Sourdough Discard Pizza Dough

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5 from 1 vote

Your guide to the best sourdough discard pizza dough! If you've never had sourdough pizza, you are in for a treat. It's tender, flavorful, and chewy with dreamy air bubbles. Though you do need to plan ahead, the better-than-pizza-parlor pie is more than worth it. Top it with your favorite toppings and pizza night will never be the same!

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Resting Time21

Total Time21 25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Author: Jenné Claiborne

Equipment

Pizza Stone

Ingredients

Sourdough Pizza Dough

375 g water (1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons)
100 g active sourdough starter (1/2 cup)
10 g salt (1 heaping teaspoon)
500 g all-purpose flour or bread flour, plus additional for flouring the work surface (3 1/2 cups)

Marinara Cheese Pizza

1 cup seasoned tomato sauce homemade or storebought
1 cup vegan mozzarella-style cheese
handful fresh basil to garnish (add after baking)

Potato Kale Pizza (or Butternut Squash)

1 cup vegan mozzarella-style cheese
2 cloves garlic minced
1-2 cups Yukon potato or sweet potato or butternut squash
3 cups curly or dino kale torn into chunks and massaged lightly
1/2 tsp olive oil to garnish (add after baking)

Instructions

Mix the Dough

In a bowl, combine the water, starter, and salt and stir to break up and partially dissolve.
Add the flour and stir until combined. If desired, you can use your hands to stir and combine the dough. It will be extremely sticky.
Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover it with a kitchen towel, and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Stretch & Fold the Dough

Lightly dampen your hands with water. Stretch and fold the dough about 8 times.
Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, then stretch and fold the dough. Repeat the sequence 2 more times (4 times in total).

Ferment & Rise

Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and leave it on your counter at room temperature, about 70-75°F, for 8-12 hours. Note: you can still ferment at a cooler temperature, but the process will take longer, closer to 12 hours. The dough should rise 50-100% (or double)

Portion It

Flour your hands very well and transfer the risen dough to a heavily floured workspace.
Use a bench scraper or a knife to cut the dough into 4 equal portions.
Shape the dough into tight balls. To do this, fold the bottom of the dough under as you turn the dough in a circular motion to create a smooth ball.
Line a baking pan with parchment or a cotton tea towel, and sprinkle a bit of flour on the surface. Gently gather a small portion of the towel going down the center of the baking pan in both directions, creating 4 dough wells and small barriers between them.
Transfer the dough balls to the tea towel's dough wells. Cover the dough with a plastic bag like a clean grocery bag and twist it to close.
Refrigerate the dough for at least 6 hours but up to 3 days. After this, you can freeze the dough if you don't want to use it right away.

Shape & Bake Pizza Crust

Take as many dough balls out of the refrigerator as you would like to bake and set them on a floured workspace. Cover them with a tea towel and let them come to room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour. This helps them to be easier to work with and shape.
Preheat the oven to 450°F, and place a pizza stone, large cast iron pan, or pizza steel in the oven while it heats.
Shape the dough into a round pizza crust, about 10".
Transfer the crust to parchment paper, then top it with your desired toppings (note: do not add the basil or oil garnish until after baking).
Keeping the pizza on the parchment paper, carefully transfer it to the hot baking vessel. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese has melted. You can bake more than one pizza at a time, given that you have enough baking pans and room in your oven.
Remove from the oven and place it on a cutting board or cooling rack. Top it with fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil, or other delicate toppings. Enjoy hot or let the pizza cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving!

Video

Notes

Storage Directions: Once cooled to room temperature, this pizza can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat individual slices in the toaster oven or a 350°F oven for 3-5 minutes or until hot.

Please see the accompanying blog post for freezing directions.

Recipe Pro-Tips

Wet your hands before stretching and folding. The dough will be wet and sticky. I find the best way to prevent it from sticking to my hands is to dampen them slightly before stretching and folding.
Mind the room temperature. Warmer kitchens (70-75°F) will ferment and raise the dough within 8-12 hours. Cooler kitchens may take up to 12 hours. You will know the dough is ready to portion when it has risen 50-100%.
When shaping, stretch the dough minimally. Overworking the dough when shaping can overwork the gluten and make it dense and tough. Gently stretch and shape it with your hands. If it gets tough to shape or bounces back after stretching, let it rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before resuming.
Top and bake the pizzas on parchment paper. This will make the assembled pizzas easier to move onto the baking vessels.
Preheat the baking vessel. Add the pizza stone, cast iron skillet, or pizza steel to the oven before preheating to ensure a crisp crust and even bake.
Adjust the toppings. Use my suggested toppings, or try your own, such as fresh or roasted vegetables, other cheeses, pesto, and more. If you are not vegan, you can also make this recipe with shredded or fresh mozzarella cheese. Be careful not to add too many toppings, or the crust may not cook through without the toppings burning.
Baking multiple pizzas at once. If your oven can accommodate multiple baking vessels, you can bake multiple pizzas simultaneously.

Nutrition