Pizza Dough
This is a guide to everything you need to know about making homemade pizza dough from scratch! It’s shockingly easy to do this and so much cheaper to make the dough at home, plus it opens you up to a world of possibilities with flavor additions and opportunities for how to use this dough. See the following information for everything you need to know about creating homemade pizza dough, from storage to troubleshooting and everything in between.
Storage:
Can you make pizza dough in advance? Yes, you can make pizza dough a few days or even 2 months in advance. See the steps below for the best results with either method:
Storing pizza dough in the fridge: If you’re just making it a few days in advance, mix the dough and put it in a zipper bag in the refrigerator. When taking this route, be sure to let the dough rise for a few hours at room temperature before you form and bake the dough.
Storing pizza dough in the freezer: If you want to freeze the pizza dough, make the recipe as instructed, and store the dough in a zipper bag in the freezer for up to two months. Let the dough thaw in the fridge overnight when ready to use, and let the dough rise at room temperature for a few hours before forming and baking.
Pizza dough before rising
Pizza dough after rising
Troubleshooting common pizza dough problems:
Why is my pizza dough sticky? Pizza dough becomes too sticky when too much moisture has been added to the dough. I recommend exercising caution when adding water to your dough mixture and only doing so gradually. The flour takes a moment to soak up the water in this recipe and hydrate itself before you can see results in the dough’s texture, so wait 2-3 minutes before adding any excess water compared to what the recipe calls for.
Why is my pizza dough not rising? Often, pizza dough will not rise properly when the yeast is either old or killed. Be sure to replace yeast semi-often (I aim for bi-annually) to make sure your yeast is as fresh as possible. When mixing the dough, be sure not to add any liquid over 110 degrees Fahrenheit as this will kill the yeast.
How to test if my yeast is active? If you’re not sure if your yeast is alive and active, I recommend adding the yeast to a bowl and covering it with the honey or sugar from this recipe along with the warm water. Be sure not to have the water exceed 110 degrees Fahrenheit so you don’t kill the yeast during this process. Gently mix the yeast mixture together and wait 3-5 minutes, at this time you should see the yeast foam up and come alive. If you don’t see any bubbles or activity in the bowl after 5 minutes, the yeast is dead and should be replaced with fresh.
Why won’t my pizza dough stretch? There are a couple of reasons why your dough might not stretch, and this is one of the most common problems I see when making pizza dough.
Your dough is too cold. If the pizza dough is right out of the fridge, the dough will be seized up and it won’t stretch properly, which is why I recommend just storing this dough on the counter at room temperature unless you’re making it in advance. If you experience this problem, let the dough sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour or until you’re able to handle it and stretch it easily.
Your dough is under-proofed. An integral step in making pizza dough is letting the dough sufficiently rest to have the yeast rise and the glutens in the dough relax. I recommend letting pizza dough proof for at least 1 ½ hours at room temperature to ensure that you have a light, crispy, and flavorful final product when you bake the dough, but no longer than 6 hours at room temperature.
You over-knead the dough. You have to be very gentle when working with pizza dough and be sure to not overwork the dough when you’re mixing it together. You should only mix the pizza dough until the ingredients just come together and knead the pizza dough for only 1-2 minutes after that. If you spend longer than that kneading the dough you can overwork the glutens which will result in a dense pizza crust.
How long does pizza dough need to rise? Pizza dough needs to rise for at least 1 ½ hours after being mixed together and kneaded. In my experience, you can let the dough rise at room temperature for up to 6 hours, but any time over that should be spent in the fridge.
Flavor:
What are other ways to use pizza dough? Pizza dough is so versatile, so it’s great to have a simple recipe like this on hand for a multitude of uses. My favorite way to utilize pizza dough in a different way is by grilling it and using it for homemade flatbread. You can also use the grilled flatbreads as vessels to scoop up homemade dip such as this garlicky bean dip. If you’re interested in making a tasty one-bite appetizer with this dough you can use it to make homemade pigs in a blanket or garlic knots.
What type of flour works best for pizza dough? There are many different opinions out there about which type of flour is best to use for pizza dough, and most flour types will work well if you gauge your expectations for what the final result will be like. Some will lend themselves to a chewier pizza, some will be lighter or crispier — the varieties are endless. My favorite flour to use for pizza dough is bread flour because it has a higher concentration of gluten than all-purpose flour and gives you a delicious chewy crust for your pizza. You can absolutely swap all-purpose flour for bread flour if you don’t have access to it, just be aware that you might not experience as much of a deliciously chewy crust.
What seasonings can you put in pizza dough?
Whole wheat flour. I love switching up the flour I use when making pizza dough to achieve a different flavor, and my favorite swap is to use whole wheat flour instead of bread flour. Whole wheat flour gives the pizza dough a delicious nutty flavor, but be aware that sometimes this can lead to a denser pizza.
Dried basil or oregano. Adding flavorful dried herbs is a great way to add pizzazz to your pizza dough. My favorite choices are dried basil or oregano and I recommend avoiding using fresh herbs as they will add too much moisture in the dough and become unpleasantly browned.
Red pepper flakes. It’s no secret that I love to add a little bit of spice to my recipes, and the perfect way to do this is by adding just a pinch of red pepper flakes to your pizza dough. You won’t notice a ton of extra spice, just enough to add something interesting to the dough.
How to make homemade pizza dough:
Homemade Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups bread flour - about 300 grams
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp honey or sugar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ¾-1 cup warm water, dependent on your dough
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients into a large bowl and gently mix together with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to create a shaggy, almost-formed dough.
- Switch to your hands and gently knead the dough on a floured surface for 1-2 minutes until the dough is smooth, hydrated, and springy.
- Place the dough into a large bowl, drizzle it with olive oil, and let it rise for 1 ½ hours at room temperature before forming the dough and baking it.
- After the dough rises, preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and let a pizza stone or cast iron preheat along with the oven.
- Turn the dough out on a floured surface and form the dough into a wide circle measuring about 10-12 inches in diameter. I recommend baking the pizza on oven-safe parchment paper so you can easily slide it to and from the pizza stone or cast iron skillet using a pizza peel or cutting board.
- Top with your favorite pizza toppings such as marinara, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni.
- Turn the oven down to 350 degrees Fahrenheit once it has been preheated and bake the pizza on the stone or cast iron skillet for about 20-25 minutes, or until the dough is browned and crispy.
Notes
Note: you can swap bread flour for all-purpose flour in this recipe, the result will just be a less chewy pizza crust.
