No Yeast Sourdough Wholewheat Pizza Crust
This No Yeast Sourdough Wholewheat Pizza Crust makes a beautifully thin and crispy Italian style Pizza crust with lots of flavour from sourdough and added malt sirup. I’m particularly fond of using this as my “Emergency Pizza” in form of freezing it in portions and just leaving it out a few hours before I want Pizza.
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Why You Will Love This
Sourdough for Better Flavor and Digestability
While traditional Italian pizza crust tends to be made from 00 flour, I found that the mix of the two bread flours below is not only easier to find (at least in Ireland), but also makes for a slightly healthier version. The sourdough gives extra flavour and makes it easier digestible for the body. It also means diabetics can eat it within reason, as it has a lower glycemic index than simple yeast white pizza crust.
Malty Flavor
While you can certainly make it without the malt sirup and vitamin C, these two additions have given my pizza crust that little extra I was missing for years, when trying to replicate the flavour and consistency I found in good restaurants. The malt extract* replaces the usual honey or sugar and adds a lovely malt flavour to the crust, while Vitamin C powder* helps with the structure of the dough, so it rises great, despite the slightly heavier wholewheat flour and the crust will get crunchier.
Nutrition
One whole crust has about 400 calories, about 10g protein and 5-6g fibre, so depending on your toppings, this could be part of a healthy meal.
The Secret to crispy and chewy Pizza Crust
When you bake this, make sure to preheat your pizza stone* or sheetpan* as it makes a huge difference in how the crust bakes, as it’s only in the oven for around 12 minutes. A hot stone/pan means you get a cooked through and crispy crust, a cold one will have it soggy and possibly half raw under the toppings.
Make Your Own Cheese Crust
I used a small bit of grated cheese around the edge after rolling it out, then folded the edges around it, to make a raised and filled crust that puffed up beautifully and gave it the classic Italian look with the added benefit of lovely, melted cheese inside.
The Ingredients
- Sourdough starter – fed. You can use rye or white here, both will work.
- Olive oil – gives crunch and flavor
- Malt extract – Adds a really unique flavor dimention to any dough. That “je-ne-sais-pas” you find in good quality bakery goods. This is their secret. Substitute: honey
- White bread flour/ strong white flour – Because a pizza crust needs to be pretty strong to carry all those topping and we want a lovely rise, high protein bread flour is best.
Note:
Cups, due to the possibility of compacting the flour while dragging the container through it, can give you wildly different results. Use a tablespoon to gently fill the cup with flour, then drag the back of a knife over it to level. This should give you the closest to the standard 120g per cup of flour.
Alternatively, if you have kitchen scales, assume 120g flour per cup and weigh it out.
In some of my recipes I will give gram measurements for this reason, but I mostly try to accommodate the American cup system.
- Whole wheat bread flour – Gives nutty flavor and adds fibre and nutrition.
- vitamin C powder – Contributes to better rise as it makes the gluten bonds stronger plus gives a particularly crispy crust – Optional
- Kosher salt – Whatever you do, don’t leave out the salt. It’s the “secret” to really good flavor. Halve the amount given if using sea salt.
The Process
Mix
- In a large mixing bowl* or the bowl of your stand mixer*, combine the sourdough starter, warm water, olive oil, and malt syrup (or honey). Mix well until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Add the white bread flour, whole wheat bread flour, kosher salt, and vitamin C powder to the bowl. Mix the ingredients together with a spoon or spatula until they form a shaggy dough.
- Transfer the dough onto a clean, lightly floured surface or your stand mixer. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. If the dough feels too sticky, you can add a small amount of flour, but try to avoid adding too much as it can make the crust dense.
Rest. Ideally Overnight
- Place the kneaded dough back into the mixing bowl and cover it with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature for about 4-6 hours, or until it has roughly doubled in size. Alternatively, you can refrigerate the dough overnight for a slow fermentation, which will enhance the flavour.
