Easy Sourdough Pizza Crust Recipe (Cast Iron Skillet Friendly)

Baked in a cast iron skillet, this homemade sourdough pizza crust recipe boasts a chewy texture and rich flavor—no commercial yeast needed! Perfect for any level baker for delicious, artisan-style pizza right at home.

Homemade sourdough pizza with cast iron crust, topped with caramelized onions, zucchini, bell peppers, and melted cheese on a wooden board.

There are few things more popular in my household than homemade pizza!

This sourdough pizza crust is hard not to love, with its chewy interior and crisp, golden crust that only comes from being baked in a hot skillet. It holds up well to all of our favorite toppings without getting soggy, and can be made a couple days in advance and stored in the fridge until I need it.

Need I say more?

Let’s make it!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe


  • CONVIENIENT: This pizza dough is perfect to make ahead of time and store in the fridge for busy weeknights!
  • WHOLESOME INGREDIENTS: Pizza you can feel good about! Rather than springing for delivery or frozen pizza, this pizza dough is made easily at home using much more wholesome and nutritious ingredients.
  • GREAT FOR A CROWD: This pizza dough recipe can easily customized to include preferred toppings, which makes it perfect for feeding a large number of folks!

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • Sourdough Starter: You will need active starter for this recipe.
  • Bread Flour: Bread flour has a higher gluten content, which will yield a chewier crust that works great for pizza dough! All purpose flour will also work just fine, too.
  • Oil: Olive oil or avocado oil works great in this recipe.
  • Salt: I love and use Redmond mineral salt.
  • Water: Filtered water is best.

Tips for Preparing to Make This Recipe

  1. Weigh your ingredients: I highly recommend using a kitchen scale for this recipe. This will produce the best results!
  2. Make sure your cast iron skillet is well seasoned. I recommend baking this skillet pizza in a 10″ or 12″ cast iron skillet.
  3. Since this recipe doesn’t call for commercial yeast, it is essential that your sourdough starter is active! If using sourdough discard, you can use this sourdough discard pizza dough recipe.

Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below!

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Step by Step Instructions

  1. The night before: Add active sourdough starter, oil, water, salt, and flour to a large bowl. Mix by hand until just combined and then let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
  2.  Stretch and Folds: Once the dough has rested, perform a set of stretch and folds to strengthen the dough. (I recommend wetting your hands with water to prevent sticking). While keeping the dough in the bowl, gently pull one side up and fold it over itself. Rotate the bowl and repeat on all sides until you’ve completed a full circle. Repeat as needed until the dough is smooth and elastic.
  3. Bulk Ferment: Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place the dough in the fridge to ferment overnight.

Baking

  1. Remove the dough from the fridge and let it rest on the counter for 30 minutes at room temperature. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces (you can use a kitchen scale to weigh the dough if you want to be extra precise with this). Shape each portion into a ball on a generously floured work surface. Cover the dough with a tea towel and let them rest for 30 minutes. This allows the gluten in the dough to relax, which will make them much easier to shape!
  2. Turn on your oven’s broiler to HIGH. On a stovetop, heat a well seasoned cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
  3. While the skillet is preheating, press a dough ball into a rough 8″ circle using your hands. You can also use a rolling pin if needed! (If the dough is difficult to shape, stop and let it rest awhile longer to allow the gluten to relax some more.)
  4. When the skillet is nice and hot, lay the circle of dough in it. Carefully use your fingers to press the edges of the dough to cover the bottom of the skillet. Immediately add sauce and preferred toppings to the crust and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the bottom of the crust starts to char.
  5. Once the bottom has turned brown and charred, transfer the cast iron skillet to the broiler to finish baking the top of the pizza for 3-5 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Sourdough pizza dough rising in a ceramic bowl, ready for baking with a soft, smooth surface and natural fermentation bubbles.
Portioned sourdough pizza dough on a dark countertop, ready for shaping, with a bench scraper nearby for easy handling.
Homemade sourdough pizza dough pressed into a cast iron skillet, ready for baking on the stovetop or in the oven.
Homemade sourdough pizza dough pressed into a cast iron skillet, ready for baking on the stovetop or in the oven.

Recipe FAQs

How long does sourdough pizza dough last in the fridge?

This pizza dough can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

What flour is best for sourdough pizza?

