This sourdough discard pizza dough uses sourdough discard starter to create the most delicious pizza crust.
This recipe uses discard starter and a long overnight proof to leaven the dough.
If you're after a faster version, it also has the option of using a little yeast alongside the sourdough discard starter to make same-day sourdough pizza dough.
Sourdough discard
Sourdough discard starter is any excess sourdough starter you have. It can be unfed or recently fed and bubbly.
The sourdough starter ferments the dough, brings rise and adds great texture and flavour.
If your sourdough starter is super new, like under a week old, it might not have enough of a yeast colony yet to provide the rise in the pizza dough. In this case, you can add ¼ teaspoon instant yeast to the mixture. The starter will still ferment the flour but the extra yeast will give it rising strength.
The dough undergoes a cold-proof which is when the bacteria in the sourdough starter will get to work and begin breaking down the starches in the flour.
Ingredients
This dough contains only 4 ingredients -
- All purpose flour or bread flour
- Water
- Discard sourdough starter
- Salt
Baker's schedule
This recipe can be made really quickly, or slowly, it depends on what works in your schedule. Here is a rough baker's schedule for sourdough discard pizza without yeast and with yeast.
Sourdough discard pizza (no yeast)
Night before
- 8 pm - Mix dough and leave to sit at room temperature
Following day
- 8 am - Fridge proof
- 4:30 pm - Pre-shape
- 5:00 pm - Shape
- Cook
Same day sourdough pizza dough (with yeast)
- 9 am - Mix the dough (with a little yeast)
- 9:30 am - Stretch and fold for 1 hour
- 10:30am - Fridge proof
- 4:30 pm - Pre-shape
- 5:00 pm - Shape
- Cook
Step by step instructions
The night before, mix all the dough ingredients together in a bowl into a shaggy and sticky dough. Leave it to sit for 20 minutes then perform one set of stretches and folds. This is when you pull a side of the dough up over itself.
Use wet hands to do this, so the dough doesn't stick to you. Repeat this on all sides.
Cover the bowl and leave it to sit at room temperature overnight.
The following day
In the morning, perform another set of stretches and folds. The dough should feel much stretchier and elastic than yesterday.
Place the dough in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
After the cold-proof, the dough is pre-shaped into 2 equal dough balls and left to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
After this period it is shaped and cooked.
Shaping
To shape the pizza, take one dough ball and place it on a piece of floured parchment paper. The dough will be quite sticky underneath so use the flour you need to ensure it can easily come off the parchment.
Use floured hands to gently press the dough out into a 20cm/8inch circle. Press the dough outwards so there is a thicker crust around the pizza base.
If the dough keeps springing back, let it rest for another 10 minutes before trying again.
Cooking the pizza
The rule for cooking pizza is the hotter the temperature, the better the pizza will be. A home oven generally doesn't get that hot so a pizza oven will always be your best bet for cooking a good pizza.
Pizza is best when cooked really hot and really fast.
If using a home oven, turn it up to as hot as it can go (usually that's about 250-260°C/482-500°F).
The pizza can also be made in a cast-iron skillet. Cast-iron traps really well. Press the dough into a greased skillet, then bake in hot a pre-heated oven until puffed and browned.
Related recipes
Other sourdough discard recipes to try -
Sourdough Discard Pizza Dough
This sourdough discard pizza dough uses sourdough discard starter to create the most delicious pizza crust.
Ingredients
- 400g all-purpose flour (with at least 11% protein)
- 280g water
- 80g discard starter
- 8g salt
Instructions
The night before
- Mix the flour, water, discard starter, and salt together in a bowl into a shaggy and sticky dough. Leave it to sit for 20 minutes then perform one set of stretches and folds. This is when you pull a side of the dough up over itself. Use wet hands to do this, so the dough doesn't stick to you. Repeat this on all sides.
- Cover the bowl and leave it to sit at room temperature overnight.
The following day
- In the morning, perform another set of stretches and folds and then place the dough in the fridge in an airtight container for a minimum of 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
Pre-shape
- After the cold-proof, take the dough from the fridge and cut it into 2 even-sized pieces. Shape each piece into a tight ball and leave them to rest on a floured bench for 30 minutes, covered with a tea towel.
Shaping
- Take one dough ball and place it on a piece of floured parchment paper. The dough will be quite sticky underneath so use the flour you need to ensure it can easily come off the parchment.
- Use floured hands to gently press the dough out into a 20cm/8inch circle. Press the dough outwards so there is a thicker crust around the pizza base. If the dough keeps springing back, let it rest for another 10 minutes before trying again. Top with your favourite toppings and cook
Cooking the pizza
- Pizza is best when cooked really hot and really fast. If using a home oven, turn it up to as hot as it can go (usually that's about 250-260°C/482-500°F) and bake for 8-10 minutes. The pizza can also be made in a cast-iron skillet. Cast-iron traps really well. Dress a skillet with olive oil, then press the dough into the skillet. Bake in a hot pre-heated oven until puffed and browned.
Notes
Same day pizza dough
400g all-purpose flour (with at least 11% protein)
280g water
80g discard starter
8 grams salt
+ ½ teaspoon instant yeast
In the morning, mix all the dough ingredients together into a shaggy dough. Stretch and fold the dough every 15 minutes for 1 hour.
Place the dough in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, then pre-shape into two dough balls and leave to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
After this, shape into pizzas and cook.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 183Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 390mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 5g
Melanje says
Would this dough freeze well?
Elien says
Heya yup you can freeze it after the overnight ferment 🙂
Jackie Todd says
hi Elien
Well I attempted this, but with the hot weather, the dough had over-proved when I left it overnight at room temperature. it was puffy and quite wet and sticky, and basically impossible to do another stretch and fold, but I tried, and put it in the fridge in an airtight container as instructed. After about 6 hours I wanted to shape, but it was still pretty sticky. I cooked one of the pizza doughs but it didn't really brown and was v chewy. SO, if over proved before fidge, is there anything that can be done to save the situation? Ps. right at the end of the recipe I saw the version that didn't need the overnight fridge option!
Elien says
Hey if it’s so sticky I would perhaps try a focaccia style instead and place it in a baking tray with plenty of oil oil
Mj says
Excellent recipe thanks so much - just wondering about the nutrient servings & yield info. Is the serving one pizza base and yield 8 pieces? Thanks Mj
Elien says
Hey MJ, each pizza serves 4 people and the nutrient serving is for one slice of pizza. 🙂
Trish says
If not using a cast iron skillet, do you take the pizza off the parchment and cook directly in the rack? A pizza stone?
Trish says
*on the rack?
Elien says
Heya,
The pizza can be baked on the parchment paper on an oven tray in the oven. if you’re using a pizza stone that goes in a pizza oven that can heat over 450f the remove it from the parchment and bake directly on the pizza stone