Sourdough Pizza

Name: Sourdough Pizza
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Manitoba flour 3 ½ cups; Water 1 ¼ cup; Sourdough starter Refreshed the day before 3.5 oz; Fine salt 1 ¾ tsp; Tomato purée 1.67 cups; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt 1 tsp; Pizza mozzarella cheese 14 oz; Basil to taste; Oregano to taste

it de es fr br

706

Calories per serving

Vegetarian

Energy Kcal 706
Carbohydrates g 80.6
of which sugars g 5.7
Protein g 34.8
Fats g 27.2
of which saturated fat g 12.59
Fiber g 4.4
Cholesterol mg 46
Sodium mg 1679

Difficulty: Difficult
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Makes: 4
Cost: Low
Note over 19 hours of resting

PRESENTATION

Sourdough pizza is a beloved staple in Campania, and once you bite into that tender, airy sourdough pizza crust, you'll understand why folks are so passionate about it. Using lievito madre, or natural sourdough starter, does much more than just help the dough rise—really, it gives the pizza a deeper, more fragrant taste and makes it way easier to digest than the usual yeast dough. Really good stuff.

One of the best things about a true sourdough pizza is that you get a super light base with a puffy, golden edge (cornicione) that’s a little chewy but never heavy. Pretty simple. In Naples, they always aim for that classic round shape, with just the right balance of chewy crust and a moist, flavorful center. And the sauce? The real stars for toppings are simple: crushed tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, and fresh basil. It’s that Margherita flavor that never gets old.

Some cooks swear by a super long fermentation, while others mix it up with quicker methods. But, thing is, everyone agrees that using a sourdough pizza dough makes a huge difference. Across Italy, you’ll see other styles too—like pizza in teglia, which is baked in a pan and gets extra crispy underneath, or focaccia with a thicker, more soft bite.

Trying out different sourdough pizza recipes at home can be fun. I mean, for real, it’s a great way to find what you like best. And listen, there’s a ton of pride in mastering the Pizza Margherita. But don’t be afraid to play around with other sourdough pizza toppings or let your dough rest longer for even more flavor.

Making pizza with sourdough starter might seem like a challenge. And look, once you get the hang of it, you’ll end up with a pizza that tastes just like something you’d get in a real Italian pizzeria—right down to that tangy flavor in the crust and the crispy, golden finish. Which is great. It’s the kind of food that’s perfect for sharing with friends and family, and once you taste the difference, you’ll want to keep baking it again and again. This Italian tradition brings the core of Naples right to your kitchen—offering a slice of history in every bite.

INGREDIENTS

706

Calories per serving

Dough Ingredients: Manitoba flour 3 ½ cups (450 g); Water 1 ¼ cup (300 g); Sourdough starter 3.5 oz (100 g) - Refreshed the day before; Fine salt 1 ¾ tsp (10 g)

For Topping: Tomato purée 1.67 cups (400 g); Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt 1 tsp (5 g); Pizza mozzarella cheese 14 oz (400 g); Basil to taste; Oregano to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Sourdough Pizza

To prepare sourdough pizza, first, make the dough. In a stand mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook, add the flour, room temperature water 1, and room temperature sourdough 2. Mix with the hook on low speed until a smooth and homogeneous mixture is obtained. Then add the salt to the dough 3

and work it for about 5 more minutes 4. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface 5 and shape it quickly into a sphere 6.

Transfer the dough to a bowl 7 and cover with plastic wrap 8. Let it rise for 5 hours at about 77°F away from drafts. After the 5-hour rise, take the risen dough 9

transfer it to a surface, and using a bench scraper, divide it into 4 equal parts 10. Gently work each portion with your hands and shape each into a tight, firm sphere 11. Place them on a well-floured tray, spacing the balls well apart. Dust with more flour 12 and cover the tray with plastic wrap. Let the dough balls rise (proof) for 1 hour at about 77°F, then transfer them to the fridge for 12 hours. At this point, remove the tray from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for an hour.

In the meantime, prepare the topping: cut the mozzarella into 1 cm (0.4 inch) cubes 13 and store in the fridge. Pour the tomato puree into a bowl: add salt, a drizzle of oil 14, a bit of dried oregano 15, and mix.

Take one of the dough balls and transfer it to a well-floured surface 16. Press the dough with your fingers in the center, then gently rotate it with your hands on the surface to form the edge. Stretch it so that the center is thinner than the edge 17. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper 18, or well-floured,

Using a spoon, spread some tomato puree over the entire surface, leaving the edge clean 19. Add a drizzle of oil 20 and the mozzarella cubes 21.

Bake in a preheated static oven at 482°F for 10 minutes, on the top rack. Take the pizza out of the oven 22, add a basil leaf 23, and serve immediately 34!

Storage

Once cooked, we recommend consuming the pizza right away. Alternatively, you can store it in the refrigerator for one day.

If you prefer, you can pre-bake the bases using only the tomato puree. Once cool, you can freeze them and add the mozzarella only when you finish cooking.