There are two types of people in the world: those that like deep dish pizza and those that like thin crust pizza. And then there is me and I’m happy to eat whatever kind of pizza is served to me. I just want to eat pizza!
I will say overall I prefer a thinner crust pizza, simply because it doesn’t leave me feeling as stuffed as a pan style does. So, once we got our sourdough starter going, I knew I wanted to develop a recipe for a sourdough pizza dough ASAP! This dough is made with thin & crispy pizza lovers in mind. The crust turns out cracker thin and tastes delicious. In fact, it reminds me of a small family owned pizza shop in my hometown. I wonder if sourdough has been their secret all along? Hmmm…
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For this Thin & Crispy Sourdough Pizza Crust Recipe, you’ll need:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sourdough starter
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup water
4-5 tsp olive oil
Be sure to feed your sourdough starter before using. We usually feed our starter about four hours before we need it. You want a happy and bubbly sourdough starter for this recipe.
Add 2 tsp of the olive oil and all other ingredients to a large bowl and mix until combined. The dough should look similar to this:
Allow to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. This isn’t so the dough can rise but rather to make it easier to roll out and shape.
Once your dough has rested, place a cast iron pizza pan in the oven and preheat to 500 °F. We’ve had this cast iron pizza pan from Lodge for 5-6 years and it really makes a difference in your pizza crust (even if you are using a store bought dough)!
Next, flour your work space and knead the dough for about 4-5 minutes or until it feels like pizza dough to you. Divide into two balls as this recipe makes two thin ‘n crispy pizza crusts! Perfect for family pizza night.
Now it’s time to roll out your dough. Make sure your work space is well-floured and roll the dough to make a 14 inch circle (approximately). I just used my counter but if you have a pizza peel, that would work great. Once your oven is preheated, place the rolled out dough on the cast iron pizza pan and lightly brush with olive oil. Bake for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, remove the pizza pan from the oven and top the crust with your favorite toppings. Be very careful here, the pan is HOT! We used a simple homemade sauce, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil for this version.
Place back in the oven and bake until done. Ours took about 6 more minutes. I like to switch the oven to broil for a couple minutes at the end to get the cheese browned to my liking. If you do this, definitely do not walk away from the oven, check every minute or so. Otherwise, you may end up with a blackened pizza. The broiler cooks the toppings (and exposed crust) VERY quickly!
At this point, you can leave the pizza on the cast iron pan to cut and serve from. Be aware that the crust will continue to cook if you do this as cast iron retains heat. If the crust is done to your liking, I recommend transferring it over to another pizza pan before you cut and serve.
If you’re making a second pizza, repeat the process. Otherwise, you can wrap the dough in plastic wrap and freeze for another time. Be sure to completely thaw the dough and bring to room temperature before using.
I hope you love this thin & crispy sourdough pizza crust and it becomes a staple for pizza night in your home. Bon Appétit!
Thin & Crispy Sourdough Pizza Crust
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup water
- 4-5 tsp olive oil
Instructions
-
Add 2 tsp of the olive oil plus all other ingredients to a large bowl and mix until combined
-
Allow dough to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours
-
Once your dough has rested, place a cast iron pizza pan in the over and preheat to 500 °F
-
Flour your work space and knead the dough for 4-5 minutes
-
Divide into two balls
-
Make sure your workspace is well floured and roll out your dough to a 14 inch circle (approximately)
-
Once the oven and pan are preheated, place the dough on the pan and lightly brush with olive oil
-
Bake for 5 minutes
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Remove the pan from the oven and top the crust with your favorite pizza toppings
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Return to the oven and bake until done to your liking (approximately 5-7 minutes)
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Remove from oven, cut and serve!
Tell me: what’s your favorite pizza topping?
I love this. I love that you made a margherita pizza. And sourdough!
Pretty good except I didn’t have a cast iron stone and used a pampered chef stone. Do you broil it or bake at 500 degrees like the notes say?
I’m curious. Have you guys considered doing away with gluten? Why/why not?
Hi Dave – Yes, I have and actually did away with gluten for many years starting back in 2009. Within the last few years, I decided to reintroduce it back into my diet slowly to observe how I felt. For me, I didn’t notice any change. Though, I don’t consume the amount of gluten that I did prior to 2009. Mostly because my eating habits have completely changed and I simply eat a lot more vegetables and protein than I did back then.
Also, folks may be interested in learning that, by using sourdough, the gluten profile is NOT the same as regular recipes with instant yeast. The fermentation process of sourdough literally changes the gluten. Many non-celiac gluten-sensitive people are thus able to eat sourdough with no adverse effects. Even doctors agree. It’s science!
I am one who reacts to gluten but can have sourdough without issues.
I am not sure if it matters much for this recipe but is your starter 100% hydration??
Hi Rebecca- Yes, my starter is 100% hydration. I am not sure if it matters either though, sorry!
Thanks for replying. Making this tonight!
Can this dough be frozen and used later?
Hi Liz, Unfortunately we haven’t tried. If you do, please let us know how it goes. Thanks
I froze this dough very successfully the first time I made it.
I have frozen this dough many times with great success. In fact, I always double the recipe so I always have pizza dough in my freezer, because it makes such an easy meal.
