Easy same-day pizza dough
We've gotten into the habit of making Friday nights our standing pizza night. We just switch up our toppings each time and it remains something fun that we look forward to every week -- and the bonus is that I already have one meal planned and accounted for when I go to draw up our meal plan each week. This Easy Same-Day Pizza Dough is my go-to when I don't feel like planning or prepping too far ahead. It comes together quickly by hand and requires only a 60-90 minute rise time, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
How long should I proof my pizza dough?
For this pizza dough recipe, the proof time can vary from 60-90 minutes, depending on the warmth of your proofing area -- usually your kitchen. I find that in the warm summer months this pizza dough is fully proofed in about 60 minutes and in the colder winter months it can take up to 90 minutes or more to reach a proper rise. For this recipe, we only do one proof before shaping and baking the pizza dough. You can tell that your dough is fully proofed because it will have more than doubled in size and will look nicely domed.
Can I use other types of flours?
Absolutely! I understand that most people don't have "00" flour just sitting on their pantry shelf, and it tends to be more expensive than other staple flours you might keep on hand, so using an alternative flour is absolutely a reasonable option. This pizza dough recipe is friendly for both all-purpose flour and high-protein bread flour.
All-Purpose Flour (or AP flour) - All-purpose flour is not as finely ground as "00" flour so you "may" need slightly more water to make your dough, however, the water absorption is not significantly different so I would add any additional water slowly on an as-needed basis. All-purpose flour will not roll or stretch as thinly as "00" without tearing, so keep that in mind if you're after a super thin-crust pie.
Bread Flour - The milling is usually not nearly as fine and the water absorption is high compared to "00" flour so you will almost certainly need a bit more water to make your dough. As such, I still recommend adding water slowly on an as-needed basis. The other thing to mention about bread flour is that its a higher protein content can make for a dough that it tougher to roll and stretch and is more prone to bouncing back, therefore, it is essential that a pizza dough made with bread flour is well-rested so that the gluten can properly relax before stretching and shaping. A pizza dough made with bread flour is often chewier in texture than pizza dough made with all-purpose or "00" flour.
What's the best way to top this pizza dough?
This is completely up to you! Light sauce, heavy sauce, red sauce, white sauce, pesto, romesco, cheese, extra cheese, no cheese, meat, veggies, herbs, fruit. I personally prefer a pretty saucy pizza with a moderate amount of cheese. Don't get me wrong, I love a good cheese-pull, but too much mozzarella makes for a thick and plasticky texture in my opinion, so I like to use a blend of soft and melty shredded mozzarella as well as a hard shredded parmesan as the base cheese blend for most of my pies, but this is just my preference. When it comes to sauce, cheese, and toppings it's all about what you prefer!
What temperature is best to bake pizza at?
Though many professional pizzerias keep their ovens heated to 800 degrees F or higher, most home ovens top out between 500-550 degrees F so this recipe is created with the latter constraints in mind. I bake my pizzas at 500 degrees F and get perfectly delicious results. If your oven tops out at 450 degrees F, I have tested that temp many times over as well and it works beautifully, though you'll want to plan on a few extra minutes in the oven.
Can I refrigerate or freeze this pizza dough?
Yes, absolutely! In fact, many pizza makers would argue that popping your dough in the fridge to slowly bulk-ferment makes for better pizza dough. This dough can be refrigerated up to 3 days prior to baking in an airtight container. If you'd like to store the dough for longer, it can easily be frozen for up to 3 months. I place mine in an airtight freezer bag in the freezer, then take it out of the freezer to thaw in the refrigerator -- ideally the night before, or at least a few hours before if you've forgotten (which I do all the time). You'll want to relax the gluten by allowing to rest at room temperature for a minimum of 30 minutes prior to shaping and baking (ideally atleast 45 minutes) for both methods.
What tools do I need to make this recipe?
- A kitchen scale (for super-accurate measurements) or measuring cups (for less accurate measurements)
- Measuring spoons
- A large mixing bowl
- A clean kitchen towel
- A rolling pin (only if you prefer an evenly thick pie) otherwise your hands are your best tool
- Parchment paper
Are you looking to upgrade to your cooking tools or replenish your pantry? Check out my kitchen tools shop page and pantry staples shop page to find my must-have kitchen tools, pantry items, and other Whip & Wander favorites.
A note for special diets
This pizza dough recipe is dairy-free and friendly for vegetarian and vegan diets.
Easy Same-Day Pizza Dough
- Prep Time: 90 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 44 minutes
- Yield: 2 pizzas (roughly 12 x 15 inches) 1x
- Category: Pizza
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
This Easy Same-Day Pizza Dough comes together quickly by hand and requires only a 60-90 minute rise time.
Ingredients
The following recipe will make (2) 12-inch x 15-inch pizza crusts:
- 275g warm water* ("roughly" 1 cup + 2 ½ tbsp)
- 2 ¼ tsp instant yeast
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 500g "00" flour ("roughly" 4 cups) *See notes for other flour options
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + extra to coat the bowl
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar and allow to dissolve for 5 minutes. Though instant yeast technically doesn't require blooming before being added to flour, I like to give this mixture a 5-minute rest time to ensure that the sugar dissolves.
- Add the flour, salt, and olive oil. Give the mixture a quick and gentle mix by hand until no flour remains. Cover the bowl with a towel and allow to rest for 20 minutes in a warm area. If your kitchen is particularly warm, a 15-minute rest time is sufficient.
