How To Make Epic Pizza At Home | Sourdough Pizza | The BEST Way to Bake Store-Bought Pizza Dough for Amazing Pizza

WOW!!!!! As a more introverted/introverted person, you may not always know when I am SUPER excited but this is one of those times!!!

I have made pizza over the years…sourdough pizza to be exact. There have been some triumphs and some fails. The biggest fail is that the cheese is nice and golden, but the crust still tastes a little raw. That happened to me last time I tried to make this pizza (I rushed it). But, this one is SPOT ON. I am so happy. 

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The inner crust is thin and crispy, and the outer crust is chewy but is light and well cooked. The flavor is also amazing. I added a little whole wheat but added honey to balance it so it doesn’t taste too wheat-y. Turned out great. 

I’ll be making notes on this. I want to share the recipe for the sourdough recipe I used (I kept it in the fridge for 2 days to ferment and it seemed to improve the results). 

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But, even if you don’t make your own dough and use store-bought, you can still use my baking steps to make a pretty awesome pizza at home.  Follow how I cooked it in the oven for a crispy, well-cooked pizza. Jump down to “Shaping and Baking Pizza” steps. 


I put pictures at the bottom so you can see more of the process. 

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Enjoy!

Sourdough Pizza

Ingredients (makes 3 small pizzas): 

  • 200g High protein Bread Flour
  • 100g High Protein Wheat Flour
  • 200g All-purpose flour
  • 330g water
  • 120 g active starter (passes float test)
  • 30g honey
  • 30g extra virgin olive oil
  • 10g salt
  • 20g water

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Directions: 

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Making Dough: Mix all ingredients except last two. Let sit for 45 minutes. Then, add the salt and 20g water. Mix in. Let rise for 2 hours, pulling and turning every 30 minutes to stretch the dough. Then, put in the fridge covered with plastic wrap for 1-2 days. (I did 2 days, wouldn’t go past 3 days)

Shaping dough: When ready to make pizza, take dough out of the fridge for at least an hour (up to 2 hours). Shape it with a generous amount of flour. Stretch the dough as thin as possible but pinch the outer edges. If it breaks, let it rest a bit more. 

Baking Pizza: Preheat oven to 500F and place a cast iron griddle or pizza stone in the oven while preheating. When hot, put pizza on the cast iron or stone and cook for 7-10 minutes, or bubbles form and slight color is starting. Take out of the oven. Top dough with your toppings and lower the oven to 450F. Cook additional 10-15 minutes or crust crust sounds hollow when tapped. If using Prosciutto or basil, put it on the pizza after it comes out of the oven while still warm. 

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If you need more tips on how to make sourdough or how to start with a starter visit my blog post on “SOURDOUGH” to get started. 


After 2 days in the fridge, my dough has lots of bubbles and is looking great!

If using store-bought dough, bring it out of fridge for 1-2 hours to rest

Shape it with a generous amount of flour.
Pinch the outer edges to make a crust

Place on a preheated cast iron griddle (500F). no oil needed. Do this carefully. The oven is superhot!

(Left) Cook 7-10 minutes or until bubbly and slightly golden

Take out and top with sauce and toppings

Put back in the oven at 450 F for 10-15 minutes or outer crust
(thickest part) sounds hollow when tapped

Troubleshooting: 

My pizza seems dense and undercooked. What happened?

If you’re using your own dough, this is most likely that you didn’t allow it to rise the proper time. Next time, let it rise a little more. If you think you let it rise for enough time, then it could be that it over-rose. If it got big and then deflated. Taking notes while making your bread of temperature and time is the best way to improve your bread results. There are many variables. Don’t get too discouraged!

The cheese on my pizza has browned too fast and the dough is not cooked, what should I do?

Be sure to precook your dough thoroughly, until it bubbles and gets a little golden. Then, take it out and top it with toppings. Lower the oven temperature and place your pizza in the middle of the oven. If its too high the cheese will brown too fast. 

I don’t have a cast iron griddle, what else can I use to cook my pizza?

I have used a flimsy pizza pan but unfortunately I don’t get the crispy crust. It seems to take much longer to bake and sometimes the dough is not fully cooked in the time I thought it would be. Using a cast iron griddle, pizza stone or tile from a hardware store is your best best to get a crispy, fully cooked pizza. A preheated stone or griddle makes a HUGE difference and its worth it. 

Hope these tips helped. Feel free to find me on Instagram and message  me if you have more questions.  @chefjoannas 

More on Bread: 

To your happy and healthy life, 

Joanna

Did you make this recipe?

Tag me on Instagram! I’d love to see it! @chefjoannas 


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