The Easiest Sourdough Pizza Crust Recipe – No Yeast
A sourdough pizza crust recipe without any store-bought yeast? Sign me up! Plus, no overnight rising time and you get to use up your sourdough discard in the most tasty way.
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When I got the Little House Cookbook (affiliate link) for Christmas, I was instantly drawn to the sourdough starter recipe. I immediately started making it, because hi, first step is put flour in a cake pan and let it sit out for 3 days. I can take action on something that easy immediately.
And after I had that starter bubbling and ready, I started looking for ways to use my sourdough discard. Enter sourdough pizza dough with NO additional store-bought yeast.
Do you really have to let sourdough rest overnight?
There is NO overnight rise time required for this recipe. I’ve seen a lot of recipes that require both overnight resting and/or store-bought yeast and both of these notions bug me a little.
First of all, my initial attraction to making a sourdough starter in the first place was that I would be creating my own natural, wild yeast. The idea of creating my own yeast and being able to make bread without store-bought little packets was very exciting to me. And while that is my biggest beef with the sourdough pizza crust recipes I’ve seen, I also don’t really want to have to wait a day to have my pizza. This pizza dough is hands down one of my favorite ways to use up my sourdough discard! It’s an easy recipe with super basic ingredients and it comes out great every time.
After researching other sourdough pizza crust recipes, I decided to just go for it without any further research and try making my own pizza dough recipe and replacing the yeast with my discard. How hard could it be? And bah bada bah! It worked like a total dream. Amazing, slightly tangy flavor, chewy texture with a modest rise. SO GOOD.
It does take a little longer to rise than my regular pizza dough but it doesn’t take a whole day. Just 3 1/2 hours or so and you could probably get away with less.
With that said…
The sourdough flavor is not as strong as when you let it rise overnight or at least for 8 hours or so. I’ve tested it both ways, but I just want it to be known that we can use our sourdough discard and get great results without waiting such a long time.
Let’s make this sourdough discard pizza crust, shall we?
Ingredients for sourdough pizza dough
- All-purpose flour: I have not tried this with sourdough pizza dough but you probably could sub in whole-wheat flour for part of the flour. I do this with my regular pizza dough recipe sometimes and it works just fine. I would start with no more than 1 cup of whole wheat to start.
- Sourdough discard: I am going to work on creating a how-to-make-sourdough-starter post but I’m not there yet. Here is a helpful guide from King Arthur Flour. Their instructions a slightly different than the Little House book but I definitely trust that King Arthur wouldn’t lead anyone astray.
- Oil: Avocado or olive is what I typically use
- Warm water
- Salt
- Sugar
Equipment
- Large bowl (affiliate link)
- Baking sheet, cast iron skillet OR pizza pan (affiliate links)
Step by step directions for sourdough discard pizza crust
Step 1: Mix warm water and sourdough discard
We start in the very same way as a pizza crust made with store-bought yeast, but instead of combining warm water with yeast, we combine warm water and sourdough discard. I let this stand for a few minutes, then add sugar, oil, salt and flour. See recipe notes for making this a garlic and herb crust!
Step 2: Mix in sugar, salt, oil and flour
Until it looks like the image below. It should still be pretty sticky.
Step 3: Knead the dough
One of my favorite steps in making pizza dough is kneading. Part of me gets the appeal of no-knead breads and everything but part of me also doesn’t, like what’s so bad about kneading? I like feeling the dough and feeling like I am the village baker in some quaint little town somewhere. Maybe that’s not a daydream you’re into but you still have to knead the dough for this 🙂
To knead your dough, turn the dough out onto a clean, well-floured work surface. Fold the dough in half and press down with your hands. Continue doing this until the dough becomes a smooth ball.
Why do we knead pizza dough?
Wondering why we can’t just mix it with the spoon a little longer and avoid the messy work? Well, as I said earlier, I actually really like kneading so it’s not something I want to skip but I was curious as to why. I did a little research and it turns out there’s three basic reasons why we knead dough.
Reason 1: It helps ensure that ingredients are fully mixed. That makes sense to me. With dough being so sticky and pretty dense (as compared to say, cake batter) it would be hard to incorporate everything just by mixing with a spoon.
Reason 2: Kneading hydrates the flour. Flour needs (no pun intended) to soak up the water in order to have a successful dough. Kneading speeds this process up.
