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Sourdough Pizza Dough

pepperoni and olives on a sourdough pizza with red sauce

There's something magical about combining 400g of buttery-smooth 00 flour with 215g of strong bread flour. It creates an incredible dough that's both strong enough to stretch paper-thin and tender enough to make your taste buds sing for more. This dough is cold fermented for up to 3 days but best on day two. You end up with four gorgeous dough balls that cook to a crispy-bottom, pillowy-soft interior with beautiful air pockets!

Whether you're just starting your sourdough journey or you've been making pizza for years, you should give this recipe a go. Fair warning though, once you taste homemade sourdough pizza this good, ordering delivery will never quite feel the same again!

What type of flour to use for sourdough pizza dough?

Tipo 00 Italian Pizza Flour

The most important flour is 00 flour. 00 This is the finest-milled Italian and  is the gold standard for exceptional pizza. Its uniquely fine texture creates dough that's incredibly smooth and extensible with a protein content around 12-13%.

Strong Bread Flour

While the 00 flour adds tenderness and extensibility, a strong bread flour contributes strength and structure. The blend of these two flours ensures a strong gluten network to hold in all those precious gas bubbles cultivated during fermentation.

If you do not have Tipo 00 Flour in your pantry, you can swap it out for all-purpose.

A few brands I use are Anna and Caputo. They are both excellent choices.

My favorite pizza dough making tools

  • Kitchen Scale: My most used tool in the kitchen. It ensures perfect consistency in your baking or cooking recipes rather than unreliable volume measurements.
  • Bulk Fermentation Container: Unlike a regular mixing bowl, a proper bulk fermentation container has straight sides with volume markings that accurately show fermentation progress, making it easier to know exactly when your dough has risen by the target percentage.
  • Dough Proofing Containers: Pizza dough proofing containers maintain optimal humidity and prevent drying while allowing individual dough balls to develop properly without sticking together.
  • Pizza Peel: A pizza peel is essential for safely transferring your delicate stretched dough to it’s cooking surface without losing its shape.
  • Pizza Stone: A pizza stone absorbs and radiates intense heat that mimics brick ovens creating a perfectly crisp bottom crust while allowing proper oven spring for that professional-quality pizza texture.
sourdough pizza crust air bubble

What is the dough texture like?

This dough yields a distinctly tender chew, not tough or rubbery with enough integrity to support toppings without sagging while being built thin like an authentic Neapolitan-style pizza. The interior has a beautiful open crumb with an airy, fluffy interior.

The dough stretches with surprising ease, allowing you to achieve that coveted thin center without tearing.

What does this sourdough pizza taste like?

The long cold fermentation develops a complex flavor profile that complements both simple traditional toppings like a classic Margherita or more elaborate combinations. The subtle tang from the sourdough fermentation enhances rather than dominates, creating a foundation that elevates whatever toppings you choose to pair with it.

The long fermentation process breaks down the flour proteins in a way that commercial yeast simply cannot match.

sourdough pizza dough autolyse phase
Autolyse
sourdough pizza dough with starter added
Add Starter
Mix Until Smooth (3 mins)
sourdough pizza dough with oil and salt added
Add Oil & Salt
Mix (5-7 mins)
stretch and folds
Stretch and Folds
divided dough
After Bulk Fermentation - Divide
sourdough pizza dough in containers for cold fermentation
Refrigerate up to 36 Hours

Baking Schedule Overlook

graphic of baking schedule for sourdough pizza dough

Sourdough pizza dough formula

I find a 65-70% hydration level for sourdough pizza dough is optimal for several reasons. 

  1. It’s great for home cooking.
  2. The flour combination of 00 pizza flour and strong bread flour balances absorption rates. The bread flour's higher protein content can handle a bit more hydration, while the 00 flour provides extensibility.
  3. The long cold fermentation benefits from this hydration level, developing more complex flavors while maintaining structural integrity.
WeightIngredientBaker's Percentage
400 gramsTipo 00 Flour65%
215 gramsStrong Bread Flour (13-14% protein)35%
428 gramsWarm water (80-90°F)
70%
50 gramsRipe Starter8%
18 gramsOlive Oil3%
12 gramsSalt2%

Pizza toppings

Here are some family favs:

Classic Margherita: Simple tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella, and basil topped with a drizzle of high-quality olive oil.

White Veggie: Olive oil, shredded mozzarella, ricotta, pesto, mushroom, asparagus, summer squash, or spinach.

