I FINALLY figured out how to have homemade sourdough pizza ready any night of the week, no planning required! This method is perfect if you love sourdough pizza but don’t always have time to mix, stretch, and ferment dough on the same day. The secret is making a large batch of sourdough pizza dough, portioning it into individual containers, and keeping the dough balls in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use them. That way, when pizza night comes around, you already have beautiful, fermented dough waiting for you.
Ingredients
For approximately 8 pizza dough balls, you will need 1000g bread flour, 700g water, 200g active sourdough starter, 25g fine sea salt, and 30g olive oil. You can adjust the amount slightly depending on the size of your pizzas and how many dough balls you want to prepare. A kitchen scale is highly recommended because sourdough dough is much easier to reproduce when the ingredients are measured by weight.
Making the Sourdough Pizza Dough
Start by making sure your sourdough starter is active, bubbly, and recently fed. A healthy starter is important because it provides the natural fermentation needed to make the dough rise and develop flavor. If your starter has been sitting in the refrigerator, feed it and allow it to become active before beginning.
Add the water and active sourdough starter to a large mixing bowl. Stir until the starter is mostly dissolved into the water. Add the bread flour and mix until no dry flour remains. The dough will look rough and shaggy at this stage, and that is completely normal.
Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for about 30 minutes. This short rest allows the flour to absorb the water and gives the gluten time to begin developing naturally.
After the resting period, add the salt and olive oil. Work them into the dough using your hands. Continue folding and mixing until everything is evenly incorporated and the dough becomes smoother.
Over the next couple of hours, perform several sets of stretch-and-folds. Every 30 minutes, grab one side of the dough, gently stretch it upward, and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl and repeat on all four sides. This process strengthens the gluten without requiring traditional kneading.
As the dough ferments, you should notice it becoming smoother, stronger, and slightly puffier. Depending on your room temperature and the strength of your starter, the bulk fermentation can take approximately 4 to 6 hours. You do not necessarily need to wait for the dough to double in size. Look for a noticeable increase in volume, bubbles throughout the dough, and a light, airy appearance.
Dividing the Dough
Once the bulk fermentation is finished, lightly flour your work surface and turn the dough out of the bowl. Try not to completely deflate it because you want to preserve some of the fermentation bubbles.
Divide the dough into approximately 8 equal portions. If you prefer smaller pizzas, make smaller dough balls. For larger pizzas, make each portion slightly bigger.
Take each piece of dough and gently shape it into a tight, smooth ball by folding the edges underneath. Place each dough ball into its own lightly oiled container with a lid. Leave enough room in the container for the dough to expand.
This is the part that makes this recipe so convenient. Instead of making pizza every time you want one, you can prepare a whole batch of dough at once.
Refrigerating the Dough
Place the covered dough containers in the refrigerator. The cold temperature slows down fermentation while allowing the dough to continue developing flavor.
The dough can be kept refrigerated for several days. The longer it ferments, the more complex and flavorful the sourdough crust becomes. Keep an eye on the dough, however, because fermentation speed depends on the temperature of your refrigerator, the strength of your starter, and the amount of starter used.
Whenever you decide you want pizza, simply take a dough ball out of the refrigerator. Let it sit at room temperature for approximately 1 to 2 hours before baking so that it can relax and become easier to stretch.
This means you can have homemade sourdough pizza on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday without having to start a new dough from scratch every time.
Preparing the Pizza
When you are ready to make pizza, preheat your oven as hot as it will safely go. If you have a pizza stone or pizza steel, place it in the oven while it preheats. Allow plenty of time for the stone or steel to become thoroughly hot.
Take one dough ball and place it on a lightly floured surface. Gently press the dough outward using your fingertips, leaving the outer edge slightly thicker. Avoid using a rolling pin because it can press out the gas bubbles that give sourdough pizza its light and airy crust.
Continue stretching the dough until you reach your desired pizza size. If the dough keeps shrinking back, let it rest for another 10 to 15 minutes before stretching again. This allows the gluten to relax.
Transfer the stretched dough to parchment paper or a well-floured pizza peel. Add your favorite pizza sauce, followed by shredded mozzarella or another cheese of your choice. Then add your favorite toppings.
For a pizza similar to the one pictured, you can use tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, sliced black olives, peppers, onions, and a few additional vegetables or toppings you enjoy. Do not overload the pizza because too many toppings can make the center heavy and prevent the crust from baking properly.
Drizzle a tiny amount of olive oil over the top before baking.
Baking the Pizza
Transfer the prepared pizza to your preheated pizza stone or steel. Bake at the highest temperature your oven allows until the crust is beautifully puffed and golden brown and the cheese is bubbling and lightly browned.
A very hot oven is one of the biggest secrets to getting that classic pizza-shop texture. Depending on your oven, the pizza may take anywhere from approximately 7 to 15 minutes.
Keep an eye on the crust during the final few minutes. You want the edges deeply golden with some darker toasted spots while the center remains tender and chewy.
Once baked, carefully remove the pizza from the oven and allow it to cool for a couple of minutes. Finish with fresh basil, chili flakes, grated Parmesan, or a drizzle of olive oil if desired.
Slice and serve while hot.
Why This Method Works So Well
The best thing about this recipe is that you are separating the work from pizza night. Instead of thinking about sourdough pizza several hours before dinner, you make a batch of dough once and store individual portions in the refrigerator.
When you’re hungry for pizza, there is no complicated planning involved. You simply pull out a dough ball, allow it to warm up, stretch it, add toppings, and bake.
The refrigerated fermentation also gives the dough plenty of time to develop a delicious sourdough flavor. The finished crust can be crisp around the edges while remaining soft, chewy, and airy inside.
You can also experiment with different toppings every night. One dough ball can become a classic cheese pizza, another can become a pepperoni pizza, another can be topped with vegetables, and another can be turned into a garlic and cheese pizza.
Storage Tips
Keep the individual dough balls covered so they do not develop a dry skin in the refrigerator. Lightly oiling the containers makes it easier to remove the dough later.
If you know you will not use all the dough within several days, you can freeze individual dough balls for longer storage. Wrap them well and place them in freezer-safe containers or bags. When you want pizza, transfer one dough ball to the refrigerator to thaw and then allow it to come to room temperature before shaping.
Always judge the dough by its appearance and activity rather than relying only on the clock. Sourdough is naturally variable, and warmer kitchens will ferment dough faster than cooler kitchens.
Final Thoughts
Once you start keeping individual sourdough pizza dough balls in the refrigerator, pizza night becomes incredibly easy. There is something so satisfying about opening the refrigerator, grabbing a container of homemade fermented dough, and knowing that a fresh, homemade pizza is only a short time away.
No last-minute sourdough feeding, no complicated same-day schedule, and no waiting around for hours before you can eat. Make a big batch, portion it out, refrigerate it, and enjoy homemade sourdough pizza whenever the craving hits.
This is definitely one of those sourdough tricks that makes homemade pizza much more practical for busy weeknights. The dough is flavorful, flexible, and incredibly satisfying, and once you get the routine down, you may never want to go back to store-bought pizza dough again.