- Once your dough has rested, sprinkle a small amount of flour onto a clean work surface — If using “00” flour in the suggested ratios, I find that I really don’t need much if any. If using one of the alternative flours, I generally lightly dust as a precautionary measure as the flour/water ratio has been adjusted.
- Turn your dough out onto the work surface and begin to knead the dough by pushing it down and away from you with the heels of your hands. Then turn the dough 90 degrees and fold in half toward you. Continue this motion of pushing the dough down and away from you to stretch the dough with the heels of your hands, turning the dough 90 degrees, and then folding toward you for 10-12 minutes. The resulting dough should be very smooth and hold its shape.
- Wipe the bowl that you mixed the dough in out so that it is clean of dried dough bits and coat with a light layer of olive oil. Return your dough ball to the bowl, cover it with a towel, and set in a warm place to proof. Depending on the warmth of your proofing area - usually your kitchen - proofing time generally varies from 60 - 90 minutes. I find that in the warm summer months when my kitchen is extra warm, this pizza dough is fully proofed in about 60 minutes and in the colder winter months when my kitchen is on the cooler side, it can take up to 90 minutes or more to reach a proper rise. You can tell that your dough is fully proofed because it will have more than doubled in size and will look nicely domed.
- Once the dough has risen, use your hand to gently deflate it. Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into 2 equal pieces and allow to rest while you preheat the oven and gather shaping tools.
- If only making one pizza, the additional dough ball can be transferred to an airtight freezer bag and placed in the freezer for up to 3 months - or it can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Preheat your oven to 500 degrees F / 260 degrees C and set a bakers half sheet (or two, if making both pizzas) to the side.
- Shape your dough. If you prefer a classic pie-shape with a thicker crust compared to the center of your dough, I suggest hand-stretching your dough. If you prefer your pizza to be an even thickness, I suggest rolling your dough out with a rolling pin.
- If you are hand-stretching your dough:
- I like to rub a small amount of olive oil into my hands first; this allows me to shape the dough easier without it ripping accidentally from friction.
- Press the dough down with the palm of your hand into a disk shape, then use your fingertips to gently press down on the dough disk, further flattening it.
- To further extend the dough, I prefer to press one palm on top of one side of the dough and with the other hand lift the alternative side of the dough and gently work the dough outward, pulling very gently with the tips of my oiled fingers (like a very discrete “come hither” motion) to slowly stretch the dough out. Rotate slightly and repeat until the dough is shaped and stretched to your liking. If you find that the dough starts to snap back or is beginning to tear, allow the dough to relax for a minute or two before proceeding again. Transfer your stretched dough to a sheet of parchment paper.
- If you are using a rolling pin:
- I prefer to place my dough between two sheets of parchment paper to avoid the dough sticking to my rolling pin, but if you prefer you can also sprinkle a bit of flour over the dough ball as well as wiping some over your rolling pin by hand to prevent sticking instead. Once the dough has been rolled to your preferred size and shape, peel the top layer of parchment paper off (if using). The bottom layer that the dough is resting on can be utilized for your baking sheet. If you find that the dough starts to snap back or is beginning to tear, allow the dough to relax for a minute or two before proceeding again.
- If you are hand-stretching your dough:
- Transfer your shaped dough to the reserved baking sheet(s). Top as desired and bake for 14-20 minutes or until the crust has reached your preferred level of crispness. I find that pizzas that have have a thinner topping layer take less time to bake, generally around 14-16 minutes. Heavier-topped pizzas generally take a bit longer to bake, around 18-20 minutes.
Notes
Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Alternative flours: You can alternatively utilize all-purpose flour or bread flour in this recipe, with some adjustments. All-purpose flour is not as finely ground as "00" flour so you "may" need slightly more water to make your dough, however, the water absorption is not significantly different so I would add any additional water slowly on an as-needed basis. All-purpose flour will not roll or stretch as thinly as "00" without tearing, so keep that in mind if you're after a super thin-crust pie. If using bread flour, keep in mind that the milling is usually not nearly as fine and the water absorption is high compared to "00" flour so you will almost certainly need a bit more water to make your dough. As such, I still recommend adding water slowly on an as-needed basis. The other thing to mention about bread flour is that its a higher protein content can make for a dough that it tougher to roll and stretch and is more prone to bouncing back, therefore, it is essential that a pizza dough made with bread flour is well-rested so that the gluten can properly relax before stretching and shaping. A pizza dough made with bread flour is often chewier in texture than pizza dough made with all-purpose or "00" flour.
Refrigerating or freezing the dough: This dough can be refrigerated up to 3 days prior to baking in an airtight container. If you'd like to store the dough for longer, it can easily be frozen for up to 3 months. I place mine in an airtight freezer bag in the freezer, then take it out of the freezer to thaw in the refrigerator -- ideally the night before, or at least a few hours before if you've forgotten (which I do all the time). You'll want to relax the gluten by allowing to rest at room temperature for a minimum of 30 minutes prior to shaping and baking (ideally atleast 45 minutes) for both methods.
* Ideal warm water temperature is 105-110 degrees F / 40-43 degrees C.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ of a single pizza (⅛th of total recipe)
- Calories: 258
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 197 mg
- Fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 46 g
- Protein: 9 g
Andrea says
Good recipe if you have a little time to work with it, but nice it doesn't have to sit over night.
First bite, I was impressed. Good consistency, nice chew. We are thinking about adding some seasoning next time...Maybe?.
Makes 2 thinner crusts. Double the recipe for hand tossed.
Marit says
This recipe is great! I made it beforehand and defrosted it overnight. It tasted the same as fresh pizza dough. Was inspired by your sauerkraut pizza so added pineapple and sauerkraut. Soooooo delicious!