Over the years of making pizzas, I’ve hit all the common pizza dough problems and found solutions by experimenting and getting advice from experts. I hope this list gives you help in your quest for that perfect dough.
A good place to start is trying my own pizza dough recipe. It’s got some really detailed step-by-step instructions to keep you on track – so check it out.
My best tip for making pizza in a home oven is to use a pizza “steel”. It adds intense heat from below for amazing crusts – I have this steel from Amazon which is much lower priced than other brands but works perfectly. Steel conducts heat better than stone, they don’t shatter and are easier to clean.
If it’s out of your price range then the 2nd best option is a pizza stone made from cordierite. To see a round-up of the most important pizza equipment check out my essential pizza equipment list.
1. Proofing Pizza Dough – Ultimate Guide
Start here with my guide on proofing for some guidance on what proofing is, how to do it, and some advanced tips.
2. Under Cooked Pizza Dough
If your pizza dough is not cooked in the middle or tastes doughy, then see my article on fixing undercooked pizza dough.
3. Shrinking Pizza Dough
If you’ve ever tried to stretch out your dough only for it to spring back, then read 5 ways to keep pizza dough from shrinking.
4. Tearing Pizza Dough
Hand stretching your dough can be tricky. If you’re getting tears in the center and need help then read my article on why pizza dough tears when stretching.
5. Proofing Temperatures For Pizza Dough
Unsure of the most suitable temperatures to rise your dough? Check out my article on the best pizza dough proofing temperature.
Hi Tom, Awesome write up, hopefully your tips will help me perfect the perfect dough I’m looking for. Quick question- if I was to double the recipe would I still use just a couple pinches of yeast or double the yeast as well? I am using a wood fired pizza oven in the low 900 degrees. I also slow rise in the fridge overnight the. Let it come to room temp for around an hour before shaping.
Thanks-Kevin
Hi Kevin,
You can use bakers percentages to calculate the ingredients. Basically they are percentages of the total flour. So yes you can just double everything. If we are using 0.1% yeast then work out 0.1% of the flour weight used in the recipe. The ‘couple of pinches’ method is slightly an inaccurate way to measure but it should work out OK! You can get a cheap scale that measures down to 0.01g on Amazon.
Hi Tom, love your recipes and tips. Can you tell me if I can prepare and stretch the pizza dough in advance? I need to make 25 in a small wood fire oven for a party but don’t want the guests to wait too long while I prepare each one?
Hi Christine. Thanks for the kind feedback. You can definitely prepare the dough in advance and have a nice tray of dough balls ready to be baked. See here for some help – https://www.crustkingdom.com/pizza-dough-in-advance. As for stretching in advance, I don’t tend to do this because freshly stretched is always better and you’re at risk of a skin forming on the dough. You can always prepare the next 1-2 pizzas while a pizza is cooking in the oven. 25 pizzas will be tough! Have you thought about doing a square pizza? Always a good, easier crowd pleaser.