Simple same-day sourdough pizza crust (no yeast)

This sourdough pizza crust recipe is so simple and the perfect way to enjoy your family pizza night! I don’t know about you, but whenever I feel like pizza for dinner, I usually haven’t thought far enough ahead to make the sourdough pizza dough, which usually calls for overnight bulk fermentation. This recipe doesn’t require overnight bulk fermentation and is perfect for when you wake up and decide you want pizza that very same night!

What are the benefits of sourdough pizza crust

Sourdough pizza crust offers several benefits over conventional (yeast) pizza crusts, both in terms of health and culinary qualities.

Here are some key advantages:

• Enhanced Flavor: The fermentation process in sourdough creates a more complex, tangy flavor that many people find more appealing than the simpler taste of regular pizza crust. The natural yeast and bacteria in sourdough develop a depth of flavor that enhances the overall taste of the pizza.
• Better Digestibility: The long fermentation process breaks down some of the gluten in the flour, making it easier to digest for people who are sensitive to gluten. Fermentation reduces phytic acid, which can interfere with nutrient absorption. This makes the minerals in the flour more bioavailable.
• Nutritional Benefits: Although many probiotics are killed during baking, the prebiotic content (food for beneficial gut bacteria) can still provide some gut health benefits. The fermentation process can increase the availability of certain vitamins and minerals, such as B vitamins and magnesium. Sourdough has a lower glycemic index compared to regular bread, which means it has a slower effect on blood sugar levels. This can be beneficial for maintaining stable energy levels and for people with diabetes.
• Longer Shelf Life: The acidity from the fermentation process acts as a natural preservative, which can help the crust stay fresher for longer without the need for artificial preservatives.
• Crispier Texture: Sourdough pizza crusts often have a crispier texture with a chewy interior, providing a more satisfying mouthfeel compared to regular pizza crusts.

Sourdough vs commercial yeast

Commercial, baker’s, or store-bought yeast offers a similar property to sourdough starter in that it causes bread products to rise, however there are a few key differences between the two. This is not to say that yeast is ‘bad’, but there are some key differences you might like to consider.

• Commercial yeast turns the sugar in the flour into alcohol and carbonated gas, whereas sourdough starter, with it’s lactic acid bacteria, turns the sugar into lactic (and acetic) acid and carbonated gas. This gives the bread it’s sour flavour.
• Because sourdough bread ferments for longer, the gluten in the flour starts to break down, meaning that the gluten content in sourdough bread can be substantially lower than the gluten content in commercial yeast bread. This may be helpful for people who have gluten intolerances.
• Commercial yeast is a specific strain of baker’s yeast, and is manufactured in a lab under specific conditions to make it rise bread quickly and easily. It is a single species that gives reliable and fast results. 
• Sourdough starter is a living organism containing wild yeast and beneficial bacteria species that naturally occur in the air, in the flour, and even on your hands and equipment. Because you harness the power of wild yeast and bacteria, you automatically gain a whole lot more diversity.
• One of the biggest differences is the time taken to leaven (rise) your bread, sourdough starter takes much longer and can be more unpredictable, especially in the beginning.

You can check out my other simple sourdough recipes here!

Can you use sourdough discard instead of active starter?

​This is a question that I’ve often wondered, and have tried myself to find out. The short answer is no, you cannot use sourdough discard in place of an active sourdough starter if you would like to follow this exact recipe. This is because you require the dough to be nice and active from the start so that you get a good rise during the bulk fermentation stage to have it ready for same-day baking.

The long answer is, maybe! You can try using sourdough discard if you are going to long ferment your dough overnight. Rather than mixing up your dough in the morning for same-day sourdough pizza crusts, you can make up the dough the night before and bulk ferment overnight, and pop the dough in the fridge once it has almost doubled (usually by the morning). Then, you can pull it out of the fridge, bring it to room temperature and continue the rest of the recipe as below. If you can, I recommend that you feed your starter the night before, and use the nice active starter in the same-day recipe. It will take just as much time to do this as it would to use the discard in place of the active starter.

Ingredients

• Mature, active sourdough starter
• Baker’s flour or all purpose flour
• Warm water (filtered or dechlorinated)
• Olive oil
• Salt

Equipment

• Mixing bowl
• Wooden spoon or dough whisk
• Kitchen scales
• Damp tea towel or plastic wrap
• Pizza stone or heavy-base baking tray

My same-day pizza dough timeline

You may find it helpful to read a timeline of a sourdough recipe, as it can really help to get your head around how it can fit into my day/week. Sourdough is very resilient and a timeline doesn’t have to be followed exactly. Here is the rough timeline you can follow for this same-day sourdough pizza crust recipe, so that we can start the dough in the morning and have it ready by dinner time.

