Discard gives same-day pizza the mature flavor it usually needs a cold ferment to develop. Fresh-milled hard white wheat keeps the crust hearty without turning it heavy.
Before you begin
This recipe is written for 100% hydration discard—starter maintained with equal weights flour and water. Use discard that smells pleasantly sour, yeasty, or mildly alcoholic. Throw it away if you see fuzzy mold, pink or orange discoloration, or smell anything rotten.
Ingredients
Dough
- 400 g fresh-milled hard white wheat flour
- 200 g sourdough discard, 100% hydration
- 240 g warm water, hold back 25 g
- 15 g olive oil
- 10 g fine salt
- 3 g instant yeast
For shaping
- Semolina or flour for the peel
- Sauce, cheese, and toppings of choice
Method
- Mix flour, discard, and 215 g water. Rest 20 minutes.
- Add oil, salt, and yeast. Knead 6–8 minutes, adding the reserved water gradually as needed.
- Cover and rise until 60–75% larger, about 75–105 minutes.
- Divide into two balls. Cover and rest 30–45 minutes while the oven and stone or steel preheat at 500–550°F.
- Stretch each ball to 12 inches, keeping a thicker rim. Top lightly.
- Bake one pizza at a time until the rim is browned and the bottom crisp, generally 8–12 minutes in a home oven.
Fresh-milled notes
Good to know: The formula is 68% hydration after counting the flour and water in the discard.
Good to know: A thoroughly preheated stone or steel matters more than adding extra flour during shaping.
Good to know: Cold discard is fine, but allow extra rise time if the dough finishes mixing cool.
Sourdough Discard Collection
Eight practical ways to turn refrigerated discard into bread, breakfast, supper, and snacks.
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Keep learning
Use the Fresh-Milled Flour Guide, consult the hydration guide, troubleshoot dense bread and sticky dough, and browse the recommended tools.