If you need a fun family dinner for Valentines Day or an easy anniversary meal, look no further than this delicious sourdough heart shaped pizza! You can keep it plain or dress it up with heart shaped veggies and blood red pizza sauce. Embrace a little homemade whimsy at the dinner table! 
More Whimsical Sourdough Recipes for Later:
Golden Irish Soda Bread – Sweet & Savory!
Valentines Day is a family affair around our house. My husband and I sneak off alone on our anniversary, but for Valentines Day, we celebrate with the kids.
- We try to play a board game, eat a homemade treat, and maybe sit around enjoying/mocking a sappy romance movie. It’s simple and delightful.
All of the above takes place after sourdough heart shaped pizza has been made and eaten!
Individual Heart Shaped Pizzas
Making individually sized personal pizzas with the family is the perfect way to ensure that everyone gets their favorite pizza. No fussing about toppings or sauce, and less work overall for the cook!
We try to have pizza night several times a month, especially during the growing season when fresh herbs and tomatoes are coming out of the garden in bushels.
- Nothing is coming out of the garden on Valentines Day, but we do make use of dehydrated, canned, and freeze dried veggies and herbs. These preserved foods make it taste like summer in the middle of winter.
And, of course, each pizza is made special by the fact that it’s heart shaped. Even if the hearts bake up a little wonky, they’re still delicious and delightful.
Sourdough Heart Shaped Pizza Recipe
Whether it’s your anniversary, a family Valentines Day, or even a Galentine’s Day party these sourdough heart shaped pizzas are a delicious, easy dinner. Each pizza is DIY and custom made for a special holiday meal with friends or family.
Sourdough Heart Shaped Pizza
Ingredients
Sorudough Pizza Crust
- 3 Cups Organic White Flour
- 1 Cup Powdered Tomato or Beets Beets will be sweeter, FYI
- 3/4 tsp. Sea Salt
- 1 1/2 Cups Water
- 1/2 Cup Sourdough Starter
- 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Pizza Sauce
- 1 Part Powdered Tomato (Dehydrated or Freeze Dried)
- 2 Parts Water
- Herbs & Raw Sugar, to Taste**
Pizza Toppings
- Mixed Veggies, Herbs, & Cheeses See Notes & the Post
Instructions
- Mix 3 cups flour, 1 cup powdered tomatoes or beets, and 1/2 tsp. sea salt in a medium sized bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups water, 1/2 cup sourdough starter, and 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Add this wet mixture to the dry mixture and stire until incorporated. I often start with a wooden spoon and then finish with my hands.
- Knead for ten minutes or stretch and fold 3 times, 30 minutes apart. Set aside to ferment for 4 1/2 hours or overnight in the fridge.
- Divide into four equal pieces and roll out the dough to 1/4" thickness. With your hands, create a sharp dip at the top to form the heart shape.*
- For thin crust pizza, bake right away at 400F/204C for 7-10 minutes. For thicker crust pizzas, allow to rise at least an hour in a warm place; then bake.
Pizza Sauce
- Mix 1 part powdered tomato with 2 parts water and allow to sit for a few minutes. As it sits, the tomato will fully hydrate. If you want the sauce a little thinner, simply add a tablespoon of water at a time and allow it to sit a few minutes.
- Add herbs and sugar to taste.**
Toppings for the Heart Shaped Pizzas
- Cut pepperoni or salami, red peppers, large purple basil leaves, and fresh mozzarella slice into heart shapes. The cheese hearts will melt but the kids love to cut them out!
- Topped your pre-baked heart shaped pizza crust with the pizza sauce, cheeses, and hearts shaped veggies. Broil on low for 5-8 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Remove and let cool for 5 minutes to set the cheese.
Notes
- If you want a red-tinted pizza dough, use tomatoes or red peppers. If you want pink-tinted pizza dough, use beets.
- You may add up to 1 1/2 cups of powdered veggie for a darker color. Be sure to taste test the dough as you go!
- Freeze dried veggies powder and mix in the best, but dehydrated veggies will work, too.
- For two cups of sauce, I usually add 1 Tbsp of garlic powder, 2 tsps. of onion powder, 1 tsp. each of basil, oregano, and thyme.
- For sweetener, I have used raw sugar, maple syrup, honey, and even low-carb sugar like allulose. I start at 2 Tbsps. for 2 cups of sauce.
- I will also sometimes splash in some apple cider vinegar for a little tang, especially if I'm using home preserved-tomatoes that aren't red. Many of the lighter, heirloom tomatoes I grow are on the sweet side.
Sourdough Heart Shaped Pizza Recipe Notes
This is considered a long-ferment sourdough recipe because it cultures for at least six hours. You can also stick it in the fridge overnight, if that works out better for your schedule.
To learn more about the ins and outs of sourdough baking, I suggest you read:
Sourdough Beginner Bread Recipe – this article has instructions on how to perform the stretch and folds, if that’s new to you.
Easy Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread
Healthy Bread & Naturally Leavened Sourdough
It’s easiest to mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. I typically mix my starter and oil in with the water measurement to avoid clumps of starter.
I typically use my spyrtle to initially mix sourdough and then finish by using my hands. Hand mixing can help you feel if the texture is right and the hydration is good. Pizza dough should be a little on the dry/stiff side, while still forming a cohesive ball.