Making double is great idea! Happy pizza making!
Hi –
I know this is a very old thread but I’m intrigued that you don’t leave the dough overnight even though you are doing sourdough. My understanding is the overnight gives it time to ferment and digest the sugars. ?
Thanks
Cameron
Hi Cameron- you are correct on letting it sit overnight. To be honest, we just normally don’t plan ahead enough and this recipe allows us to have pizza night on whim. 🙂
new to sourdough and been making some very awesome loaves of bread .. this recipe didn’t work for me , I had to add a lot more flour as the dough wasn’t kneadable … and the result was puffy and a bit tasteless …
Hi Fiona,
Sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you on your first try, as we have had a lot of success with this recipe. Changing up the types of flour and making sure the starter is really active could possibly help the flavor and consistency. Hopefully you’ll find some more success next time!
Made this dough for the first time tonight and it was delicious! Just how we like it, thin and crispy!
I know, right? Thin and crispy is the best!
Hello. I’m considering making this recipe. I just tried to make pizza with the Tartine dough (3 hour bulk and 12 hour retard in the fridge). It stuck to the pan and was too thin in places. It was chewy in other places. I used KA Bread Flour and 100% hydration starter.
Question: Have you tried to retard the dough overnight or for a few days in order to get flavor. Since starting to make my own Tartine-style bread, I cannot eat pizza dough that has not been fermented/retarded.
Thanks!
Hi Rocco- Yes, we actually have done it for a few days and the end result is the same consistency but a bit more flavorful. Go for it!
Want to try this! Have had a starter for a little over a year now, but haven’t found a pizza dough recipe that would give me the thin crust I like.
Would you happen to know the weights of your flour and starter in this recipe? No two people get the same amount of flour when going by volume. And starter has to be even more variable depending on how active and bubbly it is when you measure it.
Thanks!
Hi Thomas! Sorry, we don’t have the weight measurements. Our approach to baking is a little less scientific!
I’ve used your recipe several times and love it. My problem, however, is how to transfer the rolled out dough onto the hot cast iron pizza pan ? I don’t have a pizza peel. I’ve ruined the shape of my dough every time and when I eventually lop it on the the pan, it’s too hot to reshape it? This is a real problem. Advice needed! Thank you!
Hi Nan, we hear you. We just try to transfer as quickly as possible and sometimes have to quickly reshape on the pan. We don’t have a peel either. Practice makes perfect 🙂
Put it on a sheet of parchment — you can even roll it right on the parchment. Then you can slide the parchment onto the pizza stone. I use a rimless cookie sheet for easiest sliding when I do this, and also to make it easier to transport from oven to counter.
Hi – what would you recommend if I don’t have a cast iron pizza pan?
We haven’t tested with other pans so I am not sure what to recommend. I’m sorry! Please report back if you try it another way.
I have a baking steel inside my oven. I rolled out the pizza on parchment paper and then put it in the oven on the steel for 5 minutes. Worked well and the pizza with toppings was awesome. This is the thinnest crust I’ve ever made and it was perfect!
Awesome, glad to hear it! 🙂
Excited to try your thin crust pizza dough. Can I refrigerate and if so for how long before needs to be frozen?
Hi Adriane – We haven’t refrigerated it for the more than the weekend, so I am unsure. The dough will continue to ferment slightly in the fridge so should make for a good tasting dough, just not sure what it will do to the consistency. Please report back, thanks!
Have you tried this using whole behest flour?
I’ve tried quite a few sourdough pizza crust recipes and they were all meh until this one! It’s perfect! My search is over. Thank you!
Awesome, glad to hear!
Made this last night and it was amazing. I topped it with pizza sauce, ham, black olives, arugula, mushrooms and cheddar. This will be my go to recipe 🙂 I like the idea of freezing it in batches, but i don’t know at what point would I freeze it? After kneading it or before? Does it matter?
This turned out absolutely amazing & I felt so proud! Will be making it every Friday pizza night❣️
Made this last night. Crust came out thin and crispy but it was very chewy if that makes sense. Started to make my jaws hurt because I had to chew so much. LOL. Maybe I kneaded it too much? And it bubbled up all over while baking. Are you suppose to poke holes in the bubbles as it bakes to let the air out? It was really tasty though!
Made today for second time was as good this time as last, great thin and crispy crust. OBTW pepperoni, green olive and anchovy.
Going to try this recipe this week…looks amazing! There are three categories of pizza lovers. The third category is “Pizza, please!” We love all kinds!
Worked well for us. I had some roasted whole garlic cloves packed in oil olive left in the fridge that I added to the dough and used as my 2 tsp of oil. Then when I needed the dough my garlic was spread throughout. It was fantastic. Followed the rest of the recipe as is. The crust had a good crunch.
This is an excellent recipe, thank you! I opted to refrigerate my dough balls overnight and then let them hang out (in their containers) on my counter for a few hours the next day. They doubled in size, smelled incredible, and were such a lovely consistency for rolling out. The flavors really developed overnight. I’ve been trying to find/ figure out a sourdough version of Chicago tavern style pizza dough and this comes the closest so far!