You can make sourdough New York-style pizza in your home oven. In this recipe you’ll learn how to make a batch of no-fuss sourdough pizza dough, how to throw together a tangy NYC pizza sauce, and how to assemble a twelve inch sourdough New York-style pizza.
For a “square” pizza that you can bake on a sheet pan, check out my Sourdough New York-Style Sicilian Pizza recipe here.
Why This Recipe Works
- This recipe makes enough dough for three 12″ pizzas, comfortably feeding 3-4 people.
- While your home oven isn’t big enough to fit a full New York-style pizza, which can be 18″ in diameter or larger, you can cut one 12″ pizza into four slices and enjoy a few medium-sized slices of pizza.
- The shaping and topping method for this sourdough pizza produces and thin and crunchy crust that doesn’t end up floppy. It holds its shape well, and although the crust is crispy and thin, there are still plenty of fermentation bubbles from the naturally leavened sourdough crust.
- If you use the recommended baking steel (see below) your pizza will have a well-baked and slightly browned or charred undercarriage.
Special Tools You’ll Need
- 12″ or Larger Baking Steel or Pizza Stone: A baking steel is essential for getting a thin and crispy New York-style crust on your pizza if your baking in a home oven. If you don’t have a baking steel, a ceramic pizza stone is the next best thing.
- Cast Iron Pan: If you place a cast iron pan (or a second baking steel/pizza stone) on the oven rack above your pizza, it will radiate heat back onto the pizza from above while it is baking. This method gives extremely good results, so, although optional, I highly recommend placing a cast iron pan on the middle rack above your pizza while it is baking.
- Digital scale: I recommend using a digital scale to weigh your ingredients instead of trying to measure with cups and tablespoons. A scale will allow you to weigh your ingredients accurately.
- Pizza Peel: You’ll want to have a wooden or metal pizza peel to transfer your pizza from the counter onto your baking steel/pizza stone.
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Ingredients You’ll Need
For the Dough
- Bread Flour: I used the King Arthur brand of bread flour for this recipe but any bread flour that’s around 11-13% protein will work fine.
- Water: It’s best to use filtered tap water or bottled spring water for this pizza dough.
- Sourdough Starter: You’ll need a 100% hydration sourdough starter for this recipe (a starter fed with equal parts water and bread flour by weight).
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: You’ll need a small amount of extra virgin olive oil for this dough. This will bring smoothness to the dough and help it brown as it bakes in your home oven.
- Salt: I use Kosher salt for this recipe, but sea salt or plain table salt will work just as well.
- White Sugar: A small amount of white sugar will help the dough brown in the oven as it bakes.
For the New York-Style Pizza Sauce
- Crushed Tomatoes: Use a high quality 28oz. can of crushed tomatoes. I used Mutti brand crushed tomatoes, but Bianco di Napoli crushed tomatoes and Cento All-in-One crushed tomatoes also taste great.
- Salt: I used Morton Kosher salt for this recipe. Any Kosher salt, sea salt, or plain table salt will work fine.
- Fresh Basil (Optional): Many New York pizzerias either add fresh basil to their pizzas before they bake them, or they’ll add fresh basil to the pizza sauce. For this recipe, I prefer to add a few fresh basil leaves to the raw pizza sauce.
For the Toppings
- Low-Moisture Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded: This style of pizza calls for half whole-milk, low-moisture mozzarella cheese, and half skim, low-moisture mozzarella cheese. I buy both types of cheese as a block, shred them with a cheese grater, and then mix the two types of cheese together after they’re shredded.
- Parmigiano Reggiano, Grated: You’ll finish the pizza with a little bit of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. This has a great tangy/savory flavor. For an even sharper, tangier flavor, use Pecorino Romano cheese, and for a cheaper option, use Grana Padano cheese. Different NYC pizzerias use different kinds of hard grating cheeses, so if you’re going for authenticity, you can’t go wrong with any of these three varieties of cheese. Just avoid the pre-grated parmesan cheeses in the shaker bottles.
- Oregano, Dried (Optional): An optional but recommended ingredient is just a shake of dried oregano. You’ll add this to the pizza before you bake it and it will combine with the cheese on top of the pizza, providing a delicious, aromatic flavor.
Note: Check recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and quantities.
