Sourdough Pizza Dough (No Yeast, Same Day)

This 4-ingredients no yeast sourdough pizza dough is fluffy, full of delicious tangy sourdough flavor and is super easy to make. This is a homemade pizza dough made without commercial yeast, so it requires to have on hand an active sourdough starter. You can make it ahead and this recipe is freezer-friendly.

There is so much more you can make using your sourdough starter than bread! 

Our most recent favorite recipe is this sourdough granola recipe that comes together so easily and makes for a fun and unique way to use your sourdough discard.

But also, you can use your active sourdough starter to prepare delicious pizza! This super simple sourdough pizza dough is a no yeast - no baking powder - no stand mixer easy recipe you can prepare all within the same day.

So many sourdough pizza recipes still call for dry yeast, but not in this case. You will need only 4 simple ingredients to make it (flour, water, starter and salt), that's it! Makes for such a simple pizza dough recipe with minimal hands-on prep time that's easy and amazing every time.

And the steps are simple too: all you have to do is combine the pizza dough ingredients in the morning, do a few stretches and folds until smooth and then let the dough ferment all day until dinner time. Then, you can bake the pizza as you wish with your favorite toppings or keep the dough in the fridge for later (even days later!).

Again, there is no commercial yeast in this dough recipe, so the pizza dough relies entirely on the wild yeast from your sourdough starter as a leavening agent. The crust is light yet crispy and studded with holes typical of sourdough baking. Absolutely delicious!

The sourdough starter not only allows the pizza dough to rise, but also adds tons of complex tangy flavor and an extra nutrition boost. The best sourdough pizza crust you will make!

Happy baking ❤️

What's to love about this sourdough pizza crust recipe

• Easy and quick to come together
• Made without commercial dry yeast
• Wide range of fermentation time, making pizza dough is less picky than making a rustic boule of sourdough bread!
• Great for meal prep: the dough stores well for days in the fridge and is also freezer-friendly
• Sourdough pizza has more flavor, is easier to digest and is lower on the glycemic index compared to regular pizza dough.
• Carries a yummy tangy flavor!

Ingredients you will need

(all the measurements are in the recipe card down below)

• White flour: you can use either bread flour or all-purpose flour (unbleached) for making this recipe, they both work! That being said, I had a slightly better result using bread flour: the pizza crust was fluffier and less chewy. 
• Sourdough starter: since there is no commercial yeast implicated in this recipe, then you will need a bubbly and active sourdough starter to make it. If you are planning on combining the dough in the morning to have it ready for dinnertime on the same day, then feed your sourdough starter the night before.
• Water + salt

How to make sourdough pizza dough recipe without yeast

(keep scrolling down to the recipe card to get the detailed recipe)

Get ready

To make sure you have a bubbly starter strong enough to ferment the pizza dough, you will have to feed your starter 4-8 hours before planning on mixing the dough. 

I like to combine the dough in the morning so it ferments all day and is ready for dinner. So I usually feed my starter the night before just before going to bed.

Combine

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sourdough active starter with the water (room temperature). Stir to combine. 

Then, add the flour and salt and keep stirring until combined. You can use a dough whisk to start, but then use your hands to make sure the dough is as uniform as possible (this can take a few minutes). The dough will be shaggy and very sticky at this point. 

Cover and let the dough rest for about 20 minutes.

Stretch and fold

Then, do 2-3 sets of stretches and folds (depending on how much time you have) with about 30 minutes of resting time in between. This helps work the gluten and allows a better rise and a more elastic dough.

You can watch the video in the recipe card to see how I do that, but here is how it goes: grab the dough that's on the opposite side of the bowl, pull it up to stretch and then, press it back down in the middle of the dough back into the bowl. Rotate the bowl for 90º and do the same with the dough on the opposite side in front of you. Go around the bowl by doing 4-5 stretches and fold. 

The dough will become too tight at some point to stretch, so stop, cover and let it rest for 30 minutes before doing more stretches and folds.

Bulk fermentation

Once you have done 2-3 sessions of stretches and folds, then cover and place the dough in a cozy spot in your kitchen or house. Let the pizza dough ferment for about 8 hours (or 6-12 hours): the warmer the house is, the quicker it will ferment. The dough is ready when it has about doubled in size.

Preshape

Once the dough is done fermenting, then use a bowl scraper and transfer to a lightly floured work surface. 

Divide the dough into 2 equal portions and preshape into balls. Cover with a humid towel and let the balls rest for 20-30 minutes.

This is a good time to turn on the oven (450º) and prepare your topping ingredients.

Shape, garnish and bake

Then, shape the dough ball as you wish making sure it is not too thin and try to create a crust all around so you can enjoy yummy sourdough holes! Have a peek at the video in the recipe card to see how I do this.

Add pizza sauce and your pizza toppings of choice, then bake for about 15-20 minutes.

Helpful tips

• I have made this recipe using both all-purpose flour and bread flour (higher protein content). Although they both work well, the best results were when using bread flour (fluffier, lighter and less chewy crust). 
• The bulk fermentation time is pretty flexible, especially compared to when making bread with a fermentation that has to be more precise. You can aim to have your dough double in size before using.
• To have 2 equal crusts, you can weigh the total amount of your dough after fermentation, divide the amount in 2 and weigh your balls of dough as you divide it.
• Try not to add too many toppings so the dough can be fluffier and lighter without too much weight on it. And I would avoid using a rolling pin to try and keep the dough airy.

How to speed up the fermentation

If you need the dough to be ready quicker, then there are ways you can try to accelerate the fermentation process. By the way, as mentioned above, I find the fermentation of pizza dough to be a lot more flexible compared to making a boule of sourdough bread.

Ways to speed up fermentation:

• Water: using warm water when mixing up the dough will help to ferment it quicker. You can aim for about 100-110ºF or simply warm up until warm but not hot.
• Area: ferment in a warmer spot in the house. You can place the dough in your microwave with the door closed with a large glass of very hot water to make it cozier. If you have a fireplace, then placing the dough closer to it will also help fermenting quicker.
• Sweetener: a little sweetener can boost the activity of the wild yeast (plus add a little flavor), so feel free to add 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup when adding the water.

Can I use sourdough starter discard to make it?

I do not recommend using sourdough discard for making this recipe since the dough would not rise properly and would likely end up being too dense or chewy.

If you absolutely need to use discard, then I would recommend adding a little store-bought yeast to your dough (1 ½ teaspoons) to ensure it rises properly. 

• If using Instant yeast: just add the yeast to your water when mixing the dough.
• If using dry active yeast: heat up the water briefly until warm (but not hot), then add the yeast and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. Stir and let it sit for 5 minutes (to allow the yeast to bloom). Then, combine the yeast water with your sourdough discard and keep going with the recipe. 

If using commercial yeast, then you can skip on making the stretch and fold sessions and knead the dough nicely for about 5 minutes. Then, allow the sourdough discard pizza dough to rise for about 1-2 hours in a cozy spot (instead of 8 hours).

Storage tips

Once the dough is done fermenting, then you can pre-shape it into two balls and use it right away.

Also, you can transfer the dough balls into an airtight container and keep them in the fridge (for up to 3-4 days) to use later in the week. 

You can also freeze the balls of dough! Make sure to wrap them well with plastic wrap or keep them sealed in a container so they don't dry out and let them thaw in the fridge overnight before using.

More delicious sourdough recipes to try!

• Sourdough discard sandwich bread
• Turmeric sourdough bread
• Sourdough discard brownies
• Oatmeal sourdough bread

I hope you like this no-yeast sourdough pizza dough recipe as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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