Sourdough Pizza

Crispy, chewy sourdough pizza dough with a light olive oil finish. Makes enough for 4–5 medium pizzas.

Ingredients

Build the levain the night before: combine 51g flour, 51g water, and 10g ripe starter in a jar. Mix well, cover loosely, and leave at room temperature (20–22°C) for 10–12 hours until doubled and bubbly.
Mix the dough: combine 698g flour and 449g water in a large bowl. Mix until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest 30–60 minutes (autolyse).
Add levain and salt: add 113g levain and 15g salt to the autolysed dough. Squeeze and fold until fully incorporated, then add 75g olive oil gradually, folding to incorporate.
Bulk ferment: cover and ferment at room temperature (24–26°C) for 4–6 hours. Perform 4 sets of stretch-and-folds in the first 2 hours (one set every 30 minutes).
Divide and pre-shape: turn dough onto an unfloured surface. Divide into 270g portions (5 balls). Pre-shape each into a round, then cover and rest 20 minutes.
Final shape: shape each ball into a smooth, tight round. Place in lightly oiled containers or on a semolina-dusted tray. Cover and refrigerate for 1–3 days (cold proof), or proof at room temperature 1–2 hours until slightly puffed.
Preheat: heat oven and pizza stone or steel to maximum temperature (250–280°C) for at least 45–60 minutes.
Stretch and top: remove dough from fridge 30–60 minutes before baking. Stretch each ball gently by hand to your desired thickness. Add toppings.
Bake: slide onto the hot stone. Bake 8–12 minutes until the crust is golden and charred in spots. Serve immediately.

	4 pizzas	5 pizzas
Calories	~805 kcal	~645 kcal
Protein	~19g	~15g

Remove dough balls from the fridge 30–60 minutes before stretching — cold dough tears.

For next-day use, a 1–2 day cold proof develops the best flavour. Dough balls keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.

If your oven has a grill/broiler, turn it on for the last 2–3 minutes to char the top.