This Sourdough Discard Pizza Dough is light and airy and bakes up golden and crusty. Ready to eat the same day, it's the perfect base for all your favorite pizza toppings. You'll never go back to store-bought dough again!
When Friday night comes around, my family is always asking for pizza. When I have the time, I make my homemade sourdough pizza. However, when I don't have quite as much time but still want a delicious homemade pizza, this discard sourdough pizza is my go-to recipe!
Light and airy, it creates a beautiful golden crust. Plus, the slightly tangy flavor associated with sourdough discard recipes pairs wonderfully with pizza sauce and toppings.
With no overnight rest required, this sourdough discard pizza crust is one of my favorite sourdough starter discard recipes to prevent waste! If you're looking for even more ways to use your discard, try adding it to sourdough brownies, and make sourdough discard cinnamon buns, too!
What is Sourdough Discard?
Sourdough discard is the portion of your sourdough starter that you are not feeding. When you are "feeding" your starter to make sourdough bread, you feed it with equal parts water, flour, and starter.
However, you can't feed your entire starter, because it doubles and triples in size. That's a lot of starter to have on hand! So, most bakers discard the excess, and use it to make sourdough discard recipes like chocolate chip sourdough biscotti, sourdough blueberry muffins, and even sourdough pumpkin cookies!
If you are new to sourdough, be sure to check out my post on how to make a sourdough starter. Then, read more on how to keep a sourdough starter to keep your sourdough starter happy and thriving.
Ingredients in Sourdough Discard Pizza Dough
You only need a few ingredients to make a discard sourdough pizza crust!
- Sourdough Starter. Since this is a sourdough discard pizza dough, it has sourdough starter in it! That means that this starter is not fed. I often use it right out of the refrigerator. If you ever have extra sourdough starter, keep it in the refrigerator in its own container after you feed the rest of the starter. It will keep in the refrigerator for a really long time, and you can add it to all sorts of baked items like muffins, cookies, or crackers. You can make your own sourdough starter, buy it, or get some from a sourdough friend.
- Whole Wheat Flour. I am always trying to get extra fiber and nutrients into my kids. So, I add whole wheat flour wherever I can. If you don't have whole wheat flour on hand, feel free to use all-purpose flour for the whole recipe, and skip the whole wheat flour. It will still rise and taste delicious.
- Yeast. Because we are using sourdough discard instead of active sourdough, we need to add yeast to bump up the rising. The starter gives the pizza dough a chewy texture, while the yeast does most of the rising for the dough. Make sure you use instant yeast. One teaspoon is equal to half a yeast packet.
Be sure to check out the printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make this Sourdough Discard Pizza Dough Recipe
This recipe requires a bit of planning, but the steps are simple!
Prepare the Dough
Step 1: Fill a liquid measuring cup with one and a half cups of warm water. The water temperature is important here. Too hot, and you will kill the yeast, too cold and the dough will take forever to rise. You want it just warmer than lukewarm.
Step 2: Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water, and let it sit for five minutes. While the yeast blooms, in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the four cups of flour and salt. Mix the flour and salt around. I like to mix the flour and salt first to get the sold evenly dispersed. Yeast hates salt. So, if you were to pour the yeast mixture over the salt directly, it would kill the yeast. This method allows the salt to mix throughout the flour and minimizes the chance of that happening!
Step 3: When the flours and salt are mixed together, add the starter, extra virgin olive oil, and water and yeast mixture. Turn the mixer on low at first, and allow the mixer to do all the work for you. The dough is done when it forms one cohesive ball in the mixer, and it will start hitting the walls of the mixing bowl. It should take about five minutes for the dough to come together.
Let the Dough Rise
Step 4: When the dough is all mixed together, cover it with plastic, and let it rise. This process depends a lot on what the weather is in your area on the day that you are making this. At room temperature, it should take about four hours to double in size and get light and airy.
If you need to make this faster, put the bowl in an oven that is turned off. That will reduce any draft that might come through. If your oven has a "proof" setting, turn that on, and let the dough rise for about two hours.
After the dough has risen, divide the dough into two equal-sized dough balls. Then, roll it out as you would any other pizza dough. Continue shaping the dough, and layer the toppings of your choice.
Step 5: Bake at 425 degrees just until the crust is puffy and golden brown. Enjoy warm!
Lynn's Tip
I find that a stand mixer is the easiest thing to use when making this dough. It can be very heavy and dense to work with when you first put everything together. The dough hook in the stand mixer will knead the dough nicely for you. If you do not have a stand mixer you can do this by hand, but it will take longer to have the dough come together, and you will get a workout in!
Tips for Success
- Measure the ingredients by weight. For the most accurate results, I highly recommend measuring your ingredients using a food scale. if that's not an option, use the spoon and level method. To do so, fluff the flour, and scoop it into a measuring cup before leveling it off instead of scooping straight from a bag.
- Adjust the consistency. Every sourdough starter is different. So, you may need to add more flour or water to the dough to reach the desired consistency. You want the dough to be soft but not sticky.
- Have patience! The exact time needed for the dough to rise will vary depending on your starter and the temperature of your kitchen. Don't rush the process, and add more time if needed, waiting until your dough doubles in size before baking.
Topping Ideas
Mix and match all your favorite pizza toppings, using whatever you like best. Some popular options include:
- Homemade marinara sauce
- Bolognese sauce
- Your favorite pesto sauce
- Mozzarella
- Pepperoni
- Mushrooms
- Black Olives
- Green Peppers
- Sliced Onions
- Pizza
- Fresh Basil, olive oil, and fresh tomatoes for a classic Neapolitan-style pizza.
Make Ahead Instructions
You can prepare the crust a day in advance. Prepare it as normal. Then, once the dough has risen, wrap it in plastic warp, and store it in the refrigerator.
For a longer-lasting option, you can freeze the dough for up to three months. To do so, let the dough rise, and divide it into two pieces. Wrap each in plastic wrap and place them in Ziploc bags. When you are ready to defrost, place the dough in the refrigerator to thaw.
Frequently Asked Questions
Like most pizza doughs, I find that the crust gets crispier if you cook it first and then add the toppings. If you are using a pizza stone, it's best to preheat the pizza stone before adding the dough to it.
Absolutely! The yeast does most of the rising for this dough, and the starter adds chewiness and texture. If you do not have starter, no worries! Prepare the dough as normal, and just leave out the starter. It won't hurt the dough or prevent it from rising in any way.
Other Recipes to Try!
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📖 Recipe
Sourdough Discard Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Sourdough Discard
- 1 teaspoon Instant Yeast
- 1 ½ cups Warm Water
- 2 teaspoon Salt
- ⅓ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add the water and top with the teaspoon of instant yeast. Set that aside and let it sit for 5 minutes. The yeast should be frothy when you add it to the flour.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add both the flours and the salt. Mix that around for a few seconds to combine the ingredients.
- Add the yeast and water to the mixture. Add the starter and extra virgin olive oil. Turn the mixer on low and mix everything for 5 minutes until a cohesive ball forms and there is no flour left on the bottom of the stand mixer.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let that rise for 3-4 hours at room temperature. It should double in size.
- When it has risen, separate the dough into two balls. Lightly flour your surface and roll the dough out into the thickness you prefer for pizza. Add the toppings of your choice and bake at 425 degrees for at least 20 minutes.
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