Sourdough Pizza Crust (Same Day Recipe)
Same-day sourdough pizza crust rises in a single afternoon, with a chewy middle and crisp, golden edges. Mix the dough after lunch, and bake it for dinner.
Servings: 16 servings, makes two 10-inch pizzas
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Rimmed Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup sourdough starter active and bubbly
- 7/8 cup water scant, warm
- 2 1/2 cups bread flour spooned and leveled, plus more for dusting
- 1 tsp fine sea salt or table salt
- rice flour or semolina for dusting
- toppings such as tomato sauce and mozzarella
Instructions
- Stir the starter into the warm water in a large bowl. Add the flour and salt, and mix until there's no dry flour left. Cover with a damp towel and let it rest in a warm spot, about 75 to 80°F, for 30 minutes.
- With a wet hand, do a set of pulls and folds: stretch one edge of the dough up and fold it over the middle, turn the bowl, and repeat until the dough tightens into a ball. Cover and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Do a second set of pulls and folds, cover, and let it rest for 30 minutes. Then do a third set.
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in the warm spot until it doubles and looks domed and bubbly, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or longer in a cooler kitchen.
- Heat the oven to 450°F (230°C), or 425°F (220°C) for convection. Dust two rimmed baking sheets with rice flour or semolina. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter, cut it in half, shape two loose balls, and let them rest for 10 minutes.
- Press each ball out on a baking sheet with your fingertips, to about 10 inches across, a little wider for a thinner crust or smaller for a thicker one.
- Spread the crusts with sauce, then add the cheese and toppings.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges are deep golden, the bottom is crisp and the cheese bubbles, swapping the pans halfway if you bake both at once. If you skip the preheat and start them in a cold oven, bake for about 15 to 18 minutes.
Notes
Measuring: This dough works best weighed: 60 g starter, 200 g water, 300 g bread flour and 6 g salt. If you measure by volume, spoon the flour into the cup and level it off.
Water: Use warm water, about 100°F, to get the dough off to a quick start.
Starter: Use active starter at its peak, 4 to 12 hours after a feeding. Unfed discard won't raise the dough in one afternoon.
Timing: The rise times assume a warm spot, about 75 to 80°F. In a cooler kitchen, the dough can take a few hours longer to double.
Heavy toppings: Bake the plain crust for about 5 minutes, then top it and finish baking.
Make ahead: After the rise, shape the dough into balls, oil them lightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Let them sit out for 1 to 2 hours before stretching.
Freezing: Parbake the plain crusts until set, 5 to 10 minutes in a hot oven, then cool, wrap and freeze for up to about a month. Top and bake from frozen, adding a few minutes. You can also freeze the raw dough balls after the rise; thaw them overnight in the fridge and let them sit out for 2 to 3 hours before stretching.
Source: Adapted with permission from The Sourdough Whisperer by Elaine Boddy (Page Street Publishing Co., 2022).
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 71kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.05g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 146mg | Potassium: 19mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 0.4IU | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.2mg