Our Sourdough Pizza Base

This is the foundation. Every recipe on this blog sits on top of it, so it's worth making once and getting to know. A sourdough base takes time but almost no effort — the fridge does the work, and the reward is a light, blistered crust with real depth of flavour.

Makes 4 bases

Ingredients

• 500g strong bread flour or 00 pizza flour (see our flour guide)
• 325g water (about 65% hydration)
• 100g active sourdough starter, recently fed
• 10g fine sea salt

Method

1. Mix. Combine flour and water and rest for 30 minutes — this autolyse makes the dough easier to work. Add the starter and salt, and mix until smooth.
2. Strengthen. Over the next two hours, do three or four sets of stretch-and-folds: wet your hand, lift one side of the dough, stretch it up and fold it over. Rotate and repeat.
3. Bulk prove. Leave covered at room temperature until risen by about half — three to five hours depending on your kitchen.
4. Ball and chill. Divide into four, shape into tight balls, and refrigerate in a sealed container for 24–48 hours. This cold prove is where the flavour lives.
5. Bring to room temperature for an hour before you stretch and top.

No starter yet? Swap it for 3g of dried yeast and a 24-hour cold prove. You'll lose a little tang but still get a wonderful crust.

Bake as hot as your oven goes — ideally on a preheated pizza steel or stone at 250°C or above.