Ooni Cold-Proof Pizza Dough

This year we had our fourth annual 4th of July pizza party. Last year I made 4 recipes (16 12" pizzas) and made all of the pizza dough the morning of the party. It worked out fine, but this year I wanted to invite more people which meant more pizzas, so I wanted to try the Ooni cold-proof pizza dough. This is basically the same Ooni pizza dough recipe I have always made but with less yeast, and it proofs in the refrigerator for 24-72 hours (rather than on the counter for 2 hours), then you divide it into individual dough balls before the final 5-hour rise (rather than 1 hour) where it comes to room temperature before stretching the dough and topping and baking the pizzas. This is the perfect recipe to use if you can plan ahead and don't want to do all of the work in one day, which is ideal when making so many pizzas.

I highly suggest weighing the ingredients for accuracy - I weighed everything but the yeast, only because my scale doesn't have decimal weights for grams.

Since my party was on a Friday, I made 6 recipes of dough (two triple recipes in my Ankarsrum mixer, which is enough for 24 12" pizzas) on Tuesday, and then took them out of the fridge around 12:30pm on Friday and divided the dough into 24 250-gram dough balls. It would help next time to separate the second batch into dough balls 30-60 minutes after the first batch, so that dough doesn't over proof by the time I use it. My last dough ball was only about 165 grams, but my husband used it to make a dessert pizza so it worked out well. I started making the pizzas around 5:30pm and it took about 2 hours of pizza making before they were all finished baking. We had 5 pizzas left over, which was great because it meant I didn't have to cook the following night! I gave one to my brother-in-law who was working and sent some leftovers to my brother, so we fed 25 people in total.

This was my first time making this much dough in my Ankarsrum mixer, which I bought last year right after we had our 4th of July party (last year I made 4 recipes the morning of our party, one at a time, in my KitchenAid mixer, which took over an hour and strained the motor). This new mixer didn't struggle at all with 3 recipes in each batch! I mixed each batch of dough for about 15 minutes, so it took me almost half the time as last year to make a lot more dough. I realized that I need some bigger bowls to proof the dough in the refrigerator, but other than that this worked out much better than last year, and the dough was much easier to stretch and work with too.

This year I kept it simple with the toppings, because last year when I had onions and peppers and fresh tomatoes I hardly used them - everyone just kept asking for cheese, pepperoni and sausage pizzas. So I mostly made those three again this year, but I also made some with pepperoni and sausage, sausage and olives, and two with fontina cheese, prosciutto and arugula.

Once the first pizza was in the oven and I took a picture of it, I didn't take any more pictures since I was busy making pizzas. My husband took a few photos of the baked pizzas which I included below.

From now on, as long as I can plan at least 24 hours in advance, I'll be making this recipe instead of the regular recipe, because this dough was so much easier to work with, and the pizza was the best I've made yet!

Ooni Cold-Proof Pizza Dough

Recipe Courtesy Ooni

 

Good things come to those who wait, and pizza dough is certainly no exception. Cold-proofing, also known as cold rising or cold fermentation, is a great technique for anyone who wants to up their pizza-making game. The dough goes through a simple process (just leave it in the fridge!) of slow fermentation – usually 24 to 96 hours – and that extra time brings several tasty benefits:

enhanced flavor development, improved texture and structure, and dough that is easier to handle.

 

Although cold-proofing requires a bit more time and planning, the technique is super accessible, and the results are well worth the wait. Note: don’t wait too long, as there is such a thing as over-proofing! (Three to five days is generally the longest you’ll want to go.) Just mix the ingredients together, cover, then pop the pizza dough in the fridge, and let the yeast work its magic. Soon enough, you’ll have a more flavorful (and enviable) pizza to dig into.

 

This recipe is similar to our Classic Pizza Dough but with the quantity of yeast adjusted for cold-proofing.

 

1½ cups plus 1 tablespoon (368 grams) lukewarm water

⅓ teaspoon (1.6 grams) active dried yeast, or (scant ½ teaspoon) 1.4 grams instant dried yeast or ½ teaspoon (4.1 grams) fresh yeast

5¼ cups (613 grams) “00” flour, plus extra for dusting

3 teaspoons (18 grams) sea salt

 

Tip: We recommend using your Ooni Dual Platform Digital Scales for maximum accuracy.

 

Note: This recipe takes time. For the best-tasting pizza dough, be sure to set aside 24 to 72 hours for the cold proof before you begin cooking. We always suggest checking the activation instructions on your yeast packets and testing accordingly. 

 

Add the water and yeast to a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) and whisk until thoroughly blended. Combine the flour and salt in a medium bowl, then add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients.

 

If using a mixer: Fit the mixer with the dough hook and place the flour in the bowl. Turn the machine on at a low speed and gradually add the yeast mixture to the flour. Once combined, leave the dough mixing at the same speed for 5 to 10 minutes or until the dough is firm and stretchy. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap (cling film).

