Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust
Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust

Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust

Recipe by PJ Hamel
639 Reviews 4.6 out of 5 stars

This sourdough discard pizza crust is a great way to put unfed sourdough starter to use. Chewy and flavorful, with an open crumb and distinctive hearty taste, it's particularly well suited to bold toppings and well-aged cheeses.

This recipe was originally titled "Sourdough Pizza Crust." We changed the name to "Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust" in 2025 to reflect the fact that it's made with unfed sourdough starter and yeast. For a dough made with ripe starter, follow check out our Sourdough Pizza Crust.

Prep
10 mins
Bake
16 to 18 mins
Total
4 hrs 56 mins
Yield
one 14" round, or large rectangular thick-crust pizza; or two 12" round thin-crust pizzas
Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust - select to zoom
Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust - select to zoom
Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust - select to zoom
Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust - select to zoom
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Instructions

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  1. Stir any liquid on top of your refrigerated starter back into it before measuring 1 cup (227g) into a large mixing bowl. Note: This is a good opportunity to feed the remainder of your starter, if necessary.

  2. To make the dough: Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. In your large mixing bowl or bowl of your stand mixer, combine the lesser amount of water, the flour, salt, yeast, and Pizza Dough Flavor with the sourdough starter. 

    Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust – Step 2

  3. Mix to combine, adding the remaining water 1 tablespoon at a time if the dough looks dry. Knead for about 7 minutes using a stand mixer with its dough hook, until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl.

    Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust – Step 3

  4. Place the dough in a lightly greased container, cover, and let rise until almost doubled in bulk. Depending on the vitality of your starter, this will take between 2 and 4 hours. For a faster rise, place the dough in a warm spot (or double the yeast).

    Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust – Step 4

  5. For two thin-crust pizzas: Divide the dough in half and shape each into a flattened disk. Drizzle two 12" round pizza pans with olive oil, and brush to coat the pan evenly.

    Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust – Step 5

  6. Place the dough in the pans, cover, and let rest for 15 minutes. After this rest, gently press each piece of dough toward the edge of its pan. If it starts to shrink back, cover and let rest for 15 minutes before continuing.

    Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust – Step 6

  7. For a thicker sourdough discard pizza crust: Oil a 14" round pizza pan or 18" x 13" half-sheet pan. Place the dough in the pan and press it out to the edges, again giving it a 15-minute rest before continuing if it starts to snap back.

  8. Cover the pan(s) and let the dough rise until it's as thick as you like.

    Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust – Step 8

  9. Toward the end of the rise, preheat your oven to 450°F.

  10. Sauce and top each pizza as you like, but don't add cheese yet (this ensures a crispy crust). Bake thin-crust pizzas for 5 minutes before removing from the oven and adding cheese. For thick-crust pizza, bake for 10 minutes before removing from the oven and adding cheese. Return to the oven and bake for 5 to 7 minutes more, until the cheese is melted.

    Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust – Step 9

  11. Remove the pizza from the oven and enjoy hot.

    Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust – Step 11

  12. Storage information: Store leftover sourdough discard pizza, well wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Tips from our Bakers

  • Don’t have any starter? Here’s a recipe for homemade sourdough starter. If you're making it from scratch, you'll need to feed it for 5 to 7 days before it’s ready for baking. Want a head start? Purchase our classic fresh sourdough starter — it’ll be ready for baking soon after it arrives at your door. Looking for tips, techniques, and all kinds of great information about sourdough baking? Find what you need in our sourdough baking guide.

  • Be aware of some sourdough dynamics here. The less-used your starter, the more liquid on top, the more sour it's likely to be; using a starter that hasn't been fed for weeks will yield a pizza crust that rises slowly, and tastes quite tangy. This type of crust is handy when you want to make dough in the morning, and have pizza ready for dinner. On the other hand, a starter that's fed regularly will yield a less-sour crust, one that will rise more quickly. This is a great "weekend" crust, as you can shape it at 8 a.m., and have pizza for lunch. Find more helpful tips in our blog post, Sourdough Pizza Crust.

  • Another way to bake: Instead of par-baking the crust, consider leaving off the cheese for the first two-thirds of the bake time. This allows liquid from the sauce and toppings to evaporate, concentrating their flavor. Melted cheese can act like a lid, trapping moisture and making dough soggy instead of crisp. After the edges of the pizza begin to brown, remove from the oven, add cheese, and return to the oven to finish baking.

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