Simple Sourdough Pizza Crust: A Recipe from the Farm

Last Updated on October 17, 2023 by TheFarmChicken

This Simple Sourdough Pizza Crust: A Recipe from the Farm is so simple, even more so than a commercial yeast dough. Make it ahead of time and it can be in the fridge for up to 5 days until you are ready to use it, or you can make and use it all within a single day.

Like pretty much every recipe on TheFarmChicken, this sourdough pizza recipe went under tweaking. I didn’t want the middle of the crust to be soggy. I wanted it nicely browned. This recipe is so versatile, perfect for a medium thick crust, perfect for a pan pizza, or even a thin crust, all with beautifully browning on the crust. And the best part? It is so full of flavor and the texture is so good! I can’t wait for you to try this sourdough crust recipe. Quite possibly the best sourdough pizza crust…you’ll have to try it and tell me.

I love that this recipe can be easily mixed up and used within an hour, but it also can be in the fridge for 5 days and maybe is even better than that first day! Before I created this recipe, I would want to have a pizza night, but most recipes take at least 3 hours or more before it is ready to make and that just didn’t work well! This is my favorite pizza dough recipe! I hope you love it!

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Don’t have a sourdough starter yet?

Agnes and I would love to help you with that. A sourdough starter is what was used way before commercial yeast was even a thing. It is flour and water that has taken on wild yeast that help your baked goods rise. Check out this to help you get started! And if you love sourdough pizza crust, you will love TheFarmChicken Sourdough bread!

The Ingredients:

Active Sourdough Starter

I feed my starter at about 11:00 am for this recipe. It usually will be doubled by 5:00 PM or 6:00 PM.

Flour

You can use either bread flour or all-purpose flour for this recipe. I usually use bread flour. What’s the difference? Bread flour generally has higher protein than All Purpose flour. This is more important with sourdough bread so you can use either kind of flour for this recipe.

Water

I like to use distilled water for anything done with sourdough. If your water has chlorine in it, you run the risk of wrecking your dough by killing the wild yeast. Filtered water would also work.

NOTE: I have a thick starter. I love the flavor it gives and working with a thick starter in general. If you have a thin starter, you should use less water in this recipe so that your sourdough pizza dough isn’t to sticky.

Oil

I use canola oil in this recipe and olive oil for the cast iron skillet if I am making a pan pizza.

Milk

Whole milk is what I use but 2% should work just fine as well.

Sugar

This adds just a little sweetness to the dough and also helps feed the sourdough starter.

Kosher Salt

I think things in the US are overly salted so I just add a little salt. I like using kosher salt when working with sourdough.

Special Tools: (all linked below in the “Shop this Post” section below)

Baking Stone

We just have an inexpensive pizza stone. It is supposed to help so much with the crust texture so if you are planning to make pizza from scratch, often, then it is worth the investment.

Baking Steel

I don’t have a baking steel, but I have heard that they work well. I researched them a little and linked one with good reviews. They are used in replacement of a baking stone and are especially useful if you are making multiple pizzas in a row. A baking steel makes the pizza crispier and might require a shorter baking time.

Pizza Peel

I don’t have one of these, but I could see why it would be helpful. I currently use a cookie sheet that doesn’t have sides on it. It makes it easy to slide the pizza on and off.

Pizza Cutter Wheel

These are truly the best and last for a long time. The one we have I got from our bank as a giveaway, and it works so well. It also doubles as a great kitchen tool for cutting up your children’s food into small pieces.

Smithey Cast Iron Skillet

If making a pan pizza, any 12- inch to 14-inch cast iron skillet should work. I linked our favorite below. One of the things that Smithey is known most for is its smooth polished surface. We love ours!

The Schedule: This is what works for my schedule tweak as needed!

• 11:00 AM feed your starter mine is Agnes
• 5:00 PM Mix up pizza dough and let rest in the fridge
• 6:00 PM Preheat Pizza Stone in the Oven at 450 degrees
• 6:15 PM Bring your crust out of the fridge and let rest on the counter spread out on parchment paper.
• 6:45 PM or 7:00 PM bake your pizza on the stone using the parchment paper as a lifter.

