The only pizza recipe you need on board
There’s nothing quite like pulling a bubbling, cheesy pizza out of the oven while your boat rocks gently on the water. It’s become a tradition aboard Mama Beluga, and it all started with a little jar of sourdough starter.
It All Starts with Sourdough
If you’re cruising full-time, keeping a sourdough starter on board is a game-changer. You can make your own from scratch, or if you’re lucky, you’ll get gifted one along the way.
We got ours from Libby at Shelter Bay Marina, just before heading through the Panama Canal. She handed me a jar of her family’s 60-year-old starter and said, “It’s old—you can’t kill it. Do whatever you want.” I’d never baked with sourdough before, but that didn’t seem to matter.
Since then, that jar has powered loaves of bread, pancakes, tortillas, banana bread—and, most importantly, our Sunday pizza nights.
Our Go-To Dough Recipe
This dough makes six pan-sized pizzas
- 100g sourdough discard (about 1/3 cup)
- 500g flour (about 4 cups)
- 325g water (1 1/3 cups)
- 20g oil (1 1/2 tablespoons)
- A good pinch of salt
Mix everything together, cover the bowl, and let it rest for a few hours. Divide it into six dough balls and you’re ready to go.
Cooking Pizza Underway (or at Anchor)
Roll out a dough ball and drop it into a hot pan on the stovetop. Add sauce and cheese right away, then whatever toppings you’ve got on hand.
One of our go-to combos: tomato sauce, cheese, ground beef, a swirl of cream, raw onions, and green peppers.
When the crust starts to brown underneath, transfer the pan to the oven to finish baking. You can make the pizzas ahead of time and reheat them later—ideal when you have friends coming over.
How It Became a Thing
Somewhere along the way, Sunday night pizza on Mama Beluga became the thing other cruisers looked forward to. In Ua Huka, one of the more rugged anchorages in the Marquesas, we somehow fit 11 adults and 6 kids into our cockpit for pizza night.
Someone called it the best pizza in the Marquesas. Sure, the bar might not be high—but we’ll take the compliment.
A Little Bit of Home, Wherever You Are
Pizza night has become one of those small rituals that makes the boat feel even more like home. It’s simple, satisfying, and always brings people together.
Just remember to feed your sourdough starter now and then. Libby would approve.