This same-day pizza dough recipe produces a perfectly chewy and airy pizza crust compatible with all different cooking methods! I love being able to throw together a pizza for a delicious weeknight dinner without tons of time and fuss. Great pizza doesn’t have to take days, and this fool-proof recipe will prove it!
How to Make Same-Day Pizza Dough
This recipe is so easy to make AND freeze for future use! Using a stand mixer makes easy work of kneading the dough, but you can knead by hand too.
Tools Needed
- Mixing Bowl
- Pizza Dough Box
- Dough Whisk
- Kitchen Scale
Ingredients you’ll Need
- Flour. Both all-purpose and ’00’ flour make this crust perfectly crisp and chewy.
- Active dry yeast. Active dry yeast is my go-to, but you could swap instant if necessary.
- Olive oil. Use a good-quality olive oil here.
- Fine sea salt. When I make dough, I prefer fine sea salt over kosher salt because it’s much easier to dissolve.
- Water. Optimal water temperature is about 100 F.
Weighing vs. Measuring Pizza Dough Ingredients
You may be wondering why this recipe is in grams vs. volume measurements and the answer is simple: when it comes to baking, weight is the most accurate measurement.
Most of my baking recipes, especially breads and doughs, will turn out better if you take the time to weigh the ingredients for more accuracy. The exception to this rule is yeast because it’s so light that it’s hard to register unless you have a special scale.
I do have volume measurements here for ease, but I highly recommend investing the small amount of money in a kitchen scale for future baking projects.
The Best Flour for Pizza Dough
If you haven’t heard of ’00’ (literally double zero) flour, it’s the gold standard for pizza crust and pasta. ’00’ flour is a super-finely ground Italian flour. 00 refers to the coarseness of the milling (the finest).
The combination of ’00’ and all-purpose flour yields the perfect crust–crispy and chewy with lots of airiness. You can easily find ’00’ flour at most well-stocked grocery stores like Central Market, Whole Foods, Sprouts, etc. as well as on amazon HERE.
Making Same-Day Pizza Dough
I love that you can make this same-day pizza dough and a couple of hours later have pizza on the table! You’ll still get tons of flavor in the dough and this recipe makes enough to have a pizza party while still having some leftover dough to freeze for next time.
- Mix the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, whisk together the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the warm water and the olive oil and mix on medium-low for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth.
- 1st rise. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise for about 2 hours or until it’s doubled in size.
- Shape. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. I like to use a scale here and dough balls that weigh 220g make about 11-12″ pizzas, perfect for a pizza stone or pizza oven. You want to create balls of dough that are smooth and tight (see video below).
- Proof. After you’ve shaped your dough balls, transfer them to a well-greased dough proofing box and lightly spray the tops of the dough with non-stick spray so they don’t dry out. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours before using. The dough will also last for at least 2 days in the fridge in this state and the flavors will only develop more over time.
How to shape pizza dough balls
One of the most important parts about getting the perfect crust is the shaping of the dough. You want to create smooth and tight dough balls because the surface tension makes them better for shaping. You will end up with a perfectly round pizza crust.
After you’ve gone through the work of shaping these dough balls, don’t you dare roll out that pizza dough and deflate all the beautiful bubbles. Press down on the dough ball on a well-floured surface to deflate it a little, then gently stretch the dough into an 11-12″ circle. If the dough springs back, wait 5 minutes and keep stretching. From here, you can top and bake it.
How to Freeze Pizza Dough
The best part of this same-day pizza dough is that you can freeze the dough balls for future use! After you shape your dough balls, lay them out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Transfer to the freezer for 2 hours. At this point, you can transfer the frozen dough balls to an airtight container or freezer-safe Ziplock bag.
To defrost: transfer the frozen dough to a greased dough proofing container and lightly spray the tops of the dough balls with non-stick spray. Cover and defrost in the fridge overnight. Bring to room temperature for 1 hour before shaping into crust.
Pizza Cooking Methods
Now that you have the dough, what’s the best way to cook a pizza? There are so many ways, but here are some of my favorites!
- Pizza oven. Obviously not everyone has a pizza oven, but my husband got me one for our anniversary and I am OBSESSED. We have the Gozney Roccbox and it truly makes the most superior pizza. It’s an investment for sure, but if you love pizza, it’s a great one!
- Pizza stone. If you don’t have a pizza oven, the next best option is a pizza stone or steel! Make sure to preheat the stone in the oven for at least an hour before baking.
- Cast iron skillet. If you don’t mind a slightly thicker crust, baking a pizza in a cast iron skillet is one of my favorite methods that’s super cost effective.
- Pizza Pan. Stretch your dough out onto a greased baking sheet, top, and bake at high temperature for a rustic and delicious pizza.
More Recipe Suggestions:
Easy Skillet Pizza with Brussels & Bacon
Skillet Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Chicken
Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
Same-Day Pizza Dough
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (optional)
- Stand Mixer Kitchen Aid (optional)
- Dough Whisk (optional)
Ingredients
- 300 g about 2 1/3 cups ’00’ flour
- 300 g about 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 12 g fine sea salt
- 350 g about 1 1/2 cups warm water, no warmer than 100 F
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, whisk together the flour, yeast, and salt. Pour in the water and olive oil and mix on medium-low for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth.
- Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise for 2 hours or until doubled inside.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface. The dough should be tacky, but not sticky. If it’s a little sticky, lightly dust the dough with flour. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and shape into smooth, tight balls. See the above video tutorial on shaping dough balls.
- Transfer the dough to a greased pizza dough box. Cover and transfer to the fridge for at least 2 hours, up to 72 hours.
- On a well-floured surface, stretch the dough into an 11-12″ circle and top as desired.
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