How to Make Sourdough New York-Style Pizza
Ingredient Amounts
Sourdough Starter Feeding
- Sourdough Starter, leftover – 25 grams
- All-Purpose Flour – 50 grams
- Water – 50 grams
Main Dough
- Bread Flour – 450 grams
- Water – 255 grams
- Sourdough Starter – 100 grams
- Salt – 13 grams
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 10 grams
- White Sugar – 5 grams
- Semolina Flour (for Dusting) – 1/8 cup
New York-Style Pizza Sauce
- Crushed Tomatoes – 28 oz. can (794 grams)
- Salt – 1 tsp (5g)
- Basil, Fresh (Optional) – 5 leaves
Toppings (for One 12″ Pizza)
- New York-Style Pizza Sauce – 1/3 cup (85 grams) 100 grams for a saucier pizza
- Low-Moisture Mozzarella Blend, Shredded – 3/4 cup (75 grams) 90-100 grams for a cheesier pizza
- Hard Grating Cheese, Grated – 1 Tbsp (6 grams) plus more after baking, to taste
- Oregano, Dried – 1/8 tsp
Suggested Timeline
| Time | Step |
|---|---|
| 10:00 PM (Day 1) | Feeding the Sourdough Starter |
| 6:00 AM (Day 2) | Mixing and Kneading the Dough |
| 6:30 AM | The First Rise (Bulk Fermentation) |
| 10:30 AM | Dividing and Balling Up the Dough |
| 10:35 AM | Final Proof (The Second Rise) |
| 11:00 AM | Preparing the Sauce and Toppings |
| 12:00 PM | Stretching the Pizza Dough |
| 12:10 PM | Assembling the Pizza |
| 12:15 PM | Baking |
| 12:25 PM | Serving |
| Any Time | Reheating the Pizza |
Step-by-Step Instructions for Sourdough New York-Style Pizza
Feeding the Sourdough Starter
In the evening, take 25 grams of leftover sourdough starter out of the fridge. Feed the starter 50 grams of water and 50 grams of all-purpose flour. Cover the jar and let the starter rise overnight for 6-8 hours, or until doubled in size. The next morning, your starter should be doubled in size and ready to use.
Mixing and Kneading the Dough
To a mixing bowl, add the water, active sourdough starter, salt, white sugar, and extra virgin olive oil. Stir to dissolve the starter and salt. Then, add the bread flour and mix to combine into a rough dough.
Turn the dough out onto an un-floured counter and knead the dough by hand for 8-10 minutes until it’s well-developed and the dough has a smooth surface.
Note: If the dough still feels too sticky and doesn’t look quite smooth enough after 8 minutes, cover the dough and let it rest for 5 minutes, then knead again for another minute or two. The short rest period should help the dough develop and after an additional minute of kneading, the dough should feel smooth.
The First Rise (Bulk Fermentation)
Transfer the kneaded dough into a greased glass container with a lid. Close the container with a lid or a sheet of plastic wrap. Let the dough rise on the kitchen counter at room temperature for 4-6 hours, or until doubled in size.
Dividing and Balling Up the Dough
When the dough has doubled in size, remove it from the container and place it on the kitchen counter. Divide the dough into three equally-sized pieces with a bench scraper or a chef’s knife. Each piece of dough should weigh about 277 grams. This recipe yields enough dough for three 12″ sourdough New York-style pizzas.
Stretch and fold each piece of dough into a ball and then roll the dough balls on the counter to smooth out the edges. Place the dough balls into a flour-dusted 9×13″ baking pan, keeping a few inches of separation in between each ball of dough. Dust the tops of the dough balls with bread flour and cover the pan with an airtight lid or a sheet of plastic wrap.
Final Proof (The Second Rise)
Let the dough balls rise at room temperature for 1.5 to 2 hours, or until they have almost doubled in size again. A few hours later, the dough balls should be puffy, light, and full of air. At that point you can stretch them, top them, and bake them.
Cold Proof Option: If you want to give your sourdough New York-style pizza dough extra flavor, let the dough balls proof at room temperature for just one hour, and then move the pan of dough into the refrigerator for 24-48 hours. During this time, the dough balls will get very puffy and light and they will take on a well-fermented flavor. Many pizzerias in New York cold proof their pizza dough for additional flavor and for convenience. Since sourdough pizza dough already has so much flavor from the slow fermentation process, cold proofing is optional.
