Basic Pizza Dough (Overnight)
Apr 25, 2025
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Making your own pizza dough means pizza night for the family is much more flexible than ordering in from the place down the street. This Basic Pizza Dough recipe uses just five ingredients – flour, water, yeast, salt and olive oil – to create a beautifully smooth, elastic dough that’s great for an outdoor pizza oven or a standard household oven.
This dough rests in the refrigerator overnight, and it’s even better if you let it rest for a few days. Stretching the dough will create a chewy, bubbly texture. Rolling it out will still give you bubbly dough, but with a crispy crust that makes homemade pizza so rewarding. The slow fermenting helps develop so much flavor, especially if you let it sit for 72 hours.
5 Ingredients You Need for Pizza Dough
- 2 cups cold water
- 5 cups bread flour
- ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
Pro tip: Use a whisk to “fluff” up the flour in your bag before measuring the bread flour. This will help with spooning it into measuring cups for consistency.
How to Make Pizza Dough
Step 1 – Add the kosher salt and cold water to the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir to combine and let sit for a minute.
Step 2 – Add in the active dry yeast and bread flour. Stir to combine. See photo below for how the dough should look at this point. The flour should be just mixed in before the resting period of step 3.
Step 3 – Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
Step 4 – Drizzle the dough with olive oil. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on medium-low speed until the dough forms a smooth, elastic ball, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Step 5 – Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into 4 smaller balls.
Step 6 – Place each dough ball into individual containers or bowls and cover with plastic wrap.
Step 7 – Refrigerate overnight, or for up to 3 days. You can even get away with an extra day or two on the 3-day rest time, though the dough will start to change flavor if overly fermented.
When ready to use, let the dough rest at room temperature for about an hour before shaping.
Tips for Pizza Dough Success
- Stick with bread flour: It has a higher protein content and helps create a strong, chewy structure. King Arthur makes a great bread flour (in the blue and white bag), which is a go-to for this recipe.
- Don’t rush the rise: The cold fermentation process in the refrigerator allows the dough to develop a complex, tangy flavor. The longer you rest it, the tangier it gets.
- Mix just until smooth: Over-mixing is possible, so make sure to set a timer. Once the dough forms a smooth ball, you’re ready to divide it and cover.
- Really let it rest: When you’re ready to make pizza, give yourself time to let the dough come to room temperature. At least an hour, maybe longer, depending on the temperature of the room. Cold dough will be difficult to stretch or roll without tearing or pulling back into a tight ball. Plus, room temperature dough will produce a better rise and more air bubbles (you want that) in your crust.
Rolling vs. Stretching Dough
When it comes time to shape your pizza, you can stretch or roll the dough. Here’s the difference:
- Stretching: This will create a more traditional, airy pizza with bubbles in the crust. This is the recommended method, especially for outdoor pizza ovens like an Ooni.
- Rolling: Sometimes a thinner crust is desired, and rolling will definitely help achieve a more cracker-like crust with this recipe. Use a rolling pin and bake in your standard kitchen oven on a lightly floured surface.
No matter how you prepare your dough for toppings, you will end up with a delicious crust. Pro tip: Keep topping simple – no more than about ½ a cup of sauce and 1 cup or so of toppings – to keep your pizza from getting soggy or weighing down. You want a pizza with structure.
Freezing Dough
You can batch make this dough and freeze the balls after they rise overnight. Once they rise for about 12 hours, place them in the freezer to freeze solid. Then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and place in a reusable zip-top bag.
When you’re ready for pizza, bring your frozen dough out to rest until it reaches room temperature. Alternatively, you can bring it back out of the freezer the night before you want to make pizza and let it thaw in the refrigerator. Then, bring it from the refrigerator back to room temperature. Dough will stay fresh in the freezer for 2 to 3 months. It may last longer, but it may be subject to freezer burn.
Basic Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 2 cups cold water
- 5 cups bread flour
- ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
Instructions
- Add 1 tablespoon kosher salt and 2 cups cold water to the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir to combine and let sit for a minute.
- Add in ½ teaspoon active dry yeast and 5 cups bread flour. Stir to combine.
- Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
- Drizzle on 2 teaspoons olive oil. Using the dough hook attachment, mix until dough forms a smooth ball, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Remove dough from the bowl and divide into 4 smaller balls.
- Add to individual containers and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight, up to 3 days.
- When ready to use, let dough rest on the counter for about an hour, or until it’s at room temperature.
Notes
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