Sourdough Pull-Apart Pizza Heart
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This Sourdough Pull-Apart Pizza Heart is full of zesty pizza flavor, gooey mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni slices. The cute heart shape makes this pull-apart pizza the perfect appetizer or party food to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Serve with a side of warm marinara sauce for dipping and it is sure to impress your loved ones!

Pull-apart recipes make sharing appetizers at events a breeze! While I often bring desserts like my Oatmeal Chocolate Sourdough Cookie Bars or Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies, it’s always a great idea to include some savory options too. This Sourdough pull-apart pizza is not only easy to transport but also a guaranteed crowd-pleaser for friends and family. If you love pull-aparts, don’t miss my Jalapeno Cheddar Bacon Pull-Apart Bread—it’s another hit everyone will love!

Why you’ll love this recipe
- A delicious heart-shaped appetizer for any event, especially your Valentine’s or Galentine’s Day parties. Or keep it in a circle like my Sourdough Cinnamon Star Bread to make for any occasion.
- This pizza dough requires minimal attention, simply knead in a stand mixer with a dough hook and then leave it to rise in a warm spot before shaping into a heart.
- Customizable to fit your flavor preferences from traditional pepperoni and cheese to pesto and parmesan, there is a combo for everyone!
- This pizza pull-apart is easy to make ahead of time, just place it in the fridge once it is ready and then bake at your convenience.

Helpful tools
- Stand Mixer– You can mix your dough by hand but I prefer to use a stand mixer with a dough hook.
- Rolling Pin– This is my favorite rolling pin! It’s big and rolls out my dough so well.
- Bench Scraper– This is used to cut the dough into strips. Alternatively you can use a sharp knife.
- Measuring Cups and Spoons or kitchen scale – You can measure your ingredients in cups or grams, but weighing your ingredients with a kitchen scale will give you more accurate measurements.
- Baking Sheet– I love USA pans and this sheet pan is great quality. You can also buy a lid that fits on top to make it easy to cover while it rises.
- Heart Cookie Cutter- You will make an indent in the middle of your bread that will mark how far your cuts go. If you don’t have a heart you could trace it with a toothpick or cut a heart on a piece of paper and place it on the dough to act as a guide.

Ingredients to make the Sourdough Pull-Apart Pizza Heart
Dough ingredients
- Sourdough starter – For this recipe, you will need to use an active sourdough starter. An active starter is one that has been recently fed, has doubled in size and is bubbly. If you do not have a sourdough starter, you can make your own sourdough starter with this recipe here.
- Water- You can use tap water or filtered water, either one works.
- Honey – A touch of sweetness from the honey balances out the flavor of the dough.
- Olive Oil – Just a little olive oil adds flavor and makes for a soft dough.
- Flour- Bread flour, unbleached all-purpose flour, or pizza flour will all work for this recipe. I typically use bread flour.
- Pizza Seasoning – This seasoning blend adds a zesty pizza taste to the dough. If you do not have pizza seasoning, you could also substitute for Italian seasoning instead.
- Salt – Any type of salt you have on hand works great. Or substitute for garlic salt to add a touch of garlic flavor.
Filling and topping ingredients ![]()
- Cheese – I like to use freshly-shredded mozzarella cheese for this recipe. You can use pre-shredded but it doesn’t melt as well.
- Pepperoni slices – You will need about 30-40 slices or enough to cover the heart.
- Olive oil– Brush the dough with olive oil right before baking to help give the crust a golden brown color.
- Italian seasoning- Mix just a little bit of italian seasoning with the olive oil to brush on top.
- Parmesan cheese- Sprinkle the dough with freshly-grated parmesan cheese for a cheese-crusted pizza. This is optional.
- Garlic butter: After baking the pizza heart, brush 2 Tablespoons of melted butter mixed with 2 teaspoons of minced garlic on top. This is optional but adds a buttery garlic flavor that is so delicious!

Instructions to make the Sourdough Pull-Apart Pizza Heart
Add all the dough ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer, and with a dough hook knead the dough for 3-4 minutes. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl. If it is not add a little bit more flour. Alternatively, you can mix the dough by hand in a mixing bowl and then knead for a few minutes on a lightly floured surface until it is soft and forms a smooth ball.
Let the dough rise covered in a warm spot at 80 degrees Fahrenheit for 5-6 hours until doubled in size. Alternatively you can leave the dough to rise for a longer period of time at cooler temperatures.

After the dough has doubled, punch it down and dump it onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in 2.
On a lightly floured surface, begin rolling out half of the dough into a rectangle. Start making the heart shape by pulling the middle section down towards the center and rounding out the tops. You can use a bench scraper to cut sections as needed and attach them to other spots. Fold it in half vertically to see if it is symmetrical. My heart ended up being about 12 inches wide and 14 inches tall.

Complete this step again with the second half of the dough. Use the first heart as your guide and try to get the size and shape the same. Before assembling the pizza heart, place the bottom heart on a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
Sprinkle with cheese and add a single layer of pepperonis. Place the other half of the heart on top and pinch the edges together to seal it.


Place a heart cookie cutter in the center of the pizza dough and press slightly to indent. If you don’t have a heart cookie cutter you can trace a heart in the middle with a toothpick.
Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut 1-inch strips in the dough, starting from the bottom of the heart and working your way up each side. Cut the slices all the way to the middle heart.
Twist the two bottom strips away from each other 2-3 times and then squeeze the ends together. Next, twist each strip 2-3 times towards the bottom of the heart until all the strips are twisted. Curve the top pieces to reinforce the heart shape.


Let the dough rise for another hour or two in a warm spot to puff up. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush a mixture of olive oil and italian seasoning on top. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired.

