to expand more easily before the crust starts to form.

If you don't let pizza dough rise, then it will not be able to trap the air bubbles that make for a light and airy crust. This will result in flat and dense bread that won't have much flavor or texture.

Boil Water and Place Dough Nearby

Bring a pot of water to boil on the stove, then turn off the heat and place the dough nearby. The steam from the boiling water should provide enough warmth and humidity to help your bread rise.

What temperature do you bake pizza at? ›

The best oven temperature for pizza is between 450 and 500 degrees F (250 to 260 degrees C). Pizza ovens cook at temperatures between 800 and 900 degrees F. You can't get that hot in your home oven, but the higher you can go, the better. Place a pizza stone on a lower oven rack.

Because of the fineness of the grains, 00 flour is the ideal flour for pizza. 00 flour is a finely ground Italian milled flour ideal for pizza due to its delicate and fluffy crust.

The amount of active starter needed for one loaf of bread can vary depending on the recipe and the desired characteristics of the bread. As a general guideline, a common rule of thumb is to use around 20-30% of the total flour weight in the recipe as the amount of starter.

The most common feeding ratio is 1:1:1 (sourdough starter: flour: water). This is also known as a 100% hydration starter. For example, let's say you have 40 g of sourdough starter in a jar. To feed it, you'll add 40 g of flour + 40 g of water.

So, a sourdough feeding ratio is the relative amount (referring to weight) of old sourdough compared to fresh flour and water. Typical feeding ratios are 1:2:2 or 1:3:3 (old sourdough: fresh flour: water). However, even extreme ratios like 1:50:50 would still work.

As with any sourdough recipe, before you start baking bread, you want to make sure that your sourdough starter is as strong as possible. My basic sourdough recipe uses just 50g of starter for 500g of flour (so just 10% of starter).