Portion
- Once the dough has risen, divide it into 4 equal portions. Shape each portion into a round ball by folding the edges towards the centre, creating tension on the surface of the dough.
- Place the dough balls onto a baking sheet covered with baking parchment and cover them with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest for an additional 1-2 hours at room temperature, or until they have risen slightly.
Bake (or store in fridge or freezer)
- Preheat your oven to its highest temperature (usually around 500°F or 260°C). Place your baking tray or, if you have it, your pizza stone, in the oven during the preheating process to allow it to get hot.
- Now it’s time to shape the pizza crusts. Take one dough ball and flatten it into a disc using your hands or a rolling pin. Gradually stretch the dough by picking it up and allowing gravity to stretch it. Rotate and stretch the dough until you achieve your desired thickness and shape.
- Transfer the shaped dough onto a piece of parchment paper or a lightly floured pizza peel. Add your favourite pizza toppings, such as tomato sauce, cheese, and other toppings of your choice.
- Carefully transfer the topped pizza onto the preheated pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the toppings are cooked to your liking.
Meal Prep
Usually I make a double portion of this and freeze most of it in portion sized balls, to always have “emergency pizza” on hand, without having to resort to the supermarket stuff. Taking it out of the freezer a few hours before you want to bake it will make for a fast and delicious dinner. Being a simple sourdough, you can use this for all kinds of quick baked goods. I successfully made Garlic Butter Naans and Dinner Rolls from the exact same dough, just deciding spontaneously what I felt like on any given evening.
Try this as beautiful summery Peach Brie Serrano Pizza.
Or with any topping of your choice. Whatever you have in your fridge.
Looking for More Easy Sourdough Recipes?
Use up leftover Sourdough Bread:
Pangrattato with Herbs and Lemon Zest
Use up Sourdough Discard:
Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes with Protein
Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Have you tried this? Did you enjoy it?
What other recipes would you like to see?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please share. It helps me a lot.
No Yeast Sourdough Wholewheat Pizza Crust
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer optional. Or
- 1 pizza stone or
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter. fed
- 1 cup warm water comfortably warm but not hot
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp malt extract substitute: honey
- 2 cups white bread flour strong white flour
- 1 cup whole wheat bread flour
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp vitamin C powder
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sourdough starter, warm water, olive oil, and malt syrup (or honey). Mix well until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Add the white bread flour, whole wheat bread flour, kosher salt, and vitamin C powder to the bowl. Mix the ingredients together with a spoon or spatula until they form a shaggy dough.
- Transfer the dough onto a clean, lightly floured surface or your stand mixer. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. If the dough feels too sticky, you can add a small amount of flour, but try to avoid adding too much as it can make the crust dense.
- Place the kneaded dough back into the mixing bowl and cover it with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature for about 4-6 hours, or until it has roughly doubled in size. Alternatively, you can refrigerate the dough overnight for a slow fermentation, which will enhance the flavour.
- Once the dough has risen, divide it into 4 equal portions. Shape each portion into a round ball by folding the edges towards the centre, creating tension on the surface of the dough.
- Place the dough balls onto a baking sheet covered with baking parchment and cover them with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest for an additional 1-2 hours at room temperature, or until they have risen slightly.
- Preheat your oven to its highest temperature (usually around 500°F or 260°C). Place your baking tray or, if you have it, your pizza stone, in the oven during the preheating process to allow it to get hot.
- Now it’s time to shape the pizza crusts. Take one dough ball and flatten it into a disc using your hands or a rolling pin. Gradually stretch the dough by picking it up and allowing gravity to stretch it. Rotate and stretch the dough until you achieve your desired thickness and shape.
- Transfer the shaped dough onto a piece of parchment paper or a lightly floured pizza peel. Add your favourite pizza toppings, such as tomato sauce, cheese, and other toppings of your choice.
- Carefully transfer the topped pizza onto the preheated pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the toppings are cooked to your liking.