Reason 3: Kneading strengthens the gluten strands. Okay, I actually kinda knew this one already! Strengthening the gluten strands creates a more flexible but sturdy dough.
If you want to get even further into the details, check out My Pizza Corner! They go into more detail on each of these points. And just generally has everything you want to know about pizza dough and pizza making.
Step 4: Let it rise!
This might not be something you make on a weeknight as it does require 3 1/2 hours of rise time. If you want to make it the night before, just place the dough in the fridge after letting it rise, then take it out about an hour before you plan to bake and allow it to rest at room temperature.
A little note: Let this rise in a warm place. I have a gas wall heater and I sat it next to that with the heater “off”. If you don’t have that option, just put it in a warm place and cover it with a clean towel.
Step 5: Roll out the dough and add pizza toppings
We are so close to some amazing pizza! Just roll the dough out onto your baking vessel. I used my new BareBones cast iron skillet and it was a wonderful experience.
For this pizza, I went with a classic combo of marinara sauce (try my marinara recipe or use my favorite store-bought marinara), pepperoni, black olives, bell pepper and mozzarella. Marinated artichokes and pepperoncini are also delicious pizza toppings I use often!
Similar recipes
- Jalapeño Cheese Bread: I LOVE THIS BREAD. It’s spicy, cheesey, garlicky and a tiny bit sweet. You can eat it straight up or make some crazy good sandwiches with it. AND I did win a 1st place ribbon for it at the OC Fair last summer.
- Perfect Pizza Dough: This is the recipe for my pizza dough using store-bought yeast. Also very tasty and only needs to rise for 1 hour.
- Garlic & Rosemary Crackers: Make your own crackers for your next charcuterie board! It’s easy and oh so yummy and kinda impressive.
Tried this Sourdough Pizza Crust recipe?
I hope you give this sourdough pizza crust recipe a try! I love the freedom of being able to use my sourdough discard instead of relying on yeast packets from the store. For the record, I have nothing against store bought yeast and will continue to use in my other yeasty recipes linked below. It’s just nice to have options. If you make this recipe, be sure to give me shout! I’d love to know how it turned out— leave me a comment/rating/question below or find me on instagram @thefigjar.
Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust
Perfectly tangy, chewy and soft pizza crust using your sourdough discard! (Without any pre-packaged yeast)
- Prep Time: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: American, Italian
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup olive oil
Option to make garlic and herb crust
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp basil
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Combine sourdough starter and lukewarm water in a large bowl. Let stand for 3 minutes.
- Add sugar and stir. Add oil, salt, (add garlic powder and herbs if using) then 3 cups of flour.
- Turn out onto a liberally floured work-surface and knead gently until the mixture comes together to form a smooth ball (about 8-10 times). If the dough is still very sticky, knead in the extra 1/4 cup of flour.
- Place in a clean, oiled bowl and cover with a clean dish towel. Place in a warm area of the house for 3 1/2 hours or until about doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Press dough into pan, press gently with your fingertips all over the dough. Add desired toppings and bake for about 30 minutes (until cheese is melted and dough is beginning to brown.
- Enjoy!
Easiest and tastiest use for discard! In love with this pizza crust!
Yes!! Glad you’re enjoying it Sara!
Easy and delicious. This is my weekly Friday go to pizza crust. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
Hi Kathy! I’m so glad to hear you’re enjoying it 🙂
Would I be able to make this ahead and then freeze it?
Hi Julia, I haven’t tried freezing this, but I don’t see why not. Something I will add to my list to test though! If you try freezing it first, let me know how it goes 🙂
I baked mine without toppings for 15 minutes, then froze. Fabulous recipe thank you, and very popular.
Awesome, thank you so much for the update Trish!
I have made this ahead several times. I use my large airbake pans, without sides. Use parchment, let them cool after baking.. Cut in half, including the parchment. I lay one half on top of the other before sliding them into a 2 gallon freezer bag. I don’t even bother with a defrost period because by the time you get all the ingredients on, it’s defrosted.
We use these crusts to grill pizza, they hold up well.
You can’t cut one large airbake pan sized crust into 4 to do individual topped pizzas.
I have made this ahead several times. I use my large airbake pans, without sides. Use parchment, let them cool after baking.. Cut in half, including the parchment. I lay one half on top of the other before sliding them into a 2 gallon freezer bag. I don’t even bother with a defrost period because by the time you get all the ingredients on, it’s defrosted.
