Crispy Sourdough Pizza

Sourdough Pizza at Home: The Stone Method Plus Easy No-Stone options. Timetable, gear, tips, and troubleshooting for crisp, chewy pies every time

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword sourdough pizza, pizza stone, no stone pizza, cold ferment pizza, overnight pizza dough

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 9

Proofing & Resting Time 1

Total Time 1 39

Servings Pizzas

Calories 999kcal

Author Tiffany bendayan

Ingredients

Pizza Dough

500 grams Bread Flour
350 grams Water room temperature
100 grams Active Sourdough Starter
10 grams Salt
15 grams Olive Oil

Sauce & Toppings Margharita

1 cup Crushed Tomatoes or Passata
1/2 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
9 oz fresh Mozzarella drained and patted dry
6 leaves fresh Basil
1-2 tablespoons Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

Instructions

Feed the starter so it’s peak-bubbly when you mix the dough (domed top, lots of bubbles)
Whisk 225 g water + 200 g starter until milky; add 500 g flour, 13 g salt, and 10 g olive oil; mix until shaggy and no dry flour remains. Rest (autolyse) 20 to 30 minutes
Do 2 to 3 sets of gentle stretch-and-folds over 60 to 90 minutes (every 30 minutes) until smoother and slightly tacky
Lightly oil a lidded container; transfer dough, cover, and cold ferment in the fridge 12 to 48 hours
Place the pizza stone on an upper-middle rack; preheat the oven to 500–550°F for 45 to 60 minutes (long preheat = better color)
Remove to room temp 60 to 90 minutes before baking; divide into 3 balls and tighten the surface.
Cover and bench rest 30 to 45 minutes until the balls relax and feel pillowy
Stir tomatoes with ½ tsp salt; slice/dry the mozzarella; prep basil and oil
Lightly flour the board; press and stretch one ball into a 10–12 inch round, keeping a thicker rim
Top lightly: 2–3 tbsp sauce, scattered mozzarella, basil (or add basil after baking if you prefer)
Launch on parchment onto the hot stone; bake 7 to 10 minutes, rotating once; optional 30–60 second broil for extra leopard spotting
Finish with a drizzle of olive oil; add fresh basil if you saved it; slice and serve hot. Repeat with remaining pizza balls

Notes

The recipe above is for a basic margharita - you can, of course, use your preferred toppings and sauces.

SAME-DAY OPTION
Keep dough at warm room temp, add one extra fold set, and proof until puffy (about 3–5 hours total). Ball, rest 30 minutes, shape, and bake.

FREEZE / THAW / COOK FROM FROZEN
Freeze dough balls (up to 3 months): Lightly oil, bag, press out air, and freeze. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then 60–90 minutes at room temp before shaping.
Freeze par-baked crusts (best for speed): Par-bake 3–4 minutes on the stone (pale/set), cool completely, wrap well, freeze up to 2 months. From frozen: top lightly and bake 6–9 minutes on the preheated stone; broil briefly if needed.
Freeze assembled pizzas: Par-bake base 2–3 minutes, cool, add light toppings (pat mozzarella dry), freeze on a tray, then wrap. From frozen: bake 8–12 minutes on a fully preheated stone; rotate once; short broil to finish. Cook meats before topping; avoid watery veggies.
Always preheat the stone fully when baking from frozen; keep toppings modest for best crisp.

Nutrition