Made the worst ever pizza dough. Please suggest a good recipe/tutorial and give me tips?
The Question
The recipe I used called for 370 mL of water, 7 grams of yeast, 600 grams of flour (I didn't have bread flour so I used all purpose) and a splash of oil. The dough seemed dry but I went with it. Kneaded for 5 minutes. Let it rise for an hour and a half. Divided into two, shaped the crusts, and let them rise for another 20 min.
It was horrible - tough, dry, didn't even brown by the time the cheese had browned beautifully...Please help, I have no idea what I'm doing and I'm scared to ever make pizza again.
Your pizza dough failed because it lacked salt—a "massive red flag" according to experienced bakers—and received insufficient gluten development from only 5 minutes of kneading. You need either 15-30 minutes of active kneading or a 12+ hour no-knead fermentation to develop the gluten network properly.
Best Method
Recommended recipe structure:
- 1 and 1/3 cups (320ml) warm water (100-110°F/38-43°C)
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon (13g) sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 and 1/2 cups (438g) all-purpose flour
Kneading options:
- Stand mixer: 10 minutes mixing, 10 minutes rest, then another 10 minutes
- Hand kneading: 15-30 minutes until windowpane test passes (dough stretches thin enough for light to pass through)
- No-knead: 12+ hours rise time with reduced yeast (overnight refrigerator fermentation)
Baking: Cook at 550°F (highest oven temperature possible)
Alternative Approaches
Use bread flour instead of all-purpose for stronger gluten development due to higher protein content. The Serious Eats Pizza Lab offers three tested dough recipes, with their Sicilian dough specifically described as "super easy and almost no-fail." Kenji Lopez-Alt provides multiple reliable pizza dough variations. Detroit-style and Chicago thin crust recipes from reputable cooking channels offer proven alternatives with different textures and handling characteristics.
Common Mistakes
Missing salt: Experienced bakers identify this as a "massive red flag"—salt is essential for gluten development and flavor, requiring "quite a lot actually" compared to other bread recipes. Insufficient kneading: Your 5-minute kneading time cannot develop the necessary gluten network; proper development requires 15-30 minutes until the windowpane test passes. Wrong flour choice: All-purpose flour lacks the protein content needed for stretchy, bouncy pizza dough—bread flour provides superior gluten development. Short fermentation: Longer rise times (12+ hours) improve browning through enzymatic activity, enhance flavor complexity, and increase digestibility.
Food Safety Notes
Water temperature must stay between 100-110°F (38-43°C) to activate yeast without killing it. Overnight fermentation should occur in the refrigerator to prevent over-proofing and maintain food safety.