High Protein Sourdough Pizza Crust
A long fermented sourdough pizza crust enriched with Greek yogurt or cottage cheese for 70% more protein than regular pizza dough. Real chew, real flavor, and freezer friendly in about 90 minutes of active time.
Servings: 16 pizza slices
Calories: 118kcal
Equipment
- - Stand mixer with dough hook or your hands
- kitchen scale measuring cups/spoons
- Pizza stone or steel sheet pan upside down
- Parchment paper
- Small spray bottle with water
- Fork for docking
- Pizza peel or sheet pan
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 380 grams bread flour 3 and 1/4 cups
- 130 grams active peaked sourdough starter scant 2/3 cup
- 200 grams nonfat Greek yogurt OR 200 grams cottage cheese blended smooth with 15 grams milk, warmed scant 1 cup
- 100 grams water room temperature (scant 1/2 cup)
- 20 grams olive oil 1 and 1/2 tablespoons
- 8 grams salt 1 and 1/3 teaspoons
- 5 grams sugar 1 teaspoon
For Baking
- water for the parchment
- Your favorite pizza sauce shredded low moisture mozzarella, and toppings of choice
Instructions
- If using cottage cheese, blend 200 grams with 15 grams of milk until completely smooth before measuring. If using Greek yogurt, measure straight from the container. Both should have a thick smooth consistency similar to Greek yogurt.
- Be sure to warm the greek yogurt or cottage cheese in the microwave for 30 seconds. Cold ingredients will dramatically slow fermentation.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the bread flour and salt and mix briefly on low to distribute. In a separate bowl whisk together the starter, Greek yogurt or blended cottage cheese, water, olive oil, and sugar until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour.
- Mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms, about 2 minutes, then increase to medium speed and knead for 6 to 8 minutes until the dough is smooth, pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl, and passes a partial windowpane test. Because this is an enriched dough you will not achieve a full translucent windowpane. You are looking for a partial windowpane where the dough stretches without immediately tearing. The dough should be tacky but not sticky. If it sticks to the bowl after 3 minutes, add flour one tablespoon at a time. If it looks too stiff, add water one tablespoon at a time.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Perform one set of stretch and folds after 30 minutes by grabbing one side of the dough, stretching it up without tearing, and folding it over the center. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat four times around the bowl.
- Cover and bulk ferment at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours until the dough is 50 to 75% larger, looks domed, and feels airy when you press it. Do not bulk ferment overnight at room temperature as over fermentation breaks down the gluten and causes tearing when you shape.
- Once bulk fermentation is complete, seperate the dough into two equal pieces and shape into a ball. Place in an oil lined pan, spray a little oil on top and cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap.
- You can either let rest for an hour and continue with make the pizza. Or for the long ferment, refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours. The cold ferment deepens the flavor and transforms the dough from sticky and difficult to smooth, extensible, and easy to shape.
- After the rest or the next day (remove the dough from the refrigerator) and being the baking preparations.
- Place your pizza stone or steel in the oven and preheat to 475 degrees F for at least 30 minutes. A fully preheated stone is the difference between a pale soft bottom and a properly crispy crust. If you dot have either of those, take a baking tray and turn it upside down and be sure to preheat for at least 10 minutes.
- When ready to shape, lay a sheet of parchment paper on your work surface and give it a light spritz of water. This prevents the dough from sticking without adding extra flour. Place the dough ball in the center and press from the middle outward with your fingertips, working around the dough in a circle and stretching evenly as you go. Once the dough is larger, switch to pushing outward around the edges with your fingertips to build the crust rim. Work to a 10 to 12 inch round. If the dough springs back, cover and rest for another 10 minutes before trying again.
- Use a fork to dock the stretched crust all over before par baking. This prevents large air bubbles from forming and gives you a flat even surface for toppings.
- For a par bake, slide the docked crust on parchment onto the preheated stone and bake at 475 degrees F for 6 to 8 minutes until just set and lightly golden with no raw patches. Remove from oven and cool completely before adding toppings and freezing, or add toppings immediately and finish baking.
- For a fresh full bake, add sauce, cheese, and toppings to the shaped crust and bake on the preheated stone at 475 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes until the cheese is deeply golden and the crust rim is dark brown. Watch closely after the 10 minute mark as the dairy in this dough accelerates browning.
Notes
This Is Not a Lean Pizza Dough:
This is an enriched dough. The Greek yogurt or cottage cheese creates a soft, tender crumb with a satisfying chew and a golden crust that browns faster than a lean dough. You will not get a thin cracker style Neapolitan crust. Expect a soft interior, sturdy structure, and beautiful golden color. That is exactly what this dough is designed to do.
Partial Windowpane Test:
Because this is an enriched dough with dairy, you will not achieve a full translucent windowpane. You are looking for a partial windowpane where the dough stretches without immediately tearing and you can see light through it even if it is not fully translucent. Do not over knead chasing a full windowpane.
Cottage Cheese or Greek Yogurt:
Both work at a 1:1 measured swap with no other adjustments needed. To use cottage cheese, blend 200 grams with 15 grams of milk until completely smooth before measuring. Use Good Culture cottage cheese for best results as it is particularly thick and dry. Use nonfat Greek yogurt for the highest protein content. Whatever you use must be thick. Thin or regular yogurt will throw off your hydration.
Protein Boost:
This dough delivers 70% more protein than a standard pizza dough made with flour and water alone. The boost comes entirely from the Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with no protein powder required. Each slice of plain dough contains approximately 7 grams of protein.
To Par Bake and Freeze:
Par bake the shaped crust at 475 degrees F on a preheated stone for 6 to 8 minutes until just set and lightly golden. Cool completely before adding toppings. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap then foil and freeze flat for up to 3 months. To bake from frozen, add toppings and bake straight from the freezer on a preheated stone at 475 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes.
Storage:
Par baked crusts can be refrigerated for up to 3 days wrapped tightly. Dough balls can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours after bulk fermentation. Let dough balls come fully to room temperature for at least 1 hour before shaping.
Same Day Version:
If you do not have an active sourdough starter or want pizza tonight, check out my High Protein Pizza Crust (Instant Yeast) for a same day version using instant yeast. Ready in about 90 minutes with the same protein boost.