Bake in the preheated oven for 27-30 minutes or until it is golden brown and cooked through.
Remove from the oven and let the sourdough pull-apart pizza heart cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a serving platter.
Optional: Prepare the garlic butter by melting two tablespoons of butter with 2 teaspoons of minced garlic. Brush the butter mixture on top with a pastry brush. Serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping, and enjoy!

Sample baking schedule
Here is an example of the timeline to make your Sourdough Pizza Heart. The timeline can depend on the temperature and the activity of your starter, so your time may vary. This timeline assumes a dough temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step | Time |
Feed sourdough starter a 1:5:5 ratio (15 grams starter: 70 grams flour: 70 grams water) left at room temperature. | Day one: 9 pm |
Mix dough together First rise | Day two: 9 am |
Roll out dough and add filling Second rise | Day two: 2 pm |
Bake the Sourdough Pizza Heart | Day two: 3:30 pm |
How to store the Sourdough Pizza Heart
To store, add the Sourdough Pizza Heart to an airtight container or cover it with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, add to a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake until the cheese is melty and it is warmed through or heat through in the microwave.

How to make the dough ahead of time
If you would like to make the dough ahead of time and bake at a later time, follow the instructions all the way through. Let the heart rise with the pepperoni and cheese for about 30-45 minutes then place it in the fridge covered for up to 12 hours. Bake directly from the fridge when you are ready to make it. Or if you prefer to shape the dough at a later time simply place the dough in the fridge after the first rise.
Can the Sourdough Pizza Heart be stuffed with other ingredients?
If you want to try other variations of the Sourdough Pizza Heart, feel free to add your favorite pizza toppings! You can do ingredients such as mushrooms, black olives, italian sausage or fresh basil. Just be sure to not over stuff the pizza heart because the filling can fall out when you twist the dough.

More sourdough recipes

Sourdough Pull-Apart Pizza Heart
Equipment
- 1 Heart-shaped cookie cutter
Ingredients
Sourdough Pizza Dough
- 350 grams water warm, 1½ cups
- 600 grams bread flour 4 ½ cups
- 150 grams active sourdough starter ⅔ cup
- 20 grams honey 1 Tablespoon
- 30 grams olive oil 2 Tablespoons
- 10 grams salt 1 ½ teaspoons
- 10 grams pizza seasoning 2 teaspoons
Filling
- 60-70 grams 30-40 pepperoni slices
- 335 grams mozzarella cheese shredded, 3 cups
Topping
- 30 grams olive oil 2 Tablespoons
- 1 gram italian seasoning ½ teaspoon
- sprinkle parmesan cheese freshly grated
Garlic Butter
- 28 grams butter salted or unsalted, 2 Tablespoons
- 4 grams garlic minced, 2 teaspoons
Instructions
- Add all the dough ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer, and with a dough hook knead the dough for 3-4 minutes. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl. If it is not add a little bit more flour. Alternatively, you can mix the dough by hand in a mixing bowl and then knead for a few minutes on a lightly floured surface until it is soft and forms a smooth ball.350 grams water, 600 grams bread flour, 150 grams active sourdough starter, 20 grams honey, 30 grams olive oil, 10 grams salt, 10 grams pizza seasoning
- Let the dough rise covered in a warm spot at 80 degrees Fahrenheit for 5-6 hours until doubled in size. Alternatively you can leave the dough to rise for a longer period of time at cooler temperatures.
- After the dough has doubled, punch it down and dump it onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in 2.
- On a lightly floured surface, begin rolling out half of the dough into a rectangle. Start making the heart shape by pulling the middle section down towards the center and rounding out the tops. You can use a bench scraper to cut sections as needed and attach them to other spots. Fold it in half vertically to see if it is symmetrical. My heart ended up being about 12 inches wide and 14 inches tall.
- Complete this step again with the second half of the dough. Use the first heart as your guide and try to get the size and shape the same.
- Before assembling the pizza heart, place the bottom heart on a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with cheese and add a single layer of pepperonis. Place the other half of the heart on top and pinch the edges together to seal it. 60-70 grams 30-40 pepperoni slices, 335 grams mozzarella cheese
- Place a heart cookie cutter in the center of the pizza dough and press slightly to indent. If you don't have a heart cookie cutter you can trace a heart in the middle with a toothpick.
- Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut 1-inch strips in the dough, starting from the bottom of the heart and working your way up each side. Cut the slices all the way to the middle heart.
- Twist the two bottom strips away from each other 2-3 times and then squeeze the ends together. Next, twist each strip 2-3 times towards the bottom of the heart until all the strips are twisted. Curve the top pieces to reinforce the heart shape.
- Cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for another hour or two in a warm spot. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. When it is puffy, brush it with a mixture of olive oil and italian seasoning and sprinkle with freshly-shredded parmesan cheese before baking. 30 grams olive oil, 1 gram italian seasoning , sprinkle parmesan cheese
- Bake in the preheated oven for 27-30 minutes or until it is golden brown and cooked through.
- Remove from the oven and let the pizza heart cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a serving platter.
- Optional: Prepare a garlic butter by melting two tablespoons of butter with 2 teaspoons of minced garlic. Brush the butter mixture on top of the Sourdough Pizza Heart with a pastry brush. Serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping, and enjoy!28 grams butter , 4 grams garlic
Video
Notes
- It can be helpful to plan out where all your 1-inch cuts are going to go before cutting. I like to take my bench scraper and lightly indent my lines all the way up the heart.
- Let the dough get puffy before baking to ensure a well-risen pizza heart.
- To bake later, prepare the pizza heart and let it rise for 30-45 minutes until it begins to puff up. Then, place it in the fridge covered until you are ready to bake, up to 12 hours. Alternatively, place the dough in the fridge before shaping it.