I recommend using bread flour for pizza crust, but all purpose flour will also work well!

Is sourdough pizza dough better?

Yes, sourdough pizza dough is delicious! When given a chance to ferment in the fridge, it enhances the flavor and produces more gut healthy benefits (e.g. easier to digest).

Storage and Make Ahead Instructions

  • Storage: Cover leftover pizza tightly and store in the fridge to reheat later. I have stored baked pizza slices in the freezer for later use for around 3 months.
  • Make Ahead: This dough can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days before using. I find that the longer it sits in the fridge, the better the flavor is!
  • Freezing: This sourdough pizza dough freezes beautifully! If you are making the dough to freeze immediately, follow these simple steps:
  1. Lightly coat all sides of the dough with nonstick spray or olive oil. Place the dough into individual Ziploc bag(s) and seal tightly, squeezing out all the air to prevent freezer burn. Freeze for up to 3 months.
  2. To thaw, place the frozen pizza dough in the refrigerator for about 8 hours or overnight.
  3. When ready to make pizza, remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature and rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour on the counter.
  4. Preheat the oven and continue with the above outlined steps to baking the dough.

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Homemade sourdough pizza with cast iron crust, topped with caramelized onions, zucchini, bell peppers, and melted cheese on a wooden board.

Sourdough Pizza Crust

Baked in a cast iron skillet, this homemade sourdough pizza crust recipe boasts a chewy texture and rich flavor—no commercial yeast needed! Perfect for any level baker for delicious, artisan-style pizza right at home.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Fermenting Time 8 hours
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian

Ingredients
  

  • 70 grams active sourdough starter
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 300 grams water
  • 500 grams bread flour

Instructions
 

  • The night before: Add active sourdough starter, oil, water, salt, and flour to a large bowl. Mix by hand until just combined and then let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
  • Once the dough has rested, perform a set of stretch and folds to strengthen the dough. (I recommend wetting your hand with water to prevent sticking). While keeping the dough in the bowl, gently pull one side up and fold it over itself. Rotate the bowl and repeat on all sides until you've completed a full circle. Repeat as needed until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place the dough in the fridge to ferment overnight.
  • Bake: Remove the dough from the fridge and let it rest on the counter for 30 minutes at room temperature. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces (you can use a kitchen scale to weigh the dough if you want to be extra precise with this). Shape each portion into a ball on a generously floured work surface. Cover the dough with a tea towel and let them rest for 30 minutes. This allows the gluten in the dough to relax, which will make them much easier to shape!
  • Turn on your oven's broiler to HIGH. On a stovetop, heat a well seasoned cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
  • While the skillet is preheating, press a dough ball into a rough 8″ circle using your hands. You can also use a rolling pin if needed! (If the dough is difficult to shape, stop and let it rest awhile longer to allow the gluten to relax some more.)
  • When the skillet is nice and hot, lay the circle of dough in it. Carefully use your fingers to press the edges of the dough to cover the bottom of the skillet. Immediately add sauce and preferred toppings to the crust and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the bottom of the crust starts to char.
  • Once the bottom has turned brown and charred, transfer the cast iron skillet to the broiler to finish baking the top of the pizza for 3-5 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Notes

    • Weigh your ingredients: I highly recommend using a kitchen scale for this recipe. This will produce the best results!
    • Make sure your cast iron skillet is well seasoned. I recommend baking this skillet cookie in a 10″ or 12″ cast iron skillet.
    • Since this recipe doesn’t call for commercial yeast, it is essential that your sourdough starter is active! If using sourdough discard, you can use this sourdough discard pizza dough recipe.
    • Storage: Cover leftover pizza tightly and store in the fridge to reheat later. I have stored baked pizza slices in the freezer for later use for around 3 months.
    • Make Ahead: This dough can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days before using. I find that the longer it sits in the fridge, the better the flavor is!
    • Freezing Instructions:
      1. Lightly coat all sides of the dough with nonstick spray or olive oil. Place the dough into individual Ziploc bag(s) and seal tightly, squeezing out all the air to prevent freezer burn. Freeze for up to 3 months.
      2. To thaw, place the frozen pizza dough in the refrigerator for about 8 hours or overnight.
      3. When ready to make pizza, remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature and rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour on the counter.
      4. Preheat the oven and continue with the above outlined steps to baking the dough.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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rachael

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