Thick and Crispy Sourdough Pizza Crust

Thick and crispy Sourdough Pizza crust is exactly its name. Forget take out, you will want to be making this dough every Friday night. Now the question is, what kind of pizza will you make? Pepperoni, sausage, veggie, margarita, pesto–the possibilities are endless!

Does your family have weekly pizza nights? Do you order out or stay in and make it?

Being from Chicago we are surrounded by GOOD pizza. So we used to order out often. But that gets pricy. So I started to make our own pizza with conventional yeast every week. I switched it up and would make gourmet style pizzas. It was so much fun.

Now that I have discovered Sourdough, this is all we eat. This recipe ferments by day and can be baked by night. Or you can make it a day or two ahead of time and leave it covered in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.

This crust is made with just 5 ingredients.

The hardest part will be patiently waiting for that lovely fermentation to do its thing. But I promise it’s worth the wait and you will be making this pizza weekly! It’s so good!

Now I know what you’re thinking. I already have a Pizza Crust Recipe. It’s true, but you know what? One can never have too many options when it comes to pizza! So you got to give this one a try too! Gimme all the pizza 😉

Need a Sourdough Starter?

Before we get started you will need a sourdough starter. If you do not have one yet, here is a Day by Day Guide to help you make your own Sourdough Starter. If you’d like to learn more about the benefits of sourdough, check out my “Why Sourdough?“

Ingredients to make Thick and Crispy Sourdough Pizza Crust

1. Sourdough Starter
2. Bread Flour (I always recommend unbleached, organic)
3. Water
4. Avocado Oil
5. Unrefined Salt

How to make Thick and Crispy Sourdough Pizza Crust

• Add Active Sourdough Starter, bread flour, water, avocado oil and salt to a stand mixer. Mix together until well combined and the dough is smooth.
• Place dough into a large greased bowl.
• Rest dough for 30 minutes. Then perform the first stretch and fold: Take your hand and reach under the side of the dough. Gently pull dough upwards and fold over itself. Turn the bowl 1/4 turn and stretch the dough again and fold. Repeat 2 more folds for a total of 4 stretch and folds. Cover and rest dough for 30 minutes. *I recommend setting a timer to alert you.
• Perform 3 more stretch and folds with a 30 minute rest in between.
• After the stretch and folds ferment dough on the counter for 6-12 hours until its tripled in size.
• *COLD Ferment Option*: After the dough ferments on the counter, cover in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. This gives you the option to think ahead of time and pull out and bake when you’re ready. The dough is actually easier to work with when it’s been chilled so I prefer this option myself.
• Preheat pizza stone for 30 minutes to 1 hour in a 500 degree oven.
• I prepare my pizza onto parchment paper. It’s easiest to transfer the dough onto a pipping hot pizza stone. Sprinkle semolina flour down onto the parchment paper first. This can withstand heat better than cornmeal and I suggest using that to keep the dough from sticking to the parchment paper.
• Place dough onto the center of the parchment paper and carefully press dough to the edges. You want to keep the airy texture so try not to overwork the dough too much. The dough can be stretched to at least a 12 inch circle or square. You may even get 14 inches. Do your best to keep the same thickness of dough throughout so it cooks evenly. Add an outer crust if you prefer.
• Add your favorite pizza toppings. See below for some delicious gourmet options.
• Carefully transfer dough onto preheated pizza stone.
• Bake in 500 degree oven for 12-14 minutes. Watch it closely. The cheese will get nice and golden brown and at the high temp it can take a turn on you quickly.
• Rest pizza for 5 minutes after it’s done cooking.
• Enjoy!

Try these Simple Delicious Gourmet Pizzas

Margherita: Tomato sauce with crushed tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, cashews. Drizzle of olive oil, flaky sea salt.

Hawaiian: BBQ sauce, pineapple, red onion, bacon and fresh mozzarella.

Veggie: Pesto sauce, bell peppers, mushrooms, leeks, tomatoes, spinach, cashews and fresh mozzarella, flaky sea salt.

4 Cheese: Pizza Sauce, Ricotta, parmesan, feta, fresh mozzarella, roasted garlic, spinach, artichoke hearts, basil and oregano and flaky sea salt.

Chicken Pesto: Pesto Sauce, Chicken, tomatoes, garlic, red onion, cashews, fresh mozzarella cheese and ricotta cheese and flaky sea salt.

Jake Supreme: Pizza Sauce, pepperoni, sausage, bacon, red onion, cashews, fresh mozzarella and flaky sea salt.

Hilary Special: Pesto Sauce, garlic, bacon, red onion, cashews, spinach, ricotta cheese, fresh mozzarella and flaky sea salt.

Gram’s Fav: Pizza Sauce, chopped garlic, artichoke hearts, black and green olives, cashews, ricotta cheese, fresh mozzarella and flaky sea salt.

Pin for Later:

Let’s make Thick and Crispy Sourdough Pizza Crust

Links:

This post contains affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!

Semolina Flour

Pizza Stone