Toppings, Toppings and more…. Pizza Toppings:

• Breakfast pizza– egg, cheese and sausage gravy on a sourdough pizza crust.
• Cheese Pizza
• Olives, Mushrooms, Peppers, Onions, Fresh Basil, Mushrooms, Pineapple
• Pepperoni, Sausage, Chicken, Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Hamburger, Canadian Bacon
• Fresh Mozzarella, Shredded Mozzerella, Cheddar, Provolone, Shredded Parmesan
• Alfredo Pizza– Recipe coming soon…Parmesan Crusted Chicken on alfredo sauce with mozzarella and parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of chives. Yum!
• BBQ Pizza – Cooked Chicken, mozzarella, red onion and BBQ sauce
• Taco Pizza – Refried beans, cheese, lettuce, taco chips, taco meat, tomatoes.

Four Ways to Bake this Crust:

1. Pan pizza in cast iron
2. Medium Thickness Pizza Crust
3. Medium Thickness Pizza Crust but par baked and frozen for future use.
4. Thin Crust (You can probably make 4 pizzas if you go this route)

In the Cast Iron:

This recipe also works well in a cast iron skillet as a pan pizza. The crust is thicker, the toppings stacked on, and it is so good! The cast iron gives the crust such a nice crispiness on the bottom of the crust.  This is how you do it:

1. Drizzle 1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons of olive oil on the bottom of a 12-inch cast iron and heat over low heat for 5 minutes.
2. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
3. Have all your sauce and toppings ready to go.
4. Shape the dough some and then put it in the pan.
5. Shape it by pressing it into the pan and make it the same thickness the whole pan.
6. Cook this way as you are finishing shaping and putting sauce and toppings on.
7. Then when the bottom is slightly browning (about 5 minutes) transfer to the preheated oven.
8. Reduce heat to 450 degrees and bake for 12-15 minutes or until nicely browned and cooked through.
9. Remove from the oven loosen and transfer to a cutting board. Cut and serve.
10. Enjoy!

Par Baking and Freezing Pizza Crust:

Follow the directions in the recipe below but don’t add any toppings to your pizza. Bake at 475 degrees for 6-8 minutes. Take it out of the oven while it is still pale and freeze.

When you are ready to bake the pizza take it out of the freezer. No need to thaw. Then put toppings on the pizza and bake in a 450-degree oven for 12 minutes until baked and golden brown.

Pin for Later:

Simple Sourdough Pizza Crust: A Recipe from the Farm

• 260 g active starter
• 185 g distilled or filtered water, room temperature
• 30 g sugar
• 623 g bread flour or all-purpose flour
• 125 g milk
• 55 g canola or vegetable oil
• 15 g kosher salt

• First, using a large bowl of a stand mixer and a gram scale weigh out the sourdough starter and water. Mix this until it forms a slurry and then add the rest of the ingredients except the salt.
• Mix with the dough hook until shaggy and then let rest or autolyze for 10 minutes.
• Then add the salt and knead using the mixer for 7 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl that has been oiled and cover with plastic wrap.
• Put in the fridge to cold ferment until ready to use. At least 2 hour but no more than 5 days.

Option 1 A somewhere in-between thickness crust:

• Preheat your oven to 450 degrees with the pizza stone inside the oven.
• Take out the crust and divide into 3 equal dough balls (if you plan to make them all up, otherwise just take out how many you need) then on a piece of parchment paper, on a large work surface, shape and let rest and rise while the oven preheats. You can let the dough rise longer if you would like but it is not necessary.
• It might be a little sticky but it is quite easy to work with when it is still cold from being in the fridge. If you are having issues with it being too sticky use wet hands or coat your hands with a little oil.
• Add your favorite toppings.
• Transfer the pizza using the parchment paper and either a cookie sheet with no sides or a pizza peel. Reduce the heat to 400 degrees and bake for 15-18 minutes until crust is browned nicely. Enjoy!

Option 2 Cast Iron Deep Dish:

• When ready to make preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a 12- or 14-inch cast iron skillet place 1-2 T olive oil in the bottom of the pan.
• Preheat the skillet over medium heat on the stove for about 5 minutes. Take 1/3 of the pizza dough and shape it a little then place it in the skillet and push out to the sides of the dough until it is at the edges of the pan.
• Next, add the toppings to the top of the dough. You will cook the crust until it is browning on top of the stove and then transfer to 450-degree oven for another 12-15 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
• Loosen the crust from the skillet and transfer to a cutting board to serve. Enjoy!

