Easy Sourdough Pizza Recipe - An Italian in my Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

How much sourdough starter to use in pizza dough? ›

The amount of sourdough starter you need to make pizza dough can vary based on the flour used and the fermentation schedule. Typically, I like to have between 10 to 20% sourdough starter in my pizza dough.

Although not all Neapolitan pizza is made from sourdough, there's no reason it can't be. In fact, sourdough starter is mentioned in the official Neapolitan pizza guide (AVPN) as one of the ways to prove pizza.

For Crispy and Chewy Pizza Crust, Use 00 Flour

00 flour is finely ground Italian flour that contains about 12% protein, or 12% gluten. It's the traditional flour used to make Neapolitan-style pizza. Since its gluten content is similar to bread flour, it also produces a pizza crust with chew.

Using high-protein white flour (13-14% protein) in your sourdough pizza dough can lead to a chewier pizza. If you'd like to reduce the chewiness, try using a lower protein flour for the pizza dough (like all-purpose flour or Type 00 with lower protein).

Many pizzerias and professional pizza bakers use Tipo 00 for their pizza recipes. As a home baker, I don't think you need to use Tipo 00 to get the best results. You can use your own sourdough starter along with bread flour to make a successful sourdough pizza.

Incorrect proofing is the most common reason behind inadequate dough rising. This can happen due to the water being too hot or not having enough yeast in the dough. Using expired yeast is another fairly common reason. Insufficient proofing time or low ambient temperature can be the culprit too.

Born in Napoli, la pizza Napoletana is one of the most famous types of Italian pizza. Protected by a Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (TSG) certification, this style must be made in a very particular way. The dough is comprised of wheat flour, yeast, salt, and water and is left to rise for up to 24 hours.

To be authentic

According to the TNPA (True Neapolitan Pizza Association), a governing body that upholds the original pizza standards, only Margherita and Marinara are acknowledged as authentic Italian pizzas (Neapolitan pizzas). The Marinara uses tomatoes oregano, extra virgin olive oil and if preferred, basil.

No matter the form it's in, any yeast can work well for making pizza dough. It all depends on how much time you want to spend making it, and what kind of flavor you want. For example, sourdough starter will produce a much different-tasking crust than other yeast types.

What is the difference between 00 pizza flour and all-purpose flour? ›

Another difference is that 00 flour is made from durum wheat, while all-purpose flour is not. This means that all-purpose flour creates stretchier gluten strands and will tend towards producing a chewy pizza base, rather than a crispy one.

Final Verdict. If you're after the authentic taste and texture of pizza, 00 flour is the way to go. And if you want to make high-quality artisan bread at home, blindly go for bread flour.

As a general guideline, a common rule of thumb is to use around 20-30% of the total flour weight in the recipe as the amount of starter. For example, if your recipe calls for 500 grams of flour, you would use 100-150 grams of active starter. How much sour dough starter do you need for one loaf of sour dough bread?

The most common feeding ratio is 1:1:1 (sourdough starter: flour: water). This is also known as a 100% hydration starter. For example, let's say you have 40 g of sourdough starter in a jar. To feed it, you'll add 40 g of flour + 40 g of water.

You might see some people use a 1:2:2 or a 1:3:3 or even a 1:4:4 or 1:5:5. Again, these ratios represent the amount of food you give the amount of starter that you keep. I typically use a 1:3:3 ratio meaning that however much starter I keep I feed it 3xs the amount of flour and water.