Sourdough Pizza al Taglio (Sheet Pan Pizza)

Making homemade sourdough pizza couldn’t be easier and more delicious than this Sourdough Pizza al Taglio or sheet pan pizza.

Baked in a sheet pan, this popular Roman sourdough pizza is crispy, yet airy and can be topped with any of your favorite ingredients.

Since the sourdough pizza al taglio is baked in a sheet pan, you don’t need a pizza stone or steel. Plus, no shaping or dividing of the dough is required and you can make it same day or overnight. In fact, it’s quite similar to making Sourdough Focaccia in its ease.

This detailed recipe guide will walk you through every step of the process with lots of images and pizza baking tips.

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⭐️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Makes 15 slices, so it’s great for a crowd.
• Only need a few simple ingredients to make the sourdough pizza crust.
• No-cook, easy pizza sauce recipe included.
• No outdoor pizza oven, cast-iron skillet, or pizza steel or stone needed.
• Can make the pizza same day or overnight.
• Crispy edges with an airy crust.
• Can top the same pizza with different ingredients so everyone can get a slice of what they want.

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What is Pizza al Taglio?

Pizza al taglio (pronounced tah-lyo) is a popular Roman-style pizza baked in sheet pans, cut into rectangular or square slices, and sold by weight in Rome.

In Italian, pizza al taglio translates to “pizza by the cut” or slice. It’s seen in many pizzerias throughout the Italian capital and often cut with scissors.

Shops usually sell slices in large rectangular pans with many different toppings from classics such as tomato and mozzarella to more unique toppings like prosciutto, eggplant, zucchini, or other ingredients in season.

While somewhat similar to Sicilian pizza, Pizza al taglio has a somewhat thinner and crispier crust than its Sicilian counterpart. Whereas Sicilian pizza or Sfincione is substantial with a focaccia-like crust, Pizza al taglio is lighter with crispier edges.

The location that inspired me to make this pizza was Pizza El Punto San Pancho in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, of all places, and is serving up some delicious sourdough pizza. The friendly owner Chris even showed me how he makes the pizza!

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🛠 Tools Needed

• Baking Scale
  • Measuring your ingredients by weight instead of volume is essential so you get a more consistent and accurate bake.
• Stand Mixer with dough hook attachment (recommended)
  • If you have a stand mixer, it’ll help bring the dough together better. It’s a very sticky and high-hydration dough and the stand mixer will do a lot of the hard work for you to build the gluten development.
• Sheet Pan
  • Bake the sourdough pizza in a standard half sheet pan (13×18″).
  • For a more traditional pan, check out these Grandma Style Pans that are popular for pizza al taglio.
• Blender or Food Processor
  • For blending the tomatoes in the pizza sauce.
• Optional: Brød and Taylor Folding Bread Proofer
  • This folding proofing box by Brød & Taylor is a game changer to keep your sourdough starter and doughs at the perfect temperature while proofing.
  • The proofer folds up easily, includes a humidity tray, is multifunctional, and can even be a slow cooker.

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🛒 Ingredients Needed

See below for more information, variations, and possible substitutions.

Sourdough Pizza Crust

• All-purpose Flour
  • Type 00 flour is often recommended for pizza, but is better for Neapolitan-style pizzas cooked at very hot temperatures for a short period of time.
  • For this pizza, I found in my testing that all-purpose flour had the balance of extensibility in the dough, chewiness, and flavor.
  • Substitute 100g with whole wheat flour if you want a heartier pizza dough.
• Water
  • Use warm water to raise the dough temperature so it will ferment faster.
• Salt
• Sourdough Starter
  • Don’t have a sourdough starter? Learn How to Make a Sourdough Starter and make a stronger sourdough starter with my top sourdough starter tips and why I maintain a small sourdough starter.
  • If you want to make sourdough discard pizza, use 100g of sourdough discard and add a teaspoon of instant yeast. Adjust your times as it will proof much faster.
• Olive Oil
  • The olive oil helps make pizza dough more elastic (stretchy), adds flavor, and assists with browning for crispy edges.

Easy, No-Cook Pizza Sauce

This is my go-to easy pizza sauce that requires no cooking and can be made any time of year with pantry ingredients. You can always use store-bought pizza sauce, but this couldn’t be easier!

• San Marzano Whole Peeled Canned Tomatoes
  • For the best pizza sauce (or any type of tomato-based sauce!), use whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes (look for real San Marzanos and not San Marzano-style). Cento and San Merican are popular brands common at grocery stores.
  • San Marzanos have more tomato flesh for a meatier texture, robust red color, less seeds, the perfect balance of acidity, and lower water content. I promise it’s worth it!
• Garlic Clove
• Salt
• Olive oil
• Spices: Dried oregano and red pepper flakes
  • Can substitute oregano with dried basil or another dried herb and leave out the red pepper flakes if you don’t like a hint of heat.