Option 3 Par Bake:

• You can par bake this crust and freeze them. Follow directions for option 1 but take don’t put any toppings on the pizza and only bake for 6-8 minutes. You want it to still be pale. Then freeze. When you are ready to bake them just take them out of the freezer, top with toppings and bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Option 4 Thin and Crispy:

• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees with pizza stone inside the oven.
• Follow the directions for Option 1 but use a fourth of the dough and spread it thinly on parchment paper.
• Bake for 12 minutes and enjoy!

Simple Sourdough Pizza Crust: A Recipe from the Farm

This pizza crust may be simple, but it is so good and quite possibly the best sourdough pizza crust!

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 260 g active starter
• 185 g distilled or filtered water room temperature
• 30 g sugar
• 623 g bread flour or all purpose flour
• 125 g whole milk or 2%
• 55 g canola or vegetable oil
• 15 g kosher salt

Instructions

• First using a large bowl of a stand mixer and a gram scale weigh out the sourdough starter and water. Mix this until it forms a slurry and then add the rest of the ingredients except the salt.
• Mix with the dough hook until shaggy and then let rest or autolyze for 10 minutes.
• Then add the salt and knead using the mixer for 7 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl that has been oiled and cover with plastic wrap.
• Put in the fridge to cold ferment until ready to use. At least 2 hour but no more than 5 days.

Option 1 A Somewhere in-between crust:

• When you are ready to make a pizza take out the crust and divide into 3 equal dough balls (if you plan to make them all up, otherwise just take out how many you need) then on a piece of parchment paper, on a large work surface, shape and let rest and rise for 30-45 minutes. You can let the dough rise longer if you would like but it is not necessary.
• It might be a little sticky but it is quite easy to work with when it is still cold from being in the fridge. If you are having issues with it being too sticky use wet hands or coat with a little oil.
• Add your favorite toppings.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees with pizza stone inside. Transfer the pizza using the parchment paper and either a cookie sheet with no sides or a pizza peel. Reduce the heat to 400 degrees and bake for 15-18 minutes until crust is browned nicely. Enjoy!

Option 2 Cast Iron Pan Pizza

• When ready to bake preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a 12- or 14-inch cast iron skillet place 1-2 T olive oil in the bottom of the pan.
• Heat the skillet over medium heat. Take 1/3 of the pizza dough and shape it a little then place it in the skillet and push out to the sides of the dough until it is at the edges of the pan.
• Next, add the toppings to the top of the dough. You will cook the crust until it is lightly browning on the bottom, on the stovetop, about 5-7 minutes.
• Transfer to 450-degree oven for another 12-15 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
• Loosen the crust from the skillet and transfer to a cutting board to serve. Enjoy!

Option 3 Par Bake and Freeze:

• You can par bake this crust and freeze them. Follow directions for option 1 but take don't put any toppings on the pizza and only bake for 6-8 minutes. You want it to still be pale. Then freeze.
• When you are ready to bake them just take them out of the freezer, top with toppings and bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Option 4 Thin and Crispy:

• Follow the directions for Option 1 but use a fourth of the dough and spread it thinly on parchment paper. Add your favorite toppings and bake for 12 minutes and enjoy!

Servings: 3 Pizza Crusts

I hope you love this Simple Sourdough Pizza Crust: A Recipe from the Farm. Short and sweet this recipe is great for a quick and easy meal. You can prep it ahead of time and use it when you need it. Let me know if you have any questions or comments below! Thanks for reading!

Mariah N | TheFarmChicken

Shop this Post:

• Gram Scale – Less expensive than you would think.
• Pizza Stone
• Baking Steel – Made in the USA
• Pizza Peel
• Pizza Cutter Wheel
• Smithey Cast Iron Skillet

FAQ’s

Is sourdough good for pizza crust?

• Yes! Sourdough gives pizza crust a delicious flavor and if you long ferment it, it also makes the dough easier to digest.

Can you over ferment sourdough pizza dough?

• A long answer short; yes. If you over ferment the flavor can be quite sour and it may also be over-proofed which will result in a flat dough.

Why is my sourdough pizza crust chewy?

• Using high protein wheat can make your pizza crust chewier. I like to use bread flour, and this is a higher protein flour than all purpose. If you want a less chewy crust, try all purpose.

Can I substitute a non-seed oil for the oil in the recipe?

• Yes! You can substitute olive oil. The same amount and it will work just as well in this recipe.

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He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Psalms 23:2-3