 

If mixing by hand: Place the flour in a large bowl and pour the yeast mixture into it. Stir with a wooden spoon until a dough starts to form. Continue mixing by hand until the dough comes together in a ball. Turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead with both hands for about 10 minutes, until it is firm and stretchy. Return the dough to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap (cling film).

 

Place the covered pizza dough in the fridge to cold-proof for 24 to 72 hours. When the dough has roughly doubled in size, remove the dough from the fridge.

 

Divide the cold-proofed dough into 3 or 4 equal pieces, depending on what size you want your pizzas to be, either 12 inches (30 centimeters) or 16 inches (40 centimeters) wide. Shape each piece into a ball, and place each pizza dough ball in a separate bowl or tray. Cover with cling film and leave to rise for 5 hours on your kitchen counter so they can come up to room temperature and double in size.

 

Once the second proof is complete, preheat your oven to between 850°F and 950°F. Use the infrared thermometer to quickly and accurately check the temperature of the middle of the stone.

 

Place your first dough ball on a lightly floured surface, flour your hands and use your fingertips to press the dough into a small, flat disc. Working from the center, push the dough outwards while spreading your fingers, making the disc slightly bigger. Pick up the dough and gently pinch it all around the edge, allowing gravity to pull it downwards into a 12-inch (30-centimeter) circle. Neapolitan-style pizza bases are very thin, so you should be able to see through the base when you hold it up to the light. Take care when doing this – you don’t want it to tear.

 

Once the dough is fully stretched, lightly flour your pizza peel and lay the base on it. If you see any small holes in the dough, gently pinch them back together.

 

Once you’re happy with the base, add your toppings and bake in the oven according to the recommended temperature given in your recipe of choice.

 

Yield: Four 12-inch (30-centimeter) pizzas (for 250-gram dough balls) or three 16-inch (40-centimeter) pizzas (for 330-gram dough balls)

Triple Recipe (12 12-inch pizzas):

1104 grams lukewarm water

1 teaspoon (4.8 grams) active dried yeast

1839 grams “00” flour, plus extra for dusting

54 grams sea salt

Triple recipe of dough ready to be refrigerated for 3 days

Triple recipe of dough ready to be refrigerated for 3 days

Triple recipe of dough ready to be divided into 12 250-gram dough balls

Triple recipe of dough ready to be divided into 12 250-gram dough balls

24 250-gram dough balls (6 recipes of dough)

Sitting at room temp for 5 hours before using

Ready to start stretching and topping

First pizza in the oven

Sausage pizza

Cheese pizza

Pepperoni pizza

Fontina pizza (topped with prosciutto and arugula after baking)

Sausage & olive pizza

Giada's Pizza Dough

A few years ago I posted a recipe for Bobby Flay's Pizza Dough, but I haven't made it in a long time. As someone who enjoys cooking and baking and always prefers homemade food over store-bought, I'm a bit ashamed to say my husband and I have been using store-bought dough lately, since life has been a bit hectic in our house (especially dinnertime). I ran into my cousin Christine yesterday and she told me that she makes Giada's Pizza Dough regularly, so I decided to give it a try last night. This recipe is very simple and quite delicious. It reminded me a lot of my grandmother's pizza, but took a lot less time to make since it's for just 1 pizza and not 12! This was the first time I made homemade pizza for my 1-year-old twins, and they approved! I kept it simple for them and made half of it with sausage and half of it with cheese. I froze most of the remaining pizza slices, wrapped individually, as an easy lunch or dinner option for them.

I started the dough around 2:00 pm after putting my boys down for their naps. The timing worked out perfectly so that I was able to spread the dough in the pizza pan (coated with olive oil first), put the sauce and toppings on, and bake it in time to be ready for our 6:00 pm dinnertime.

For the sauce, I just stirred some basil, oregano, salt and pepper together with an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce and spread it on the dough, then added my sausage and shredded mozzarella, and topped with grated cheese. I baked it at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

If you're looking for a pizza dough recipe for just a few people, this is a great one to try. You can also easily double the recipe. I made it in a jelly roll pan and it fit perfectly (per my cousin's suggestion), but I normally make a double recipe and get 3 14" round pizzas out of it - see pics below! I personally think it is a bit too much dough for 2 round pizzas so I make 3, but my sister prefers thicker crust and makes 2.

Edit January 2022: I made this pizza tonight using Anna 00 Flour. I had never used 00 Flour before so I was interested to see the difference (I usually use King Arthur All-Purpose Flour). The dough was very easy to spread. I usually separate the dough, shape it into round balls and let it rest on the oiled pizza pans for a few minutes, then spread the dough a bit, then let it rest for a few minutes, and then finish spreading it. I was able to spread the dough completely out on the first try. As usual, I made 3 pizzas with a double recipe. Once the pizza was baked it had a very thin crust, but it was delicious! I actually think this was the best pizza I've made.

