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Recipe
7 min read
Sourdough Pizza with Grilled Courgette, Whipped Ricotta & Salsa Verde: The Garden Party Pizza Worth Firing Up This Summer
A vibrant summer sourdough pizza topped with grilled courgette, whipped ricotta and punchy salsa verde. Real recipe with tips, timings and baker's notes.
Photo by Alice Brie on UnsplashThere is something about a pizza loaded with things that smelled incredible on the grill five minutes before they landed on the dough. That char, that grassy herb oil, the cool tang of ricotta against a hot blistered base , it is the kind of combination that makes you forget you were ever tired after a long week. This one came together after a Sunday in the garden with a few mates, a bag of courgettes from the market, and the kind of afternoon that just needed something to eat that was more interesting than a sandwich.
Sourdough pizza with grilled courgette, whipped ricotta and salsa verde is genuinely one of the better things you can make outdoors this summer. The base is fermented with an active starter, so it has that open crumb and subtle tang that a packet yeast dough will never give you. The salsa verde cuts through the richness of the ricotta, the courgette brings a soft, slightly smoky sweetness, and the whole thing comes together in a way that feels a bit more considered than your average Friday night pizza. You don't need a wood-fired oven. You just need a very hot domestic oven, something to get the base crispy, and a bit of patience during the ferment.
Dough
- 300g strong white bread flour
- 195g water, room temperature (that's 65% hydration)
- 60g active sourdough starter (100% hydration, fed 4–6 hours before use)
- 7g (1 heaped tsp) fine sea salt
- 10g (2 tsp) extra virgin olive oil
Grilled Courgette
- 2 medium courgettes, sliced lengthways 4–5mm thick
- Olive oil, for brushing
- Flaky sea salt and black pepper
- 1 small garlic clove, halved (for rubbing)
Whipped Ricotta
- 200g good quality ricotta
- Zest of half a lemon
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch of fine sea salt
Salsa Verde
- 25g fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
- 15g fresh basil leaves
- 10g fresh mint leaves
- 1 small garlic clove
- 10g (2 tsp) capers, drained
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 80ml extra virgin olive oil
- Flaky sea salt to taste
To Finish
- A handful of peppery rocket
- Extra lemon zest
- Flaky sea salt
Baker's Tips
- Keep the dough on the stiffer side at 65% hydration , it is much easier to shape on a warm summer day without it sticking and losing structure. You can use the DoughRise Hydration Calculator to adjust if you want to scale the batch up.
- The salsa verde can be made the night before and kept in the fridge. It actually improves as the flavours meld , just bring it back to room temperature before using and give it a stir.
- If you're new to sourdough pizza or want to adapt this recipe to your own starter, the DoughRise Coach can build you a personalised bake plan and help troubleshoot anything that isn't going the way you expect. Handy if your kitchen runs warm this time of year.
- Do not top the pizza before it goes in the oven with the ricotta , spoon it on after baking to keep it fresh and creamy rather than grainy and dried out.
METHOD
- Mix the dough. Combine the flour, water and active starter in a large bowl. Mix until no dry flour remains , a rough, shaggy dough is exactly what you want at this point. Cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
- Add the salt and olive oil. Sprinkle the salt over the dough, then add the olive oil. Work both in by squeezing the dough through your fingers until fully incorporated. It will feel slippery at first, then come back together. Cover and leave to ferment at room temperature (ideally around 24–26°C in a warm summer kitchen) for 6–8 hours total, performing 3 sets of coil folds during the first 2 hours, roughly 30–40 minutes apart. After the folds, leave the dough to finish fermenting undisturbed.
- Divide and ball. Once the dough has risen noticeably, feels lighter and a small piece floats in water, tip it gently onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into two equal pieces (around 280g each). Shape each into a tight ball by tucking the edges underneath. Place on a lightly oiled tray, cover loosely and leave to rest for 45 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature. If you are not baking immediately, transfer to the fridge at this point , they will keep well for up to 24 hours.
- Make the salsa verde. Blitz or finely hand-chop the parsley, basil, mint, garlic and capers together until roughly combined. Stir in the mustard and red wine vinegar, then slowly work in the olive oil until you have a loose, textured sauce. Season with flaky salt. It should taste punchy and bright. Set aside.
- Whip the ricotta. Beat the ricotta with the lemon zest, olive oil and a pinch of salt until it is smooth and slightly lighter in texture. You can use a fork , no need for a mixer. Keep in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
- Grill the courgettes. Brush the courgette slices with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook on a hot griddle pan or outdoor grill for 2–3 minutes per side until you have clear char marks and the courgette is tender but still holding together. While still hot, rub each slice lightly with the cut garlic clove. Set aside.
- Preheat hard and high. Place your baking stone, steel, or a heavy upturned oven tray on the highest shelf. Set the oven to its maximum temperature (240–250°C fan if yours goes that high) and leave it to heat for at least 45 minutes. This is the step most people shortcut , do not. The base needs immediate, intense heat from below to get that proper blistered texture.
- Stretch the dough. Take one dough ball and leave it on the worktop for 10 minutes if it has been in the fridge. Flour your hands and the surface lightly. Press the dough out from the centre using your fingertips, working gradually outwards and leaving a slightly thicker edge around the rim. Pick it up and let gravity help you stretch it over your knuckles , work gently and do not rush. Aim for roughly 28–30 centimetres across. Transfer to a floured peel or a sheet of baking paper.
- Bake the base plain first. Drizzle a little olive oil over the stretched dough, then slide it straight onto the hot stone or tray. Bake for 5–6 minutes until the base is set, starting to colour at the edges and has lifted slightly. You want some char on the underside before the toppings go on. This keeps the base crispy rather than steaming under a load of wet toppings.
- Finish and dress. Remove the part-baked base from the oven. Working quickly, lay the grilled courgette slices across the pizza and return to the oven for 3–4 more minutes until the crust is properly golden and the edges are puffed and charred in places. Slide onto a board or wire rack. Spoon generous dollops of the whipped ricotta across the top, then drizzle the salsa verde over everything. Finish with a handful of rocket, a little extra lemon zest and some flaky salt.
- Rest before cutting. Give it 2 minutes. The ricotta settles, the crust firms slightly, and you will get cleaner slices. Repeat with the second dough ball. Pour something cold and enjoy.
Why this works
Adding the olive oil after the initial rest means the gluten network has already started forming before it gets interrupted by fat. Oil coats the flour proteins and can inhibit gluten development if added too early, so letting the dough hydrate first keeps the structure strong. The coil folds then build tension and strength progressively rather than all at once, which gives you a dough that holds its shape when you go to stretch it out later.
INTO THE OVEN
Want to dial in this recipe for your own starter and batch size? Use the free DoughRise Baker's Percentage Calculator to scale ingredients accurately and keep your ratios consistent across different flour quantities.
Happy baking! Find everything you need at doughrise.store
Photo by Alice Brie on Unsplash