Preparing the Sauce and Toppings
While the pizza doughs are going through their final proof, you can prepare the easy pizza sauce and a few other toppings.
Pizza Sauce: To a 28 oz. can of high quality crushed tomatoes, add 1 tsp of salt, and five torn leaves of fresh basil. Stir the basil and salt into the tomatoes. You’ve just made an extremely easy New York-style pizza sauce. Store the sauce in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
Mozzarella: Find a high quality block of low-moisture whole milk mozzarella and shred it with a cheese grater. Cover the cheese and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. You can also use a 50/50 blend of low-moisture whole milk mozzarella, and low-moisture part skim mozzarella. This is what I like to use as the mixture tends to be melty, creamy, and the cheese browns well in the oven at the same time.
Hard Grating Cheese: Get a wedge of your favorite hard grating cheese to grate directly on top of your pizza. Many New York pizzerias use either Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, or Grana Padano. Parmigiano Reggiano is a high quality aged parmesan that is somewhat tangy, savory, and delicious. Pecorino Romano is a sheep’s milk cheese that is even tangier and also delicious. Grana Padano is an option that tastes great but is a little more affordable. Pick your favorite one.
Dried Oregano: Get a shaker bottle of dried oregano on hand to sprinkle on top of your pizza right before you bake it.
Setting Up Your Oven
30 minutes before your dough is done proofing, preheat your oven to 550°F (287°C) or as high as your oven will go. Place a 12″ or larger baking steel or pizza stone in the bottom rack of your oven. In the middle rack of your oven (one or two positions higher than the pizza) place a cast iron pan. You will bake the pizza on the baking steel on the bottom rack, and the cast iron pan will sit above the pizza and radiate heat back onto the pizza while it bakes. This is one of the best home oven set ups for making sourdough New York style pizza that I have found.
Stretching the Pizza Dough
When your doughs are done proofing and your oven is preheated, you’re ready to stretch, top, and bake. Take one of the pizza doughs out of the container and dip it on both sides into a bowl of bread flour. Place the pizza dough onto your countertop and press out the air from the dough, leaving a small edge of air around the outside of the dough for the crust. Stretch the dough out into a 11-12″ circle with your hands. You can stretch it out on the countertop or in the air using a steering wheel type of motion where you let gravity pull the dough down and stretch it. Once the pizza dough is around 11 or 12 inches in diameter, transfer it onto a pizza peel that has been dusted with a little bit of semolina flour (or bread flour). Give the dough a few shakes on the peel to make sure that it isn’t sticking.
Assembling the Pizza
Top your 12″ pizza dough with the prepared New York-style pizza sauce and spread it around in an even layer almost to the edges, leaving a small border around the pizza which will be the crust. Then, sprinkle on the shredded mozzarella cheese and distribute it evenly on top of the pizza. Finish the pizza by sprinkling it with the hard grating cheese and the small amount of dried oregano. Stretch the pizza to a full 12 inches in diameter and give it another shake to make sure it doesn’t stick to the peel.
Baking
Transfer the topped pizza onto the hot baking steel or pizza stone by carefully sliding it off of the pizza peel. (This can take some practice, so good thing you have enough dough for three pizzas!) Close the oven and bake the pizza for 6-7 minutes at 550°F (287°C). The pizza is done when the crust is turning golden brown and the cheese is bubbling and browning. If you bake the pizza too long, the oil in the mozzarella will start to separate and the pizza will become orange and greasy. Don’t be afraid to pull the pizza out early if it looks like it’s finished baking.
Serving
Transfer the pizza to a cooling rack and let it cool for one minute. The cooling rack will prevent steam from making the pizza soggy on the bottom. After one minute, top the cheese with as much parmesan or hard grating cheese as your want, slice it into four large slices, and enjoy!
This pizza is wonderfully crisp on the bottom and the sauce to mozzarella ratio is very well balanced. The hard grating cheese on top of the pizza also takes it to the next level. In my opinion, adding a little bit of high quality grated parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese to your pizza makes the pizza taste restaurant quality. It really makes a big difference.
Reheating Your Pizza
To reheat, preheat your oven to 550°F (287°C) and place a cold or room temperature slice of pizza on a sheet of parchment paper. Transfer the pizza, parchment paper and all, onto the preheated baking steel or pizza stone. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the pizza is refreshed and back up to serving temperature.