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🍕 How to Make Sourdough Pizza al Taglio (Sheet Pan Pizza)

Follow this visual step-by-step guide to help make this sourdough pizza al taglio.

1. Mix the Dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, mix the all-purpose flour, salt, warm water, and sourdough starter until it’s incorporated.

Cover with a towel to rest for 10 minutes. This short autolyse reduces mixing time and helps the gluten rest.

This pizza dough is about 70% hydration, so it will be a bit wet and sticky at first.

Begin mixing again and then slowly drizzle in the olive oil while continuing to mix.

It’s helpful to incorporate the olive oil last when mixing the pizza dough because the fat can hinder gluten development. It’s the same technique I use for enriched doughs with butter like Sourdough Brioche Bread or Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls.

Continue mixing on medium speed for 10-15 minutes until the dough smooths out, clears the sides of the bowl, and wraps around the dough hook. It may not pass the windowpane test yet, but we’ll add a few folds during fermentation to strengthen the dough.

2. Bulk Fermentation

Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl or cover the stand mixer bowl for bulk fermentation, which will take about 4 hours at 78ºF.

If your dough and environment are colder or you used cold water when mixing, bulk fermentation will take longer. Conversely, in warmer conditions, the dough will ferment faster.

During bulk fermentation, it’s helpful to strengthen the dough with a few stretch & folds every 30 minutes apart for the first couple of hours, like making My Everyday Sourdough Bread Recipe.

To stretch & fold, moisten a hand, reach down to the bottom of the bowl, grab a portion of the dough, and fold it up and down upon itself. Repeat four of these folds per set (four sets total every 30 minutes).

The four sets of folds will help build gluten strength, distribute gases, and regulate the temperature.

Bulk fermentation is complete when this dough has about doubled in size, is smoother, and domes in your bowl.

3. Shape and Final Proof

Preheat the oven to 500ºF (260ºC) as the pizza dough proofs and you make the sauce.

Lightly oil the bottom and sides of a half sheet pan (13×18″) to prevent sticking.

Slowly release the sourdough pizza dough out onto the sheet pan and use your hands to gently spread the dough out to the edges and sides of the pan. Try to keep as many bubbles and gases in the dough as possible without deflating or tearing.

It may spring back some, which is normal. When it won’t stretch any more, let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes for the gluten to relax and stretch some more. Repeat a couple of times if necessary so the dough completely reaches the corners and edges of the pan.

You want as even of dough as possible in the pan, so try to stretch from the middle of the dough outwards so the edges aren’t too thin or tear. I usually stretch it a little over the corners and edges so it doesn’t spring back as much.

Finally, cover with a baking sheet lid or oiled plastic wrap and proof for 30 minutes or until the dough is slightly puffy again with visible bubbles throughout.

4. Make the Pizza Sauce

You can make the quick pizza sauce as the dough proofs or 3-5 days ahead of time in the refrigerator.

Add all of the pizza sauce ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend well. Taste and make any seasoning adjustments as necessary.

Transfer to a container and that’s your easy no-cook pizza sauce!

5. Bake

Pizza al taglio gets two bakes.

The first 10 minutes are only with the sauce to par-bake the crust and ensure it’s cooked through. This creates a crispy bottom that doesn’t get soggy from all the toppings.

Then, add your toppings for the final bake to finish the pizza.

To bake, spread the pizza sauce with a large spoon or small ladle almost to the edges of the pizza dough. You won’t use all the pizza sauce, so reserve the rest in the refrigerator or freeze for future pizzas.

Par-bake for 10 minutes. Then, add your toppings. I did 8 oz. of shredded mozzarella and thinly sliced pepperoni for the pizza, but topping variations are endless! If using cheese, be sure to distribute it all the way to the sides of the pan for crispy edges.

Finish the sheet pan pizza in the oven for another 10-12 minutes or until the edges are crispy and the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown slightly if you added cheese.

Let it cool for at least 15 minutes, add any unbaked toppings, and slice the pizza in the pan or on a large cutting board into rectangular or square pieces. I usually do 3×5 rows for 15 slices.

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How to Store & Serve

The sourdough pizza is best the day it’s made, but also makes great leftovers since it stores well!

Once cooled, store slices in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in an airtight container and reheat in a toaster oven or oven for a few minutes. I don’t recommend freezing this style of pizza.

Pizza al taglio is great for dinner parties and hosting since it serves many and you can make it with so many different toppings. That way, everyone will be satisfied.

Serve the pizza with a fresh salad or seasonal vegetables. If you’re having an Italian night, consider making Sourdough Maritozzi (Italian Sweet Buns), Sourdough Ladyfingers (Savoiardi), or Chocolate Raspberry Sourdough Biscotti for dessert.

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❓Frequently Asked Questions

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