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There is just nothing that can beat the smell, crunch and taste of a freshly baked pizza in a super hot oven on a stone. I dare you to try this and try to prove me wrong: The Best Sourdough Pizza EVER!

Something about dough hydration

Low hydration dough VS high hydration dough

It is more common to use low hydration dough for pizza’s nowadays.

There are a few pro’s like:

It does not stick to everything
No equipment needed
You can transfer it easily

The con’s are

Takes 10min+ of hard core kneading to develop gluten efficiently.
Can take longer to proof
Difficult to roll as the dough can be very stiff and hard
Tight crumb and heavy texture
Thick and hard crust

On the other hand you get high hydration (70% water+oil content)

Con’s of using high hydration for your sourdough pizza:

Takes a little practice to develop gluten with stretch and folds and coil folds.
Needs a dough scraper to divide and shape dough without tearing it.
Learning to shape by hand without sticking can be a little tricky at first.

Pro’s of using high hydration for your sourdough pizza:

Easy to work with once you get the hang of it.
No ‘hard core’ kneading needed (easy on the wrists)
Can be ready to use in 8 hours (best flavour and crumb when left overnight in the fridge though)
Easy and soft dough to shape by hand with a little practice and enough flour
Crunchy, thin crust but not hard at all, especially if baked at 400°C for 3-4mins.
BEAUTIFUL OPEN CRUMB that is still delightfully soft and chewy.

In my humble opinion…

…going with a high hydration dough will outweigh the pro’s of a low hydration any time, any day.

Ingredients To Bake Sourdough Pizza

432g Water

616g Farina or 00 Flour

32g Semolina

136g Active Sourdough Starter

32g Olive oil

12g Salt

Method To Bake Sourdough Pizza

Mix all ingredients into a shaggy dough. It will be very wet.
Cover and let rest for 20 – 60min.
Do 3 sets of coil folds with 20 – 30min in between.
Cover and let sit at room temperature for 6 – 8 hours, until beautiful bubbles start showing on top.

Put into fridge or divide and shape.
Divide into 300g portions, using a little flour if necessary.

Form into balls and put into 500g round containers with lids, dusted with semolina flour in the bottom of the containers.

Put into fridge, ready for when you want to make pizza.

Preheat your oven to temperatures that suits your oven as described below.
Shape your pizza dough on a baking sheet using a mix of semolina and flour to not stick.

Baking Sourdough Pizza at 200°C In A Pizza Dish

Pre-heat oven to 200°C
Pre-bake bases for 10min to get a nice crunchy crust and to make sure it cooks through.
Add toppings, taking care to not put too much, as this well affect the crispiness of the crust.
Bake for 20min until golden on top.

Baking Sourdough Pizza at 400°C On A Ceramic Stone

Pre-heat oven and stone to 400°C
No pre-baking necessary
Bake pizza with toppings for 3 – 4min, checking bottoms for burning.

The Best Sourdough Pizza EVER!

Ingredients

432g Water
616g Farina or 00 Flour
32g Semolina
136g Active Sourdough Starter
32g Olive oil
12g Salt

Instructions

Mix all ingredients into a shaggy dough. It will be very wet.
Cover and let rest for 20 - 60min.
Do 3 sets of coil folds with 20 - 30min in between.
Cover and let sit at room temperature for 6 - 8 hours, until beautiful bubbles start showing on top.
Put into fridge or divide and shape.
Divide into 300g portions, using a little flour if necessary.
Form into balls and put into 500g round containers with lids, dusted with semolina flour in the bottom of the containers.
Put into fridge, ready for when you want to make pizza.
Preheat your oven to temperatures that suits your oven as described below.
Shape your pizza dough on a baking sheet using a mix of semolina and flour to not stick.

Baking at 200°C in a pizza dish

Pre-heat oven to 200°C
Pre-bake bases for 10min to get a nice crunchy crust and make sure it cooks through.
Add toppings, taking care to not put too much, as this well affect the crispiness of the crust.
Bake for 20min until golden on top.

Baking at 400°C on a ceramic stone