Simple, Same Day Sourdough Pizza Dough
Here is a recipe you are going to want to save. I find myself coming back to this almost every week -- it is simple, delicious, and easy to pull off on a Saturday afternoon. My whole family loves it, and I love that the crust is made entirely from our Better Bread Flour and active sourdough starter -- certified organic, naturally fermented, and genuinely easier on your stomach than anything from a bag at the grocery store.
The fermentation process does real work here. When your dough has time to develop with an active starter, the gluten relaxes and the naturally occurring acids begin breaking things down before you even take your first bite. That is exactly why Matt could eat a whole pizza and feel fine. It is not magic -- it is just real ingredients doing what they are supposed to do.
This recipe yields two 12-inch pizzas or three 9-inch individual pizzas. I usually go with three so everyone gets their own.
Simple Same Day Sourdough Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 500 g Better Bread Flour
- 350 g filtered water
- 125 g active sourdough starter
- 10 g salt
Directions
- In your stand mixer, add the water and starter and mix together. No mixer? A large bowl and a dough whisk work just as well -- same as you would for a sourdough loaf.
- Add the flour and salt. Mix with the dough hook on medium-low until fully combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides with a silicone scraper, cover the bowl, and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, begin your stretch and folds. Pull the dough from the outside edge up and into the centre, rotating the bowl as you go. Repeat this for a full set, then cover and rest for 30 minutes. You will do 5 sets total.
- After your final set of stretch and folds, cover the dough and let it sit on the counter for 2 to 3 hours, or until it has risen 30 to 50%.
- Scrape the dough onto your counter and cut it into 3 equal portions (roughly 250 to 275 g each). Shape each piece into a smooth ball, cover the ones you are not working with, and set them aside.
- Working with one ball at a time, use floured hands to gently pull the dough into a circle. Holding it up and letting gravity do the stretching is my go-to method -- it keeps the dough from tearing.
- If using a pizza oven, flour your peel generously, lay the dough on top, dress your pizza, and cook on high for 2 to 3 minutes. If using a regular oven or pizza stone, bake as you normally would at your oven's highest temperature.
Same Day Timeline
| Time | Step |
|---|---|
| 11:30 am | Mix dough, let rest 30 minutes |
| 12:00 pm | 1st stretch and fold |
| 12:30 pm | 2nd stretch and fold |
| 1:00 pm | 3rd stretch and fold |
| 1:30 pm | 4th stretch and fold |
| 2:00 pm | 5th stretch and fold |
| 2:00 -- 4:30 pm | Cover and rest on counter (2 to 3 hours) |
| 4:30 pm onward | Shape, top, and cook your pizzas |
A Note on the Flour
The flour you use in a pizza dough matters more than most people realize. Our Better Bread Flour is stone-milled fresh in small batches from certified organic Canadian Prairie wheat. It has more natural protein structure than a commodity bread flour, which means your dough develops real strength and holds its shape when you stretch it -- without snapping back on you. The flavour it brings to a baked crust is something you will notice immediately.
Watch Me Make It
Want to see the stretch and fold technique and how I shape the dough? I walked through the whole process on Instagram. Watch it here.
Ready to make the best pizza crust your family has ever had?
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