Sourdough bakers are always on the lookout for creative ways to put unfed starter to use. In the case of this pizza crust, the open crumb and distinctive hearty taste of sourdough are well suited to bold toppings and well-aged cheeses.
Stir any liquid on top of your refrigerated starter back into it before measuring 1 cup (227g) into a large mixing bowl. Note: This is a good opportunity to feed the remainder of your starter, if necessary.
To make the dough: Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Add the lesser amount of water, the flour, salt, yeast, and Pizza Dough Flavor.
Mix to combine, adding the remaining water 1 tablespoon at a time if the dough looks dry. Knead for about 7 minutes using a stand mixer with its dough hook, until the dough wraps itself around the hook and cleans the sides of the bowl.
Place the dough in a lightly greased container, cover, and let rise until almost doubled in bulk. Depending on the vitality of your starter, this will take between 2 and 4 hours. For a faster rise, place the dough in a warm spot (or double the yeast).
For two thin-crust pizzas: Divide the dough in half and shape each into a flattened disk. Drizzle two 12" round pizza pans with olive oil, and brush to coat the bottom.
Place the dough in the pans, cover, and let rest for 15 minutes. After this rest, gently press each piece of dough toward the edge of its pan. If it starts to shrink back, cover and let rest for 15 minutes before continuing.
For a thicker, large pizza: Oil a 14" round pizza pan or 18" x 13" half-sheet pan. Place the dough in the pan and press it out to the edges, again giving it a 15-minute rest before continuing if it starts to snap back.
Cover the pan(s) and let the dough rise until it's as thick as you like.
Toward the end of the rise, preheat your oven to 450°F.
Sauce and top each pizza as you like, but don't add cheese yet. Bake thin-crust pizzas for 5 minutes before removing from the oven and adding cheese. For thick-crust pizza, bake for 10 minutes before removing from the oven and adding cheese. Return to the oven and bake for 5 to 7 minutes more, until the cheese is melted.
Remove the pizza from the oven and enjoy hot.
Storage information: Store leftover pizza, well wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Don’t have any starter? Here’s a recipe for homemade sourdough starter. If you're making it from scratch, you'll need to feed it for 5 to 7 days before it’s ready for baking. Want a head start? Purchase our classic fresh sourdough starter – it’ll be ready for baking soon after it arrives at your door. Looking for tips, techniques, and all kinds of great information about sourdough baking? Find what you need in our sourdough baking guide.
Be aware of some sourdough dynamics here. The less-used your starter, the more liquid on top, the more sour it's likely to be; using a starter that hasn't been fed for weeks will yield a pizza crust that rises slowly, and tastes quite tangy. This type of crust is handy when you want to make dough in the morning, and have pizza ready for dinner. On the other hand, a starter that's fed regularly will yield a less-sour crust, one that will rise more quickly. This is a great "weekend" crust, as you can shape it at 8 a.m., and have pizza for lunch. Find more helpful tips in our blog post, Sourdough Pizza Crust.
