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Thursday Night Pizza's Overnight Pizza Dough recipe
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4.35 from 58 votes

Slow-Rise Pizza Dough

You have to plan ahead to make this pizza dough (it needs 18 to 20 hours of rise time), but once you get the hang of it, you'll see that it's actually super-easy—and it makes for the perfect chewy, fluffy, flavorful pizza crust. If you're making it for the next day's dinner, start the dough before you go to bed, then ball it up when you get home from work/school/etc. Or, make it over the weekend and freeze the balls in separate zip-top bags or airtight containers for easy weeknight dinners.
Prep Time5 minutes
Fermentation and Resting Time21 hours
Total Time21 hours 5 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: no-knead pizza dough, pizza dough, pizza dough recipe
Makes: 2 balls (enough for two 12- to 14-inch pizzas)*
Cost: $5

Equipment

  • Large bowl with lid
  • Sturdy wooden spoon or dough whisk
  • Measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients

  • cups bread flour (scooped and leveled)
  • ¼ teaspoon instant (rapid-rise) yeast
  • teaspoons fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • cups cool water
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

To make the dough

  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Add the water and oil and mix with your hands or a wooden spoon until all of the flour is incorporated. The dough will be sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature for 18 to 20 hours or until it has more than doubled in volume.
  • Scrape the dough out onto a floured work surface and use a knife or scraper to divide it in half*. Shape each piece of dough by folding its four sides under toward the center, then forming it into a ball. If the dough feels sticky, dust it with flour.
  • Cover the formed dough balls with an inverted bowl and let them rest for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours before using. (Or, if you’re not making pizza right away, place the balls in separate zip-top bags or airtight containers and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just make sure you bring the dough back to room temperature before stretching and topping.)

To bake the pizza

  • Preheat the oven to 500°F (if using a baking sheet) or as high as it will go (if using a baking stone/steel; place the stone in the top third or place the steel in the bottom third of the oven before you start preheating). Let the oven preheat for at least 30 minutes. Then, if you’re using a baking stone or steel, switch the oven to Broil on high.
  • Stretch or roll out your dough to a 12- to 14-inch circle, then transfer it to a baking sheet / pizza pan or a lightly floured pizza peel (if using a baking stone/steel).
  • Prick the dough with a fork (to prevent too many bubbles from forming in the oven), brush the edges with a little olive oil, and add your sauce and toppings.
  • Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake, rotating it a few times, until the crust is evenly browned on the bottom and the cheese / toppings have charred in spots—8 to 10 minutes on the baking sheet, 5 to 8 minutes on the baking stone/steel.
  • Remove the pizza from the oven and sprinkle it with chopped fresh herbs or any other desired seasonings. Slice and serve!

Video

Notes

  • If you’re planning to make focaccia or one large, thick-crust baking sheet pizza, simply stretch the dough to fit a heavy-duty, rimmed baking sheet/half sheet pan.
  • If you want to make four 10- to 12-inch pizzas, divide the dough into four balls instead of two.
  • Note: This dough is a great one to learn to stretch with. For detailed instructions, check out my pizza-dough-stretching video on YouTube.