Sourdough discard pizza dough

Sourdough discard pizza dough gives you a tangy, chewy crust without a long wait, because a small amount of instant yeast does the lifting while the discard handles flavor. This is a same-day-ish recipe: mix in the morning, bake for dinner. It makes two 12-inch pizzas and uses 200 g of discard, so it is a good home for the scoop you would otherwise toss when feeding your starter.

Cold discard straight from the fridge works fine. It does not need to be bubbly or active here. The yeast covers the rise, and the discard adds the sour note and a softer, more open chew than a plain yeast dough.

Ingredients

Weigh in grams. Pizza dough is sensitive to hydration, and a scale keeps it consistent.

• 200 g sourdough discard (100% hydration, equal flour and water by weight)
• 350 g bread flour
• 165 g water, warm (about 32C/90F)
• 3 g instant yeast
• 9 g fine salt
• 12 g olive oil, plus more for the bowls

This lands around 68% hydration once you count the water in the discard. If your discard runs stiffer or wetter, the dough will feel firmer or slacker. Check the hydration calculator if you want to dial it in.

Method

1. Whisk the discard, warm water, and yeast in a large bowl until loose and a little foamy.
2. Add the bread flour and olive oil. Mix until no dry flour is left, then cover and rest 20 minutes. This soak softens the flour so kneading goes faster.
3. Add the salt and work it in by squeezing the dough. Knead in the bowl for 3-4 minutes until smooth, or do a set of stretch and folds every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours.
4. Cover and let it rise at room temperature until it grows by about half, roughly 3-4 hours at 22C/72F. Warmer rooms move faster. Timings are estimates, so watch the dough, not the clock.
5. Divide into two 360 g pieces. Shape each into a tight ball by pulling the surface taut underneath.
6. Oil two containers, drop a ball in each, and cover. Use within an hour, or refrigerate up to 3 days for deeper flavor and easier stretching.
7. Heat your oven with a stone or steel as hot as it goes, 250C/480F or higher, for at least 45 minutes.
8. Stretch one ball to 12 inches, top it lightly, and bake 6-9 minutes until the edge is blistered and set. Repeat with the second ball.

Tips

• Go light on toppings. Too much sauce or cheese steams the crust and keeps it pale. A thin layer bakes crisp.
• Cold dough stretches better. Pull it from the fridge 45-60 minutes before baking so it relaxes and stops snapping back.
• Tang control. Older discard tastes more sour. For a milder crust, use discard that is only a day or two old.
• No stone? Bake on an upside-down sheet pan preheated in the hot oven. You lose a little crispness but it still works.

Make ahead and storage

The shaped balls hold 3 days in the fridge. For longer, freeze a ball in an oiled bag for up to a month, then thaw overnight in the fridge and bring to room temperature before stretching. Want more ways to use up starter? The discard recipes hub has the full list.