Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust
Sourdough discard pizza crust is a quick, flavorful way to make the most of your sourdough starter leftovers while serving up a delicious dinner. This homemade pizza dough is easy to make in a bread machine and delivers a golden, pizzeria-style bite every time.
I love making homemade pizza on the weekends for my family. Often, I toss the ingredients into the bread machine in the morning and whip out a hot pizza from the oven as a surprise for lunch. It's a fun way to sneak in family dinner before my teens head out with friends for the evening!
When my sourdough starter discard tub is starting to get full, I make this easy sourdough discard pizza crust and it adds such amazing flavor and an awesome texture to our homemade pizzas.
In fact, we love it so much I even figured out how to make sourdough discard breadsticks from the same recipe! I recommend you try both.
Why This is the Best Recipe
- Uses Sourdough Discard: No need to toss that precious starter, this is one of my favorite discard recipes.
- Bread Machine Friendly: Let your bread maker do the hard work while you handle the fun part: toppings!
- Crispy Crust with Flexible Toppings: Whether you love a veggie-packed pie or a meaty classic, this crust holds it all beautifully. Any of my pizza recipes would work with this dough.
Ingredients
This dough comes together with just a few pantry staples plus your sourdough discard:
- Sourdough Discard: After you've fed your sourdough starter, you can use the leftover starter here.
- Lukewarm Water
- All-Purpose Flour
- Table Salt
- Taylor Street Seasoning: I love this seasoning for our pizza doughs but it is optional. Check the recipe card for some easy substitutions.
- Instant Yeast: I use ActiveDry Yeast, you do not need yeast that is specifically labeled for bread machine use.
Tips on Sourdough Starter
If you're new to using sourdough starter, you'll want to take a moment to read my tips for getting started with sourdough starter here. Once you're in maintenance mode, you'll need tips on how to feed sourdough starter.
This pizza dough recipe is one of my favorite sourdough discard recipes but don't miss these sourdough discard crackers and bake up a batch of sourdough discard brownies for dessert!
How to Make the Dough in a Bread Machine
As the author of The Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook, I use my bread maker as often as I can. I think it turns out the best doughs and all I need is 5 minutes of prep and a push of a button.
First, you'll want to add your sourdough discard to the bread machine pan fitted with the paddle attachment.
Sourdough discard is difficult to measure using measuring cups so the most accurate way to know you have the right amount is to weigh it with a food scale.
Place the empty bread pan on the scale and hit the "TARE" button. This will set the panel to 0 so you can easily weigh your starter.
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Add the Wet Ingredients First
Once the starter has been measured, as with all my bread machine recipes, you'll want to add all the liquid ingredients first.
For this recipe, you just need to add the lukewarm water. I run the water from my tap until it is just barely warm to the touch and then measure it.
Add the Dry Ingredients
Then you'll add the dry ingredients right on top of the liquid ingredients.
Weigh the flour by hitting the "TARE" button again and then measuring in the right amount of flour, spoonful by spoonful.
Add the salt around the perimeter of the pan and use your spoon to dig a shallow well in the center. That's where you'll place the yeast.
I add the Taylor Street Seasoning around the edges, too. This help keep the salt and yeast away from each other until it is time for them to be properly mixed by the bread maker.
Mix the Dough
Place the bread pan back into your bread machine.
Select the DOUGH program and hit Start.
The cycle will take about 90 minutes to mix the dough, knead it, and let it do the first rise.
NOTE: Depending on the humidity and weather and how you measured the ingredients, your dough may end up a bit more sticky than it should. Keep an eye on it as it mixes. If it is sticking too much to the sides of the pan or the bottom, sprinkle in a teaspoon of flour at a time until it pulls away and forms a ball like you see in the photo above.
Add the flour very slowly, only add as much as you need, remember you can't take it back out.
Second Rise or Store
Once the bread machine is done, drizzle a little olive oil into a large mixing bowl and brush it around the sides.
Scrape the dough out into the bowl and turn it to coat in the oil. Be sure to remove the bread paddle if it stuck!
