Ooni Sourdough Pizza Dough Recipe with Timing Tips

Ooni sourdough pizza dough is a naturally leavened dough made with active starter, flour, water, and salt, then baked hot for a crisp base and airy edges. This same-day recipe makes four personal pizzas and gives you a practical fermentation schedule for a home pizza oven.

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups (600 g) bread flour, preferably measured by weight; strong 00 flour also works
1 1/2 cups (360 ml) room-temperature water
1/2 cup (120 g) active sourdough starter at 100% hydration, meaning it has equal weights of flour and water
2 1/2 teaspoons (15 g) fine sea salt
Up to 1/4 cup (30 g) extra flour, for dusting the counter and dough balls as needed
2 tablespoons (18 g) semolina or extra flour, for dusting the peel; semolina releases more easily, but either works
For topping, optional: 1 cup (240 g) thick pizza tomato sauce, 12 ounces (340 g) low-moisture mozzarella, and 12 fresh basil leaves

Instructions

Check the starter and set the schedule. Use a starter that is bubbly, has risen after feeding, and smells pleasantly tangy rather than sharply vinegary. A 100%-hydration starter is assumed for these quantities; if yours is much thicker or thinner, the dough may need a small adjustment in water or flour. Set the room-temperature bulk fermentation for about 4 hours at roughly 75–78°F (24–26°C), followed by a 3-hour rest after dividing. The times are a guide, so watch the dough as well as the clock.
Mix the dough. Stir the starter into the water in a large bowl until it loosens. Add the bread flour and mix until no dry patches remain; the rough dough will look shaggy. Cover and leave it for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the salt over the dough and work it in by pinching and folding the dough over itself. Knead in the bowl or on a clean counter for about 5 minutes, until it feels more cohesive. It will be soft and slightly tacky, not dry or stiff.
Build strength during bulk fermentation. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 4 hours at the temperature above. During the first 90 minutes, give it three sets of stretch-and-folds, about 30 minutes apart: wet your hand, lift one edge of the dough, stretch it without tearing, and fold it across the center. Turn the bowl and repeat around the dough. Each set takes about a minute. After the last fold, keep the dough covered and undisturbed. By the end it should look smoother, feel airy, and have expanded noticeably, though it may not double.
Divide and shape. Lightly dust the counter, turn out the dough, and divide it into four equal pieces, about 274 g each. To make each ball, fold the edges underneath until the top is smooth, then cup your hand around it and draw it gently across the counter to create surface tension. Avoid adding much extra flour; too much makes the dough dry and harder to stretch. Set the balls seam-side down in a lightly floured covered tray or separate covered containers, leaving room for them to expand.
Proof the dough balls. Leave them covered at room temperature for 3 hours. They should relax and become puffy, and a gentle fingertip press should leave an impression that slowly begins to spring back. If the room is cool, they may need longer; if they become very slack and collapse, they have gone too far. Keep them covered so the surfaces do not form a dry skin.
Preheat the Ooni oven. Near the end of the proof, heat the oven according to its manual and fuel type, allowing about 25 minutes for preheating. For this style of pizza, aim for a stone-floor temperature around 750–850°F (400–450°C), checked with an infrared thermometer if available. The oven flame and stone need to be hot, but avoid launching onto a floor that is so hot it scorches the bottom before the top cooks. Have the peel, sauce, cheese, and any toppings ready before stretching.
Stretch, top, and bake. Dust the peel lightly with semolina or flour. Lift one dough ball and press from the center outward, leaving a thicker rim; stretch it over your knuckles or on the counter to about 10–12 inches (25–30 cm). Do not use a rolling pin, which presses out the air in the rim. Put the dough on the peel and check that it slides freely before adding a thin layer of sauce and a modest amount of cheese. Launch promptly. Bake for about 60–90 seconds, turning the pizza with the peel every 20–30 seconds so it colors evenly. Exact timing depends on the oven’s flame and stone temperature. Remove when the rim is browned and the cheese is bubbling. Repeat with the other dough balls. The 37-minute cook time includes the 25-minute oven preheat and up to 12 minutes of baking for four pizzas.

Tips

Choose flour by texture, not the label alone. Bread flour gives a resilient, chewy crust and is easy to find. Italian 00 flour can make a supple, delicate dough, but protein levels differ by brand; if the dough feels unusually slack, use bread flour next time or hold back a tablespoon of water while mixing. Do not replace all the flour with whole-wheat flour, which absorbs more water and makes a denser crust. For a whole-wheat variation, replace only 60 g (about 1/2 cup) of the bread flour and expect a slightly less airy edge.
Use starter near its peak. A recently fed, active starter gives more predictable rise than discard straight from the refrigerator. Starter strength, room temperature, and flour all affect timing. If the dough has barely expanded after four hours, give it more time; if it is already very puffy and jiggly, move on to dividing sooner. The dough’s appearance matters more than forcing an exact clock schedule.
Keep the peel lightly dusted. Excess flour or semolina on the peel can burn in the oven and taste bitter. A little is enough to help release the base. Top one pizza at a time and launch soon after topping; sauce sitting on raw dough can make it stick. If it catches, lift an edge and add a small pinch of dusting flour rather than shaking a heavily loaded pizza around.
Make the dough ahead if needed. For a slower, more developed flavor, refrigerate the covered dough after dividing it into balls for up to 24 hours. Before baking, bring the containers to room temperature for about 2–3 hours, until the balls are relaxed and easy to stretch. This is an alternate schedule, not an extra step in the same-day timing above.

