Have sourdough discard that you don’t want to waste? Try this tangy and crispy sourdough discard pizza dough recipe. It’s super quick to make on a busy weeknight, and it’ll get you fresh and crispy pizza in under 15 minutes.
Unlike other discard pizza doughs, which are fluffier and have a breadlike consistency, this is a crispier and thinner version with no yeast or kneading required! If you love thin-crust pizza, this is right up your alley. This is a recipe for the dough, but we have essential tips on the toppings, etc., to ensure a good, crispy pizza.
Ingredients in discard pizza dough
All you need to make discard pizza dough is sourdough discard–you don’t have to wait for the dough to rise or anything; it’s that easy. I recommend adding a little neutral oil to the pan to prevent sticking and sprinkling a little kosher salt on the discard for seasoning, but it’s really simple. For a 12-inch cast-iron pan, I use about ½ cups of discard and spread it evenly around the pan.
Since discard pizza dough is literally a thin cracker crust, you don’t want to add too many toppings, as this might make the dough soggy or break the crust.
Best pan to use for discard pizza dough
The best pan to use for discard pizza dough is a cast-iron that’s preheated in the oven. We preheat it for about 20 minutes to ensure it hits temperature, which you can easily verify with a laser thermometer.
Cast iron is helpful because it’s sturdy enough to bake in the oven at high temperatures like 425 °F, which we need for this recipe. Cast-iron pans retain a lot of heat and will help keep the crust cooking after we add the dough and throughout the entire baking duration.
Tips for making discard pizza
Making discard pizza is pretty simple, but it is important to keep some tips in mind when making yours at home:
- Use a cast-iron pan for extra crispy crust and preheat the pan in the oven for at least 10 minutes before adding the discard on top.
- Prebake the dough BEFORE adding the toppings. Since we’re only using discard for the pizza dough, it’s super liquidy and needs to form before adding the toppings. This will also help keep the crust crispy after you put the topping on it.
- After baking the discard pizza dough for 10 minutes in a traditional oven at 425 °F, use a fish turner or spatula to separate the crust from the pan carefully if needed. Our cast iron pan is well seasoned so it didn’t stick, but this is just in case yours sticks! This will ensure easier transferring after it’s done.
- Don’t add too much topping if you want to keep the pizza’s structure and crispiness. We narrowed this down to about two tablespoons of sauce, ½ cups of shredded cheese, and a very light assortment of other toppings.
What else you can make with sourdough discard
Making a pizza crust from sourdough discard is just the beginning. To reduce the waste on sourdough discard, try other recipes like sourdough discard pancakes, discard waffles, and discard crackers (my favorite new addiction).
Sourdough Discard Pizza Dough
Ingredients
Pizza crust
- ½ c sourdough discard
- neutral oil
- ¼ tsp kosher salt Diamond Crystal brand
Sauce (2 tsp)
- marinara
- alfredo sauce
- pesto
- garlic spread
- BBQ sauce
Cheese (½ cup)
- mozzarella
- Burrata
- Gruyere
- Parmesan
- Provolone
- blue cheese
Protein
- pepperoni
- spicy Italian sausage
- ham
- proscuitto
- chicken
Toppings
- sliced mushrooms
- minced garlic
- fresh basil
- onion slices
- chili garlic oil
- bell peppers
- pineapple slices
- black olives
- arugula
- tomatoes
Equipment Used
- knife and cutting board
- 12-inch cast-iron pan
- spatula
- fish turner
- oven mitts
- oven
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 °F and place the cast-iron pan in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Carefully remove the cast-iron pan from the oven and place it on a heat-safe surface.
- Add 1 tablespoon of neutral oil to the cast-iron pan.
- Pour ½ c sourdough discard onto the pan, and use a spatula to spread the batter evenly. Sprinkle ¼ tsp kosher salt over the batter.
- Place the cast iron back into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the cast iron and use a fisher turner to dislodge the pizza crust from the cast iron, but leave it in there. It should be almost finished cooking at this point: lightly browned in the center, more browned and not burned at the edges.
- Add pizza sauce, keeping to a minimum to keep the dough crisp. This thin dough can handle about 2 tbsp sauce per 10” pizza crust.
- Add cheese, protein, and toppings. Place the cast iron back into the oven again for 2 minutes, or until the toppings are golden and crispy.
- Remove the cast iron from the oven. Gently move the pizza from the pan to a cutting board using a fish-turner. Cut slices and serve immediately since it will be crispy but not if you let it sit too long.
Like this recipe? Subscribe to my newsletter!