Checkout more sourdough recipes

Sourdough Bread

Sourdough Donuts

Sourdough Hamburger Buns

Prep Time 7 hrs
Cook Time 8 mins
Rest Time 36 hrs
Total Time 43 hrs 8 mins
Cooking Method:
Category: ,
Course: ,
Servings: 4
Description

This sourdough pizza dough combines 00 flour and bread flour for the ideal balance of strength and tenderness. With a cold fermentation period of 24-36 hours (best results at 36 hours), it creates four perfect dough balls that stretch beautifully thin while developing a crispy bottom and airy, chewy interior with gorgeous open pockets.

Ingredients
  • 400 grams tipo 00 pizza flour
  • 215 grams strong bread flour
  • 428 grams warm water
  • 50 grams ripe starter
  • 18 grams olive oil
  • 12 grams salt
Instructions
    Prepare Levain
  1. 1
    Give your starter a 1:3:3 feeding the night before - 9pm
    2. Autolyse
  2. 2
    Weigh out the water in a large mixing bowl, then add the flour to form an autolyse (soaking the flour). Mix to ensure all the flour has been hydrated. Cover autolyse and set aside for 1 hour 30 minutes.
    3. Add the Starter
  3. 3
    Wet hands with water and rub off excess. This is to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands.
  4. 4
    Spread the starter on the surface of the dough and incorporate by rubbing in and pulling in the sides of dough until a smooth ball is formed. Cover and rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine salt and oil in a small bowl for the next step.
    5. Add Salt & Olive Oil
  5. 5
    Pour salt and olive oil mixture on top of dough and spread on the surface. Press your hand into the dough and squeeze. Gently continue squeezing throughout the dough. This is the hardest step - do not give up on getting the oil mixed into the dough. The dough will separate and be difficult to work with. You are finished when oil is no longer on your hands and the dough becomes tacky again. You will hear it stick to the bowl instead of slide around like in the beginning. This takes about 7 minutes. Again, be gentle and take your time. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
    6. Perform Two Stretch and Folds
  6. 6
    Wet hands with water and rub off excess. This is to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands.
  7. 7
    Grab a small piece of the dough with your fingers, pull it up and shake towards you, and then fold it on top of the pizza dough. Turn the dough a quarter turn clockwise and perform the same stretch and fold. Continue to do this motion about 10 times. The dough will begin to look smoother. Cover the bowl again and allow it to rest for another 30 minutes.
  8. 8
    Perform either another stretch and fold or coil fold. Transfer to your bulk fermentation container or leave in the bowl you are already using.
    9. Warm Bulk Fermentation
  9. 9
    After performing your last stretch and fold, transfer to a warm proofing area. I used a bread proofer box and set it to 75°F. You may use your oven (THAT IS OFF) and leave the light on to produce a small amount of warmth. This usually takes my dough about 3 hours. Look for a 30-40% increase in size as timing fluctuates based on many variables.
    10. Dump and Divide Dough & Preshape
  10. 10
    With a bench scraper, divide and weigh the dough into 4 equal pieces of 275 grams.
  11. 11
    Preshape each dough ball using your bench scraper by making a sweeping, circular motion to gather the dough toward you.
  12. 12
    As you push the scraper forward and then draw it back toward you in a fluid C-shaped motion, the dough will begin to form into a round shape by creating tension on top of the ball and smoothing it out without tearing.
  13. 13
    Rest for 20 minutes before transferring to proofing containers.
    14. Cold Bulk Fermentation
  14. 14
    Refrigerate for up to 36 hours.
    15. Final Proof (Day of Baking)
  15. 15
    Pull dough from the fridge 4-6 hours before using and immediately remove dough from containers to preshape again.
  16. 16
    Place dough balls on a baking sheet with parchment paper and cover with a damp towel. Allow to proof for 4-6 hours. I preferably love the results of a 6 hour proof.
    17. Preheat Pizza Stone & Prepare Pizza
  17. 17
    Preheat your pizza stone on a grill or in the oven at 500°F for 45 minutes before baking pizza.
  18. 18
    Place a dough ball into a shallow bowl or rimmed plate of flour and coat both sides.
  19. 19
    Open out a dough ball into a circular base, taking care to retain air in the crust.
  20. 20
    Sprinkle semolina, rice flour, or corn meal onto your pizza peel and lay dough on top.
  21. 21
    Add your favourite toppings.
  22. 22
    Bake for about 8-10 minutes until the bottom is browned and the crust is cooked. You may rotate the pizza 180° half way through cooking to ensure even browning.
Read it online: https://raiseafork.com/recipe/sourdough-pizza-dough/

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