9:00am – combine ingredients, cover and rest

10:00am – stretch and fold

10:15am – stretch and fold

10:30am – stretch and fold, then bulk fermentation at room temperature

5:30pm – divide, shape into balls and rest

6:00pm – preheat oven and pizza stone/pan

6:30pm – shape into pizza and add toppings

6:45m – bake

How to make same-day sourdough pizza crust

Combine ingredients

Place your mixing bowl on the scale and measure out warm water. Add your active, bubbly starter and olive oil. Stir to combine. Add flour and salt, stir to combine. This should form a sticky, shaggy dough. You can also use a stand mixer with a dough hook for this step, if you have one.

Allow dough to rest

Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature to rest for one hour.

Stretch and fold

After resting for one hour, it’s time to perform the first set of stretch and folds. To stretch and fold your dough, wet your hands and pick up an outer edge of the dough in the bowl. Gently stretch the dough up as far as it will go and fold it back down over itself. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Continue until you’ve stretched all four sides of the dough. This is one set of stretch and folds.

Repeat the stretch and fold step three more times, once every 15 minutes. This will give you four sets of stretch and folds. Stretch and folds help to develop the gluten and start to create layers for air to become trapped and create a good rise.

Bulk fermentation

Once you’ve completed your stretch and folds, it’s time for bulk fermentation. Place the dough into a clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap. Ideally, you will be able to set your bowl in a warm place for the bulk fermentation. The optimal temperature range is 80–90°F (27–32°C). Don’t worry if your room temperature is slightly lower, it will just take a little longer – you may just have to start making your dough earlier.

Bulk fermentation is the process where the wild yeast and bacteria work their magic to ferment the dough and create nice big air bubbles. This dough will begin to rise after a couple of hours. By the end of the bulk fermentation, the dough should have almost doubled in size. The bulk fermentation process helps to develop the delicious sourdough flavor and chewy texture. 

Divide, shape and rest

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide the dough into four roughly equal pieces. Shape each ball by stretching it out to about 2cm thick, then folding the sides into the middle (like a letter) and finally rolling up into a ball. Create surface tension on the top of the ball by gently pulling the dough towards you on the bench (optional). Cover the dough balls with a tea towel and allow the dough to rest for one hour. 

Optional: place the shaped dough in the fridge for 12-24 hours to further develop the sourdough flavour. This is not necessary, but it does make for a delicious pizza! Allow the dough to come to room temperature before pressing out into the final shape.

Preheat oven

Preheat your oven to the highest temperature. You need a very hot oven to get a good rise in the dough and create a nice crispy crust. If you have a pizza stone, you can preheat that too. I don’t have a pizza stone, so I use a large, heavy based baking tray instead. You could also use a large cast iron skillet to cook your pizzas in.

Shape pizzas

To shape your pizzas, I recommend using plenty of flour on your work surface. Press the dough ball out from the middle to create the desired shape and thickness. I prefer our pizza crust to be on the thinner side. Remember to keep adding flour to the work surface or dough if needed. You can also use a rolling pin if you prefer. 

Carefully transfer the pressed/rolled out pizza dough to a piece of parchment paper. This makes it much easier to transfer to the preheated pizza stone or tray.

Add toppings and bake

Add your desired pizza toppings. Some of our favorite toppings include homemade pizza sauce, olives, capsicum, mushrooms, salami, fresh mozzarella cheese, roasted eggplant and a drizzle of olive oil. Adding fresh rocket or basil at the end is a bonus!

Once your pizza is topped and ready for the oven, transfer the pizza on the baking paper to the preheated pizza stone or baking tray.

Place in the oven and cook for 4-10 minutes, depending on the temperature and speed of your oven. Make sure you keep an eye on your pizza, as they can burn very easily. You may need to rotate the tray to ensue even cooking on all sides of the pizza.

Slice and enjoy

Remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a chopping board. Slice using a pizza wheel or large knife. Enjoy!!

Additional tips

If you like the idea of a quick and easy meal, why not make double the pizza dough, top with homemade pizza sauce only and cook as above. You can then cool and freeze these plain pizza bases ready to pull out of the freezer, top with your favourite toppings and bake in the oven at 200 degrees C for 5-10 minutes. This gives you delicious homemade pizza in a fraction of the time!