This type of pizza also reheats well in the air fryer. Cook one or two slices of cold pizza in the air fryer for 2-3 minutes at 400°F. Some air fryers also have a “pizza reheat” setting. Test it out and see what works for you.
Sourdough New York-Style Pizza
You can make sourdough New York-style pizza in your home oven. In this recipe you’ll learn how to make a batch of no-fuss sourdough pizza dough, how to throw together a tangy NYC pizza sauce, and how to assemble a twelve inch sourdough New York-style pizza.
Ingredients
Sourdough Starter Feeding
- Sourdough Starter, Leftover - 25 grams
- Water - 50 grams
- Bread Flour - 50 grams
Main Dough
- Bread Flour - 450 grams
- Water - 255 grams
- Sourdough Starter, Active - 100 grams
- Salt - 13 grams
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 10 grams
- White Sugar - 5 grams
- Semolina Flour (for Dusting) - 1/8 cup
New York-Style Pizza Sauce
- Crushed Tomatoes - 28 oz. can (794 grams)
- Salt - 1 tsp (5 grams)
- Basil, Fresh (Optional) - 5 leaves
Toppings (for One 12" Pizza)
- New York-Style Pizza Sauce - 1/3 cup (85 grams) 100 grams for a saucier pizza
- Low-Moisture Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded - 3/4 cup (75 grams) 90-100 grams for a cheesier pizza
- Hard Grating Cheese, Grated - 1 Tbsp (6 grams) plus more after baking, to taste
- Dried Oregano - 1/8 tsp
Instructions
Feeding the Sourdough Starter
In the evening, take 25 grams of leftover sourdough starter out of the fridge. Feed the starter 50 grams of water and 50 grams of all-purpose flour. Cover the jar and let the starter rise overnight for 6-8 hours, or until doubled in size. The next morning, your starter should be doubled in size and ready to use.
Mixing and Kneading the Dough
To a mixing bowl, add the water, active sourdough starter, salt, white sugar, and extra virgin olive oil. Stir to dissolve the starter and salt. Then, add the bread flour and mix to combine into a rough dough.
Turn the dough out onto an un-floured counter and knead the dough by hand for 8-10 minutes until it’s well-developed and the dough has a smooth surface.
Note: If the dough still feels too sticky and doesn’t look quite smooth enough after 8 minutes, cover the dough and let it rest for 5 minutes, then knead again for another minute or two. The short rest period should help the dough develop and after an additional minute of kneading, the dough should feel smooth.
The First Rise (Bulk Fermentation)
Transfer the kneaded dough into a greased glass container with a lid. Close the container with a lid or a sheet of plastic wrap. Let the dough rise on the kitchen counter at room temperature for 4-6 hours, or until doubled in size.
Dividing and Balling Up the Dough
When the dough has doubled in size, remove it from the container and place it on the kitchen counter. Divide the dough into three equally-sized pieces with a bench scraper or a chef’s knife. Each piece of dough should weigh about 277 grams. This recipe yields enough dough for three 12″ sourdough New York-style pizzas.
Stretch and fold each piece of dough into a ball and then roll the dough balls on the counter to smooth out the edges. Place the dough balls into a flour-dusted 9×13″ baking pan, keeping a few inches of separation in between each ball of dough. Dust the tops of the dough balls with bread flour and cover the pan with an airtight lid or a sheet of plastic wrap.
Final Proof (The Second Rise)
Let the dough balls rise at room temperature for 1.5 to 2 hours, or until they have almost doubled in size again. A few hours later, the dough balls should be puffy, light, and full of air. At that point you can stretch them, top them, and bake them.
Cold Proof Option: If you want to give your sourdough New York-style pizza dough extra flavor, let the dough balls proof at room temperature for just one hour, and then move the pan of dough into the refrigerator for 24-48 hours. During this time, the dough balls will get very puffy and light and they will take on a well-fermented flavor. Many pizzerias in New York cold proof their pizza dough for additional flavor and for convenience. Since sourdough pizza dough already has so much flavor from the slow fermentation process, cold proofing is optional.
Preparing the Sauce and Toppings
While the pizza doughs are going through their final proof, you can prepare the easy pizza sauce and a few other toppings.
