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DOUGHRISEFOUNDERS
Baking Tips
5 min read
Caramelised Fig, Gorgonzola & Walnut Sourdough Pizza
A stunning winter sourdough pizza with caramelised figs, gorgonzola and walnuts on a crispy, tangy sourdough base. Perfect for a cosy Friday night in.
baked pizzaThis sourdough pizza is the kind of thing you make when it's properly cold outside, the heating's on full blast, and you want something that feels a bit special without being a faff. Caramelised figs, creamy gorgonzola, and toasted walnuts on a thin, blistered sourdough base , it's rich, a little sweet, a little funky, and genuinely one of the best things you can pull out of a hot oven in February. The long cold ferment does most of the heavy lifting while you get on with your week, so by Friday night all you're doing is stretching dough and opening a bottle of red.
Why a Sourdough Pizza Base Changes Everything
Most people underestimate what a sourdough pizza base actually brings to the table. Beyond the flavour (that gentle tang, the complexity you just can't get from commercial yeast), the long fermentation breaks down a good chunk of the gluten structure in a way that makes the dough lighter, more digestible, and way easier to stretch without it snapping back at you. In winter your kitchen is cooler, which means the dough ferments more slowly , and slowly is exactly what you want here. The flavour builds as the temperature drops, so February is actually a brilliant time to be making this.
Ingredients
For the sourdough pizza dough
- 300g (about 2 cups) strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
- 195g (¾ cup plus 1 tbsp) cold water
- 60g (¼ cup) active sourdough starter, at peak
- 7g (1¼ tsp) fine sea salt
- 10g (2 tsp) olive oil
For the toppings
- 6 fresh or dried figs, halved (if using dried, soak in warm water for 10 minutes first)
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp runny honey, plus a little extra to finish
- 100g gorgonzola dolce, broken into small pieces
- 100g low-moisture mozzarella, torn
- 50g walnut halves, lightly toasted
- A handful of fresh rocket (to add after baking)
- Olive oil, for drizzling
- Flaky sea salt and black pepper
Method
- Mix the dough. Combine the flour, water, active sourdough starter, salt, and olive oil in a large bowl. Mix until a shaggy dough forms, then turn out and knead for 5 to 6 minutes until smooth. The dough should feel soft and slightly tacky but not sticky. Return it to the bowl, cover, and leave at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Fold and develop. Over the next hour, do 3 sets of stretch and folds, roughly 20 minutes apart. With each set, grab one side of the dough, stretch it upward and fold it over itself, then rotate the bowl and repeat on all four sides. This builds structure without any heavy kneading.
- Divide and cold ferment. After the final fold, divide the dough into 2 equal balls (around 280g each). Place each one into a lightly oiled container or small bowl, cover tightly with cling film or a lid, and refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours. Longer is better here , that cold time is where a lot of the flavour develops.
- Bring the dough to room temperature. About 2 hours before you want to bake, take the dough out of the fridge and leave it covered on the worktop. This makes it much easier to stretch without tearing.
- Caramelise the figs. Melt the butter in a small frying pan over a medium heat. Add the fig halves cut-side down with the honey and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until they are golden and slightly sticky. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Preheat hard. Place a baking steel or heavy baking tray in your oven and crank it as high as it will go , ideally 250°C (480°F) or above. Give it at least 45 minutes to fully heat through. This is non-negotiable if you want a properly blistered base.
- Stretch the dough. Flour your worktop generously and gently press each dough ball out from the centre with your fingertips, working toward the edges but leaving a slightly thicker rim. Once it is roughly 25 to 30 centimetres across, you can pick it up and let gravity stretch it further over your hands. Don't rush this , let the gluten relax.
- Top and bake. Lay the stretched base on a well-floured pizza peel or a flat baking tray lined with baking paper. Scatter the mozzarella first, then add the caramelised figs, gorgonzola, and walnuts. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with black pepper. Slide it onto your preheated steel or tray and bake for 8 to 12 minutes, until the crust is golden and blistered and the cheese is bubbling.
- Finish and serve. Remove from the oven, drizzle with a touch more honey and scatter the rocket over the top. Add a pinch of flaky salt and eat immediately.
Baker's Tips
- Your starter needs to be genuinely active. This one catches people out more than anything else. If your starter has been sitting in the fridge for a week or more, give it at least two feeds at room temperature before you use it. You want it domed, bubbly, and just past its peak. If you are not sure what to look for or want a more structured approach to getting consistent results, The Dough Coach walks you through exactly this kind of troubleshooting with proper guidance rather than guesswork.
- Flour your peel properly. A pizza that sticks to the peel mid-launch is a genuinely stressful experience. Use a mix of semolina and plain flour on the peel and do a little shake test before you load the toppings , if it's sliding freely, you're good. If it's sticking, lift an edge and add more flour underneath.
- Don't overload the toppings. It's tempting, especially with something as good as gorgonzola, but a lighter hand gives you a crispier base and a better balance of flavour. A few well-placed pieces of cheese melt and spread during baking , you'll get coverage without sogging out the centre.
A Few Notes on Timing This Around Real Life
The beauty of this recipe is that most of the work happens passively. Mix the dough on a Thursday evening after work, stick it in the fridge overnight, and by Friday night you're doing nothing more than stretching and topping. The caramelised figs take less than five minutes in a pan. It's the kind of recipe that looks and tastes like serious effort but really isn't, which is exactly what a Friday should feel like in February.
Give this one a go. The combination sounds fancy but it works on a level that'll have whoever you're feeding asking for it again before the plate is even clear. And once you've got a feel for this dough, you'll find yourself using it as a base for all sorts of winter combinations. Enjoy every bite.
Happy baking! Find everything you need at doughrise.store
Photo by Getúlio Moraes on Unsplash