Serving Suggestions

Serve the pizzas as soon as they come out of the oven, while the edges are crisp and the cheese is hot. For a simple topping, spread on a thin coating of thick tomato sauce and scatter over low-moisture mozzarella; finish with fresh basil after baking so it stays fragrant. Keep toppings restrained because a heavily loaded pizza takes longer to cook and can turn soft before the base browns.

For a casual meal, set out the four dough balls with a few bowls of prepared toppings and let each person choose a combination. A green salad, grilled vegetables, or a bowl of olives makes an easy side. If cooking several pizzas, serve each one as it is ready rather than stacking them, which traps steam and softens the crust.

Variations

Garlic and herb dough: Add 1 teaspoon (about 1 g) dried oregano to the flour before mixing. Dried herbs distribute evenly without adding moisture; fresh herbs are better scattered over the finished pizza. For a classic plain dough, leave the herbs out and focus flavor in the toppings.

More whole grain: Replace up to 60 g (about 1/2 cup) of bread flour with whole-wheat flour. The flavor becomes nuttier and the crust a little heartier. Whole-wheat flour absorbs more water, so if the dough feels firm after mixing, work in water 1 teaspoon at a time rather than adding a large splash.

Cold-fermented dough: After the initial bulk rise, divide and ball the dough, cover it well, and refrigerate for 12–24 hours. This longer, cooler rise changes the schedule and can make the dough easier to handle, but allow 2–3 hours at room temperature before stretching. If the balls are still tight, give them more time to relax instead of forcing them into shape.

Use a conventional oven: If you do not have an Ooni oven, heat a baking steel or stone on the highest oven setting, usually 500–550°F (260–290°C), for at least 45 minutes. Bake one pizza at a time and expect several minutes rather than the very short cook of a pizza oven. Follow the appliance and stone maker’s temperature limits.

Storage and Reheating

Keep uncooked dough balls covered in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours for the best handling and rise. Refrigerate them promptly rather than leaving dough containing starter out indefinitely. For longer storage, freeze individually wrapped dough balls for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then leave them covered at room temperature for about 2–3 hours before stretching; dough that is still cold will resist shaping and may tear.

Baked pizza is best fresh, but leftovers can be refrigerated within 2 hours in a covered container for 3–4 days. Reheat slices in a skillet over medium-low heat until the base crisps and the toppings are hot, or use a 375°F (190°C) oven for about 5–8 minutes. A microwave works for speed but softens the crust. Reheat leftovers to 165°F (74°C) for food safety, especially when they have been stored with perishable toppings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use sourdough discard instead of active starter?
Discard that has been recently fed and is still lively may work, but unfed, cold discard has less predictable leavening power. This recipe relies on the starter to raise the dough, so a sluggish discard can leave the crust dense. If you use discard, let the dough rise until it is visibly airy rather than relying only on the stated hours.

Why is my dough sticky?
A slightly tacky dough is normal at this hydration, especially before the folds strengthen it. Use damp hands for folding and a light dusting of flour for shaping. Adding a lot of flour during kneading changes the dough balance and can make the baked crust tough. If it is extremely wet and will not hold shape, check that the starter is 100% hydration and weigh the flour and water next time.

Why does the dough keep shrinking when I stretch it?
The gluten is probably tight, often because the dough is cold or has not rested long enough after dividing. Cover it and wait 15–20 minutes, then stretch gently from the center outward. Avoid pulling hard on one spot; rotate the dough as you work and leave the rim thicker for the crust.

Can I make the dough without an Ooni pizza oven?
Yes. Use a preheated baking steel or stone in a very hot conventional oven, following the temperature limit for the equipment. The bake will take longer and the top may brown differently because a home oven does not reproduce the intense flame and heat of a dedicated pizza oven, but the same dough and shaping method work.

How do I know when the pizza oven is hot enough?
Check the stone floor rather than judging only by the flame. An infrared thermometer makes it easier to see whether the center is in the suggested 750–850°F (400–450°C) range. If the base blackens almost immediately, let the stone cool briefly or reduce the heat; if the pizza takes several minutes and stays pale, give the oven more time to recover between launches.

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Safety notes: safe minimum internal temperatures from USDA FSIS; raw and undercooked fish guidance from the U.S. FDA. Food safety notes

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