Anywhere with a jar on the counter
Naturally leavened
Sourdough pizza
No packet yeast, and a longer clock
Get ingredient amountsNot a regional style but a leavening swap that works under most of them. A stiff or liquid starter replaces commercial yeast, the schedule stretches, and the dough picks up acidity that reads as flavour rather than sourness if you keep the ferment cool and short at the tail.
How to make it
- Build the levain 6-8 hours ahead at 100% hydration and use it at its peak, not after it falls.
- Autolyse flour and water 45 minutes, then add the levain, then the salt.
- Three or four sets of coil folds over the first two hours.
- Bulk until the dough has risen about half and shows bubbles at the edge of the container. Chase the look, not the clock.
- Divide, ball, and go straight into the fridge for a day.
- Warm the balls three hours before baking. Cold sourdough is stiff and tears.
- Bake by whichever style you are aiming at. This dough suits Neapolitan, New York and al taglio equally.
Fermentation
| Stage | Time | Temperature | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Levain build | 6 h | 24°C / 75°F | Ripe, domed, not yet collapsing. |
| Bulk | 5 h | 24°C / 75°F | Until risen 50%, not doubled. |
| Cold ferment (balled) | 24 h | 4°C / 39°F | |
| Warm up | 3 h | 22°C / 72°F |
This is the recipe's usual schedule. If you picked a different ready time in the calculator, follow the timeline on your ingredient list. How to read the dough →
The bake
Surface. Whatever the target style uses
Naturally leavened dough browns faster because the ferment has eaten less of the sugar than you think. Check the base early.
On top
- Sauce
- Per the style.
- Cheese
- Per the style.
- Toppings
- Per the style.
You got it right when A faintly tangy, wheaty crust with an open, uneven crumb and better keeping quality the next day.