We use these crusts to grill pizza, they hold up well.
You can cut one large airbake pan sized crust into 4 to do individual topped pizzas.
What size pan works best?
Hi Cindy, I use either an 11-inch round pan or a 11.5 x 8 rimmed baking sheet. If you want a thin crust pizza you could use a larger pan. I also sometimes make mini pizzas! This recipe will make 6 5-inch mini pizzas. Enjoy!
This recipe is a definite keeper. Thank you.
It’s one of my favorites!
Thank you for this recipe! So tasty!!
Glad you like it! 🙂
This was easy, simple and delicious—thank you. I would add a teaspoon of salt, though, next time. This is going to be my go-to pizza dough. Thanks again for easy directions and good flavor.
Hi Emily! Happy to hear that 🙂 Definitely fine to add an extra bit of salt. Thanks for sharing!
Love this recipe! The dough freezes well too.
Thank you so much!
Hi Ellice! It’s a favorite in our house too! Glad you like it 🙂
At which step can we freeze?
This crust is easy to make, smells amazing and freezes great!
I have made it and frozen it several times and I highly recommend it for a quick easy way to use your discard.
I placed mine in a freezer gallon ziplock after it was done rising and placed it right in the freezer. It’s worked great each time!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Hi Katie! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed this crust. We love it too! Thank you for reviewing the recipe!
Hi! When you say sourdough discard, does that mean I can use my sourdough starter discard without feeding it?
Yes! You use the portion you would throw away in order to feed it.
Yes! You use the portion you would throw away in order to feed it.
LOve this!!
Question: Can I mix the dough up in morning, then put dough in the fridge until late afternoon? After the rise? Then bring out and get to room temp before?
Thanks,
C
Hi Carol, yeah I think that should still be fine. You can also just leave it out all day if you want. The sourdough flavor will be able to develop more and you will get more rise out of the dough. Enjoy!
This is the best sourdough pizza crust I have tried! And I have tried a lot of different ones! And I use gluten free flour- so this is a huge win! Sourdough discard- gluten free- same day – bakes up great! Thanks for a great recipe!
Kim
You are so welcome Kim! Glad to know it works with gf flour for you too 🙂
I’m guessing my discard was too inactive I made this recipe and it didn’t rise at all. Is there anything I can add to it or make out of this dough so it is not wasted?
Hi Sharon! I’ve had the same thing happen and still used the dough as pizza dough and it turned out fine! It could be that your starter isn’t active enough. You also want to make sure you put it in a warm place to rise.
Thanks for adding that. It is my first time trying the recipe and my dough didn’t rise at all. I will still give it a try.
Great recipe!! Will definitely be making again
Do you have to add sugar?
Honestly, I am not 100% sure. I haven’t made it without it. I based this recipe on my regular pizza crust recipe which calls for sugar and is necessary to ‘feed’ the yeast. Sourdough starter contains wild yeast so my reasoning was to still include it and it works. Not the clear answer you are looking for but that’s what I know.
me and my family LOVED!
Yay!!
Can this recipe be stretched to make two smaller pizzas or do you need to double it? Thanks!
Yes, you could divide it into two smaller pizzas with thinner crust!The skillet I used is 12″ for reference.
This is the best pizza crust ever!! I made the crust ahead of time and partially baked them. We we to my nephews lake lot to camp. Our days were really full of activity so cooking times are cut short. We made pizzas with the crusts and had a little party using the new pizza oven. It baked them perfectly in less than 5 minutes. Everyone said that the sourdough crust was the best. My family loves to cook so when you bring something that everyone likes it’s makes you shine a little brighter. Thankyou so much for this recipe that is so easy to make.
Thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful comment! I’m so happy your family loved it. Take care <3
Greeting, have you tried increasing the discard from 1/2 cup sourdough starter (38 grams) to 2/3 cup (184g) or more thus decreasing the flour needed? Assuming the discard or starter in 100% hydrated.
Kindest regards.
Typo correction: 1/2 cup sourdough starter (138 grams) NOT 38g,
Greeting, have you tried increasing the discard from 1/2 cup of sourdough starter (138 grams) to 2/3 cup (184g) or more thus decreasing the flour needed? Assuming the discard or starter in 100% hydrated.
Kindest regards.