How to Make Pizza Dough from Scratch - step by step process guide

How to Make Pizza Dough from Scratch

5 steps 30 min Beginner

Pizza dough is flour + water + yeast + salt. Mix, rest, shape, top, bake hot. 24-hour cold ferment makes restaurant-quality dough.

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Step-by-Step Instructions

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Step 1: Pick flour (00 is the standard)

Italian 00 flour is finely milled, gives tender pizza crust. Bread flour works too — chewier result.

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Caputo 00 flour

The Neapolitan pizza flour. ~$10 for 2.2 lb.

$1.00/use $10 for 10 View Details
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King Arthur Bread Flour

Easier to find. Chewier crust. ~$7 for 5 lb.

$0.23/use $7 for 30 View Details
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Step 2: Mix: 100/65/2/0.5 (flour/water/salt/yeast)

Per 100g flour: 65g water, 2g salt, 0.5g instant yeast. Mix until shaggy. Knead 5 min by hand or 3 min in mixer.

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Mix by hand or stand mixer

Both work. Stand mixer with dough hook is easier.

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Hydration 65% (standard)

Higher hydration (70%+) = better but harder to handle.

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Step 3: Cold ferment 24-72 hours

Divide into balls, oil lightly, refrigerate. Slow fermentation builds flavor. 24 hr minimum, 48-72 hr for best taste.

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Divide into 250g balls (one pizza each)

Pre-portioned. Easier to handle later.

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48-72 hr cold ferment for best flavor

Patience pays off. Same effort, dramatically better pizza.

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Step 4: Get a baking surface HOT

Pizza needs 500-700°F. Pizza stone or steel preheated 45+ minutes. Conventional ovens max 500-550°F.

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Baking Steel (best home option)

Cast steel, conducts heat better than stone. ~$120.

$120 one-time View Details
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Pizza stone

Cheaper. Slower heat transfer than steel. ~$40.

$40 one-time View Details
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Ooni outdoor pizza oven (700°F+)

Outdoor. True Neapolitan-style char. ~$400.

$400 one-time View Details
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Step 5: Stretch, top sparingly, bake fast

Stretch by hand (don't roll — pushes air out). Light sauce, light cheese, light toppings. Bake 4-7 min until crust charred.

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Stretch by hand, no rolling pin

Preserves air bubbles in crust. Easier with hydrated dough.

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Less topping > more topping

Overloaded pizzas don't crisp. Restraint = restaurant quality.

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Pizza peel for transfer

Wood or metal. ~$25.

$25 one-time View Details
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