Edit April 2023: Today I made 4 recipes of dough which made 6 pizzas. This is probably the max amount of recipes I could make at one time in my larger 6-qt. KitchenAid mixer. I'm still using the Anna 00 Flour and the pizzas were so delicious!

Edit November 2024: If you don't want to use honey, you can use 1 teaspoon of sugar in its place. I also usually need to add more flour than the recipe calls for, about 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup extra per recipe. I've been making this recipe often for years now and it's my favorite recipe to make!

Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes and enjoy!

Giada’s Famous Pizza Dough

Recipe Courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

 

This is one of Giada’s most beloved recipes: her go-to famous pizza dough. It’s so easy to whip up, and turns out beautifully every time.

 

1 cup warm water

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon honey

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Extra virgin olive oil

 

To the warm water, add the yeast and honey. Stir to dissolve. Allow the mixture to sit for 3 minutes to make sure the yeast is alive. It should foam and start to bubble.

 

Place the flour and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the yeast mixture and mix on low speed until the mixture starts to come together. Turn the speed up to medium and mix for 8 minutes. The dough should start to pull away from the sides but still remain soft and slightly sticky at the bottom of the bowl. Add an extra tablespoon of flour if needed.

 

Coat your hands in a bit of olive oil and form the dough into a ball. Place the dough in a bowl that is coated in olive oil. Cover with a towel and allow to sit in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

 

Knock down the dough and cut into 4 equal pieces if making small pizzas or simply reform into a ball and allow the dough to proof for an additional 1 hour.

 

The dough is now ready to use.

 

For basic cooking instructions, roll the pizza dough out on a floured surface to your desired thickness. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet or pizza peel, and top with your favorite toppings. Bake at 500° for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown. Drizzle the crust with extra olive oil if desired. Slice and serve hot.

 

Serves 4.

Thicker crust when I used to use King Arthur All Purpose flour

Great recipe to make with kids!

Thinner crust using Anna 00 Flour - my preferred way!

Double recipe for 3 14" pizzas

Pizza Dough

Growing up in a large Italian family, homemade pizza was always one of my favorite meals. My mom made it all the time when I was a kid. From an early age, I started helping her and later started making my grandmother's recipe of about 12 pizzas on my own, sometimes even doubling the recipe for pizza parties! Since I moved out and am now only cooking for 1 or 2 people in a small townhouse kitchen, I started using a pizza stone and pizza peel instead of pizza pans and found a recipe that makes 2 pizzas. I've been snowed in for the past few days and now that most people are out and about again, I didn't want to head to the grocery store in case it is low on food or packed with shoppers. So I decided I would make pizza for dinner so I can take it in my lunch for the two remaining work days this week. Luckily I already had all the ingredients!

This Pizza Dough Recipe is pretty simple to make and only needs to rise for an hour, plus another 10 minutes once you divide the dough in half. Following the dough recipe are baking instructions for the pizza stone that I have - adjust as needed for however you are baking your pizzas.

Pizza Dough

Recipe Courtesy Bobby Flay

3½ to 4 cups bread flour*, plus more for rolling
1 teaspoon sugar
1 envelope (2¼ teaspoons) instant dry yeast
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1½ cups water, 110º F
2 Tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons

Combine the bread flour, sugar, yeast and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and combine. While the mixer is running, add the water and 2 tablespoons of the oil and beat until the dough forms into a ball. If the dough is sticky, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together in a solid ball. If the dough is too dry, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead into a smooth, firm ball.

Grease a large bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, add the dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in a warm area to let it double in size, about 1 hour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cover each with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let them rest for 10 minutes.

Makes 2 14-inch pizza crusts.

Note: *Using bread flour will give you a much crisper crust. If you can't find bread flour, you can substitute it with all-purpose flour, which will give you a chewier crust.

This recipe does not come with instructions for baking the crust. If you are using a pizza stone, preheat the oven to 500º with the stone on the middle rack for 20-25 minutes (longer for a crispier crust).

Use a rolling pin to spread the dough on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle your pizza peel with cornmeal and transfer the spread dough to it - crimp the edges to make them thicker and higher so the sauce and toppings do not slip onto the stone. Add cheese, sauce and toppings to your pizza. Gently shake the pizza back and forth on the peel to make sure it will slide off easily onto the stone.

Once the oven is preheated, sprinkle cornmeal on the stone to help prevent the dough from sticking. Reduce the oven temperature to 475º. Gently slide your pizza from the peel on to the stone. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes.

While the first pizza is baking, prepare the second on the pizza peel.

Use a spatula to transfer the baked pizza to a large cutting board since the second one will be on the peel. Slice the pizza with a pizza wheel or pizza chopper and enjoy!

Combine dry ingredients

Mix with water and oil

Knead into a ball and let rise for an hour

Separate into two dough balls and let rise for 10 minutes

Spread dough using a rolling pin

Crimp edges of dough

Add toppings

Bake for 10-12 minutes on pizza stone

Slice and enjoy!

Photos by JoJo