Sourdough Discard Pizza

This sourdough discard pizza is one of our favorite dinners and one of the best ways to use your extra sourdough discard. It’s less of a recipe as it only takes one ingredient- sourdough starter, plus your favorite pizza toppings. I can use up heaps of sourdough starter this way, as well as get dinner on the table fast. And when I know we are eating a probiotic-rich, gut-healthy, and easy-to-digest pizza crust, it’s a beautiful peace of mind.

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We call it puff pizza in our house, and we are excited to share this quick and easy sourdough recipe with you today, perfect for weeknights, and laid-back weekend dinners. Oftentimes, we will feed our starter just to make these pizzas. The printable version of this recipe is below. For further details, keep on scrolling down, my friend!

Equipment you may need:

• 9″ Cast Irons- At least one, but having a few on hand is best.
• Rubber Spatula or wooden spoon or ladle
• Sheet Pans- Optional, I would suggest having them if you are going to make multiple pizzas

Ingredients you will need to make Sourdough Discard Pizza:

• 240 grams/1 Cup Sourdough Starter– Active or Discard
• Olive Oil– for seasoning the cast irons
• Favorite Pizza Toppings

How to make Sourdough Discard Pizzas:

Step One: Preheat Cast Irons

A cast iron works best preheated and oiled up. So get those cast irons hot. If you’re baking a few of these pizzas I would recommend having a few cast irons to preheat. But if you only cast iron, one it’s perfectly fine, having a few just makes the process go a little faster.

Put your cast irons in the oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step Two: Pour in the Starter

When they are preheated, carefully take them out one by one and drizzle a few tablespoons onto the hot pan to get it nice and seasoned, ensuring that your sourdough starter doesn’t stick to the cast iron.

Next, pour 1 cup of sourdough starter into the hot cast iron, spreading out and around, sometimes I will go up the side of the pan to get a nice little crust. I like to use the back of a ladle to swirl it around the pan.

Step Three: Bake the Crust

Place the cast iron back into the oven, and turn the oven down to 475 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the crust par bake, for about 5 minutes, watching carefully to prevent overbaking or burning. If you are working with more than one cast iron, repeat the steps until you have sourdough starter baking in each cast iron.

When they look firm on the bottom, remove the cast iron from the oven.

You can either add the toppings onto the sourdough starter pizza crust in the cast iron or transfer the crust(s) to a large parchment-lined baking sheet. On a large sheet, I can fit 2- 9″ pizza crusts. Then add pizza toppings.

After the toppings are added, place back into the oven until your cheese is melted and bubbling.

That’s it!

Bon Appétite!

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can you use an active starter in place of discard?

Yes, you can. There is no difference other than the active sourdough starter will be at its peak rise and can help your recipe to rise and produce more bubbles, which we love!

Some discard recipes like my No Knead Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls call for a leavener like baking soda or baking powder- you could skip adding those leaveners if you’re using an active starter. The only difference is that the starter will take longer to rise than baking soda or baking powder (which gives rise to dough or batter immediately), so you might have to adjust your baking times.

What is the benefit of sourdough discard?

Sourdough discard like the active sourdough starter is a type of fermentation that has vast nutritional benefits including:

1. Fermentation breaks down the antinutrients found in the grains of flour. There is a thick shell-like coating on the outside of the grains of flour, this shell (antinutrient) is difficult for our systems to digest. It’s like an assault on the digestive system to try and process unfermented grains—sourdough works to eat away at these antinutrients making it easier to digest.
2. When that shell-like coating is no longer present, the nutrients found in the grain, are now readily available for your body to absorb and use to feed every cell.
3. The dough develops a unique sour character and a thicker more artisanal-like flavor profile.

Other sourdough discard recipes that are easy to make and use up a lot of discard:

• Sourdough Discard Crackers
• Sourdough Dutch Baby [Puff Pancake]
• Sourdough Pancakes Recipes

Thanks for joining me today, let me know what you think of this recipe by leaving a quick comment down below. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter to get personalized messages from the heart and to ensure you never miss a recipe!

♥ ALL THE LOVE ♥