Pizzadough: Everything you need to know
November 28, 2023 Julia Haberecht
Ratgeber
Ratgeber
Pizza Dough - Everything You Need to Know About Pizza Dough
We frequently receive questions from customers about pizza dough. Here you will find answers to the most common questions. We assume when answering the questions that you are making your pizza dough by hand or with a dough kneader. We exclude pre-made pizza dough here. Just this much: Ready-made pizza dough is, of course, durable in the refrigerator for a long time and can also be frozen. Now to your questions:
Which flour for pizza dough?
Classic Italian pizza dough is baked with Tipo 00, the German type 405. However, it is also possible to make pizza with 550 flour. Of course, there are also various special pizza flours from well-known manufacturers like Caputo, 5Stagione, or at Migros and Coop. Additionally, you can also use spelt flour or whole grain flours. This changes the water content slightly. Just try out your recipes and different flours.
What is better for pizza dough: fresh yeast or dry yeast?
Both types of yeast are possible. Please remember that dry yeast and fresh yeast are calculated at a ratio of 1:3. One packet of dry yeast (7g) is equivalent to 21g of fresh yeast.
What temperature should the water have for pizza dough?
The optimal water temperature is cold, even ice-cold. The dough should warm up as little as possible so that it can rise slowly and evenly.
How do I let pizza dough rise in the refrigerator?
You make your pizza dough as usual. After kneading, let it rest briefly in bulk fermentation, then portion it and let it start to prove in its final shape. This means that you let the dough rise for 1-2 hours at room temperature before placing it in the refrigerator.
Why should pizza dough rise in the refrigerator?
In the refrigerator, the dough rises more slowly, creating a balanced flavor and making the dough nice and airy.
Can I store pizza dough in the refrigerator overnight? And for how long?
In principle, yes. You can keep risen pizza dough that is ready to use in the refrigerator, but not for too long. I would use it up on the second day because the low temperature in the refrigerator (5-8 degrees) slows down the fermentation process of the yeast, but does not stop it completely. This means the pizza dough continues to rise slowly and eventually will spoil. It's different if you make a pizza dough and want it to rise slowly to get more flavor and structure. Then most of the fermentation process takes place planned in the refrigerator.
Can you freeze fresh pizza dough with dry yeast/fresh yeast?
You can, of course, freeze fresh pizza dough. It works best by placing finished formed and risen pizza balls in a Tupperware or similar container, sealing it with a lid and freezing. Whether you use fresh yeast or dry yeast for making the dough is irrelevant for freezing.
At what point in the fermentation process do I freeze the pizza balls?
You should freeze the pizza balls after a 1-2 hour final rise. This means you form the balls, portion them into your containers, let the fermentation start, and after 1-2 hours, freeze the balls.
How do I defrost the pizza balls?
There are two possibilities: First, you place the pizza balls in the refrigerator and let them thaw very slowly and rise a bit. You need at least 24 hours until baking. The last 4-6 hours before baking, the dough should be at room temperature to wake up. Or second, you take the pizza balls out of the freezer and let them thaw at room temperature and rise a bit. Again, you need to see progress in fermentation; otherwise, the balls are still too cold to be further processed.