Makes: 2 large pizzas or 3 medium Best with overnight ferment.
My Go-To Sourdough Pizza Base (So Easy, Honestly)
Alright, so this is the pizza base I make when I’ve got sourdough starter sitting there and I can’t be bothered with anything fancy. It’s chewy, crispy round the edges, and tastes a million times better than takeaway — and you don’t need any special gear either.
If you can stir and fold a bit of dough, you can make this.
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250g sourdough starter (bubbly is best, but don’t stress if it’s not perfect)
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250g warm water
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2 tablespoons olive oil
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500g plain flour or bread flour
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2 teaspoons salt
That’s it. Nothing weird, nothing fancy.
Chuck the starter, water and olive oil into a big bowl and give it a quick mix.
Then tip in the flour and salt and stir until it all comes together into a shaggy dough. It won’t look pretty — that’s normal.
Cover it and leave it on the bench for about 20–30 minutes.
This just gives the flour time to soak up the water and makes it easier to work with.
Now, instead of kneading like crazy, we’ll just do a few stretch-and-folds.
Every 10 minutes or so:
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Grab one side of the dough
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Stretch it up and fold it over itself
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Turn the bowl and do that a few times
Do that about 3 times, then just leave it to do its thing.
Leave it on the bench until it looks a bit puffier — usually 3 to 5 hours, depending on how warm your kitchen is.
Then cover it and pop it in the fridge overnight.
This is where all the flavour comes from, so don’t skip it if you can help it.
(If you really need pizza the same day, it’ll still work, it just won’t be quite as tasty.)
Take the dough out of the fridge, tip it onto a floured bench and cut it into:
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2 big pizzas, or
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3 medium ones
Roll them into balls, cover with a tea towel and let them sit for about 30–60 minutes so they relax and are easier to stretch.
Don’t use a rolling pin — you’ll squash all the nice bubbles.
Just use your fingers to press from the middle outwards, then gently stretch it to the size you want.
Leave the edges a bit thicker so you get that lovely crust.
If it keeps springing back, just leave it for 10 minutes and try again. Dough can be stubborn.
Crank your oven as hot as it’ll go — 250°C if you can — and preheat a tray or pizza stone.
Add your toppings (don’t go crazy or it’ll go soggy) and bake for:
👉 about 7–10 minutes
until it’s golden and bubbling.
Then try not to burn your mouth eating it straight away… I never wait long enough
💛 Little Handy Tips
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This dough keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days, and honestly gets better each day
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Great for BBQ too if you’ve got one going
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Kids love helping stretch the bases (messy but fun)