Pizza Sauce: To a 28 oz. can of high quality crushed tomatoes, add 1 tsp of salt, and five torn leaves of fresh basil. Stir the basil and salt into the tomatoes. You’ve just made an extremely easy New York-style pizza sauce. Store the sauce in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
Mozzarella: Find a high quality block of low-moisture whole milk mozzarella and shred it with a cheese grater. Cover the cheese and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. You can also use a 50/50 blend of low-moisture whole milk mozzarella, and low-moisture part skim mozzarella. This is what I like to use as the mixture tends to be melty, creamy, and the cheese browns well in the oven at the same time.
Hard Grating Cheese: Get a wedge of your favorite hard grating cheese to grate directly on top of your pizza. Many New York pizzerias use either Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, or Grana Padano. Parmigiano Reggiano is a high quality aged parmesan that is somewhat tangy, savory, and delicious. Pecorino Romano is a sheep’s milk cheese that is even tangier and also delicious. Grana Padano is an option that tastes great but is a little more affordable. Pick your favorite one.
Dried Oregano: Get a shaker bottle of dried oregano on hand to sprinkle on top of your pizza right before you bake it.
Setting Up Your Oven
30 minutes before your dough is done proofing, preheat your oven to 550°F (287°C) or as high as your oven will go. Place a 12″ or larger baking steel or pizza stone in the bottom rack of your oven. In the middle rack of your oven (one or two positions higher than the pizza) place a cast iron pan. You will bake the pizza on the baking steel on the bottom rack, and the cast iron pan will sit above the pizza and radiate heat back onto the pizza while it bakes. This is one of the best home oven set ups for making sourdough New York style pizza that I have found.
Stretching the Pizza Dough
When your doughs are done proofing and your oven is preheated, you’re ready to stretch, top, and bake. Take one of the pizza doughs out of the container and dip it on both sides into a bowl of bread flour. Place the pizza dough onto your countertop and press out the air from the dough, leaving a small edge of air around the outside of the dough for the crust. Stretch the dough out into a 11-12″ circle with your hands. You can stretch it out on the countertop or in the air using a steering wheel type of motion where you let gravity pull the dough down and stretch it. Once the pizza dough is around 11 or 12 inches in diameter, transfer it onto a pizza peel that has been dusted with a little bit of semolina flour (or bread flour). Give the dough a few shakes on the peel to make sure that it isn’t sticking.
Assembling the Pizza
Top your 12″ pizza dough with the prepared New York-style pizza sauce and spread it around in an even layer almost to the edges, leaving a small border around the pizza which will be the crust. Then, sprinkle on the shredded mozzarella cheese and distribute it evenly on top of the pizza. Finish the pizza by sprinkling it with the hard grating cheese and the small amount of dried oregano. Stretch the pizza to a full 12 inches in diameter and give it another shake to make sure it doesn’t stick to the peel.
Baking
Transfer the topped pizza onto the hot baking steel or pizza stone by carefully sliding it off of the pizza peel. (This can take some practice, so good thing you have enough dough for three pizzas!) Close the oven and bake the pizza for 6-7 minutes at 550°F (287°C). The pizza is done when the crust is turning golden brown and the cheese is bubbling and browning. If you bake the pizza too long, the oil in the mozzarella will start to separate and the pizza will become orange and greasy. Don’t be afraid to pull the pizza out early if it looks like it’s finished baking.
Serving
Transfer the pizza to a cooling rack and let it cool for one minute. The cooling rack will prevent steam from making the pizza soggy on the bottom. After one minute, top the cheese with as much parmesan or hard grating cheese as your want, slice it into four large slices, and enjoy!
This pizza is wonderfully crisp on the bottom and the sauce to mozzarella ratio is very well balanced. The hard grating cheese on top of the pizza also takes it to the next level. In my opinion, adding a little bit of high quality grated parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese to your pizza makes the pizza taste restaurant quality. It really makes a big difference.
Reheating Your Pizza
To reheat, preheat your oven to 550°F (287°C) and place a cold or room temperature slice of pizza on a sheet of parchment paper. Transfer the pizza, parchment paper and all, onto the preheated baking steel or pizza stone. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the pizza is refreshed and back up to serving temperature.
This type of pizza also reheats well in the air fryer. Cook one or two slices of cold pizza in the air fryer for 2-3 minutes at 400°F. Some air fryers also have a “pizza reheat” setting. Test it out and see what works for you.