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then you can:
- Do the Second Rise for Baking: If you want to bake right now, let it rise on your counter for 2 hours before baking.
- Store in the Fridge for Up to 5 Days: If you want to prep the dough now for dinner another time, immediately put the bowl in the fridge to prevent it from rising. You'll want to leave 2 - 3 hours for it to rise on your counter before using because it will be starting from a chilled state.
Prep the Pizza Toppings
The pizza prep instructions are the same for all of my pizza doughs. If you want step-by-step detailed instructions, you might want to reference how to roll pizza dough by hand.
This recipe makes enough for two pizza crusts. Divide the dough in half and then work one crust at a time.
Top your crust with your favorite pizza sauce. I love this tomato marinara pizza sauce and this white garlic pizza sauce but pesto or olive oil would work great, too.
Top your pizza as desired. I think the tangy sourdough flavor of this dough pairs well with Italian-style toppings like tomato bruschetta pizza, chicken pesto pizza, or a classic cheese pizza. It works great with pepperoni and sausage, too.
You could also use it to make more gourmet style pizzas like my harvest apple pizza or this fresh peach pizza.
Baking Instructions
My baking method always turns out crispy crusts in the oven and works for all my pizza dough recipes. For step by step detailed instructions, please reference how to bake pizza dough in the oven.
Preheat the oven to 450°F with a pizza stone in the center of the oven. Let it preheat for at least 30 minutes so the stone gets blazing hot.
Transfer the prepared pizza onto the stone using parchment paper and let it cook for 10 - 15 minutes or until your toppings have melted and the crust is golden brown.
Serving Suggestions
For a fun pizza night menu, you can pair a simple garden salad or Caesar salad on the side.
Bake a batch of whole wheat breadsticks or sourdough discard breadsticks to go with it, too! Both recipes are made in the bread maker, too!
📖 Recipe
Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) sourdough discard
- 3/4 cup lukewarm water
- 2 1/2 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 4 teaspoons Taylor Street Seasoning optional, see notes for alternatives
- 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
Instructions
- Add the ingredients in the order they are listed to the bread pan fitted with the mixing paddle. Dig a well on the top of the flour and place your yeast there. (See photos in post above for reference.)
- Place the bread pan in your bread machine and select the DOUGH program. Press START. The program should take about 90 minutes to complete.
- Brush a large mixing bowl with olive oil. Transfer the pizza dough to the bowl, turning it over to coat in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for an additional 2 hours or until it has almost doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F with a pizza stone in the center of the oven. Let the oven warm up the stone for 30 minutes while you prepare the pizzas.
- Transfer the dough to a large baking mat. Divide it in half and working one dough ball at a time, shape it into a 12-inch round pizza crust. Place a piece of parchment over the crust and smooth it out. Flip it over and peel back the baking mat.
- Top the pizza crusts with sauce and toppings. Use the parchment paper to slide the pizza onto the preheated stone and bake for 10 - 15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese has melted. Pull the pizza from the stone by the parchment paper and slide it onto a pan for serving. Slide the second pizza onto the stone and bake.
Recipe Notes
Pizza Dough Seasoning:
I find that adding some of our favorite Taylor Street Garlic & Herb Seasoning to the dough makes for an especially flavorful pizza crust but this is not an essential ingredient if you don't have it on hand. You can substitute, a sprinkle of garlic salt and dry Italian herb blend if you want to add more flavor to your crust in a pinch.When to Add the Cheese Topping:
If you prefer a crispy pizza crust, you may want to consider topping your crusts with just the tomato sauce and veggie or meat toppings. Bake them without together, without the cheese, for the first 5 - 7 minutes. The liquid will evaporate from the toppings, helping to keep the crust crispy. Top the pizza with the cheese and return to the oven for 5 minutes to melt it.Storage Tips:
You can prep the pizza dough in advance and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days if you chill it after turning it in the oiled storage bowl. Don't let it rise, just put it directly in the fridge. Let it warm up on the counter and rise for 2- 3 hours before baking.Save This Recipe to Your Recipe Box
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