Make Veggie Powder for Heart Shaped Pizza Dough
If you’re using beets, simply blend them in a high-powered blender or in a mortar and pestle. Beet powder will be much sweeter than tomato, FYI.
When you’re using dried, whole tomatoes, you’ll want to remove the seeds because they’re bulky in the dough and can be tough to chew.
To remove the seeds:
- Place the dried tomatoes into mortar and pestle.
- Pound them until the tomatoes are turned to powder.
- Place the powder into a fine mesh sieve over a bowl.
- Use the pestle or a kraut pounder to gently press the powder in a circular motion around the sieve. The tomato powder will fall through the holes and the seeds will remain behind.
- Compost the seeds and measure out the powder.
The tomato powder will turn the pizza dough pink while raw, and then a red/orange color once baked. It will have a tangy flavor that is so delicious. Beets will turn the dough deep pink/purple and remain that color once baked.
Shaping the Sourdough Heart Shaped Pizza Crust
The easiest way to form the heart shaped pizzas is to use a very large cookie cutter. However, I typically use a pastry roller, a pair of scissors, and my hands.
Once the dough has fermented six hours, divide it evenly in half. Then, divide each half in halves until you have four equally sized balls of dough.
You may flour a clearn work surface if your dough is sticking, but usually there’s enough oil in this recipe that it doesn’t stick much. Since I prefer not to consume flour that hasn’t been fermented by sourdough, I usually use water on my hands and work surface, if my dough is sticking.
- Take each ball of dough and roll to about 1/4″ thickness. Use your hands to shape the dough with one end coming to a point (the bottom of the heart) and one end being rounded.
- Use scissors to cut a slit at the top of the round, right in the middle. Fold the edges of the slit under and begin to flatten out the curves, while rounding their individual shapes. This will be the top of the heart that resembles the letter “m”.
Place each crust on a parchment lined baking sheet and score with a fork to prevent bubbling up. If you have pie weights you can use those, too.
- Be careful to prevent spillage as you move the sheets in and out of the oven. Those little pie weights can spill everywhere! Ask me how I know.
Bake until the dough has set and keeps its shape, but hasn’t fully browned on top. You are pre-baking the heart shaped pizza crust, so you don’t want it too dark or it will burn when you return it to the oven with the toppings.
- If you need to, cover the pizza crusts with parchment paper or foil to prevent burning.
Make up a batch of these every week to grab for quick dinners and lunches even after Valentine’s Day is long gone.
Cut Out Heart Shaped Veggies
The easiest way to cut out heart shaped veggies is to use a sharp, metal cookie cutter. You can also use a pair of scissors, if you don’t have a cookie cutter.
Fold spinach and basil leaves in half like you would a piece of paper and cut out one half of a heart shape; open to reveal a finished heart.
Good veggies for heart shapes:
- Basil or Spinach
- Mushrooms
- Peppers
- Zucchini
You can also cut out meats like pepperoni and link sausage.
We cut out heart-shaped cheese pieces, too, even though they’ll melt and be unrecognizable. It doesn’t matter – it’s fun to have them cut out and even more fun to snitch a few to eat instead of placing them on the pizza.
Top your pizza with sauce, cheeses, and heart-shaped veggies. Return to the oven to broil on low for 5-8 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and bubbly.
Making the Pizza Sauce
When making the pizza sauce, use your own favorite flavors.
- For two cups of sauce, I usually add 1 Tbsp of garlic powder, 2 tsps. of onion powder, 1 tsp. each of basil, oregano, and thyme.
- For sweetener, I have used raw sugar, maple syrup, honey, and even low-carb sugar like allulose. I start at 2 Tbsps. for 2 cups of sauce.
- I will also sometimes splash in some apple cider vinegar for a little tang, especially if I’m using home preserved-tomatoes that aren’t red. Many of the lighter, heirloom tomatoes I grow are on the sweet side.
You could also use a homemade ranch dressing or homemade cherry barbeque sauce in place of a traditionally red pizza sauce.
More Valentines Day Fun
The Herbal Academy has 26 different handmade Valentine’s Day gifts, recipes, and DIYs for you to have some fun with this year.
We have a fun tutorial on how to make naturally dyed moon sand for your kids to goof around with while you make the heart shaped pizzas. We even included a tutorial for harvesting and cleaning your own sand!
If you need a pink drink, try our recipe for cranberry citrus punch or natural soda (made with water kefir for a probiotic boost).
To finish off your delightful evening together as a family this Valentine’s Day, whip up an easy batch of our low carb strawberry no bake cookies.
If you have kids in school or homeschool co-op who need Valentine’s Day cards but you want to cut down on the sugar so prevelant in this season, try these adorable playdough cards from Grace & Good Eats.
And, of course, make these sourdough heart-shaped pizzas for a fun family dinner. Eat them on paper plates sitting around a bonfire or eat them on red plates and a Valentine’s Day decorated dining table.
Have a great time with your family and friends!
- For more ways to celebrate all that February has to offer, please visit our post: Homestead Holidays in February. We’ve collected special days and fun times specifically suited to homesteaders, DIYers, and homeschoolers alike.
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