Ultimate Thin-Crust 00 Flour Pizza Dough Recipe

Living in Italy has its perks — one of them being that we can order delicious pizza pretty much anytime we want. But even with this tasty option, we make a lot of homemade pizza including this easy 6-ingredient 00 flour pizza dough which is one of our favorite recipes to make! This basic 00 pizza dough takes just 12 minutes to mix and fully knead and is so versatile it can be used to make thin and crispy pizza or a thicker crispy, soft, and chewy classic hand-stretched pizza. The best part — your oven doesn’t need to reach or exceed 500°F/260°C to make it!

In this post, you’ll learn all the best tips and techniques for how to make the best pizza at home!

Overview: Making Homemade Pizza Dough

• Homemade Pizza So Easy Kids Can Make It (photos from my kid’s pizza-making class)
• What is 00 Flour (And Does it Make the Best Homemade Pizza Dough)?
• Can I Substitute All-Purpose or Bread Flour for Italian 00 Flour in Pizza Dough?
• How Do I Know If This Pizza Recipe Is For Me?
• Can I Make Pizza If My Oven Doesn’t Reach 500°F/288°C or Higher?
• What to Expect When You Make 00 Thin-Crust Pizza Dough
• Overview: Homemade 00 Pizza Dough Ingredients
• What is Dough Point and Why It Matters?
• Overview: How to Make The Best Thin-Crust Pizza (Using 00 Flour) In 7 Easy Steps
• 00 Flour Thin-Crust Pizza Step-by-Step Photos
• The Best Pizza Toppings Ideas for Vegetarians or Meat-Lovers
• Best Tools For Making Pizza
• Pizza Pro Tip: Best DIY Substitutes for a Pizza Stone and Pizza Peel
• FAQ Pizza-Making Tips: Everything You Need To Know To Make Better Homemade Pizza

Kid-Friendly Homemade Pizza Recipe

If you’ve ever wondered how to make the best pizza dough from scratch that has awesome flavor and a perfect texture, I’ll walk you through all of the necessary steps in this post! This uncomplicated recipe uses my favorite one-bowl basic 00 pizza dough which doesn’t require a stand mixer or food processor (although you can definitely use one if you have it and it makes it even easier to pull off).

In fact, this recipe is so easy it’s perfect for beginner bakers even if you’ve never made yeast bread or pizza in your life. Don’t Believe me? Take a look at the photos above from one of the many kid’s pizza cooking classes (Chengdu, China). If these tiny kids can make great pizza, so can you…and p.s. if you have kids who want to help, smiley face pizzas are a hit every time)!

The best part — this pizza bakes up perfectly in any kind of home oven, toaster oven, or those fancier pizza ovens (even if your oven temperature only reaches 475°F/246°C). This really is the best pizza dough recipe!

What is 00 Flour (Does it Make the Best Homemade Pizza Dough)?

Italian 00 flour (also known as “tipo 00”, “farina doppio” or “doppio zero” which translates to “type 00”, “double flour”, or “double zero”) makes excellent pizza. It is a highly refined white Italian soft wheat flour that contains no bran or germ and has a protein content somewhere between 11% and 12.5% (and less often up to 13%). I’ve seen many online posts stating that “00 flour is a low-protein flower” which is 100% incorrect (and if someone is spreading this bad inforrmation, you may want to start reading all their posts with a bit of skepticism). 00 flour is highly sought after for making all kinds of pizza, fresh egg pasta, and even focaccia and other delicious flatbreads.

In fact, the “00” has nothing to do with the protein content in the flour at all. Instead, it refers to the flour ‘Type” (or “tipo” in Italian). And the type indicates how finely the flour is milled. Out of the 4 main “types” of flour in Italy (Tipo 00, Tipo 0, Tipo 1, and Tipo 2). 00 flour on one end of the spectrum is the most finely milled with an almost powdery texture. While type 2 flour is the least refined and contains all parts of the grain making it coarse and the closest to whole grain flour (or farina integrale in Italian). Because of this, 00 flour requires less water to form a well-hydrated dough than typical American flour like all-purpose, bread, or whole grain.

Not to further confuse things, but here in Italy, 00 flour is also milled and marketed for making specific types of recipes. For instance, you’ll find varying bags of 00 flour at the grocery store that are labeled according to their best use which also corresponds to how much protein they contain. A higher protein 00 flour allows for longer fermentation times like when making authentic Neapolitan pizza, whereas a lower protein 00 flour is typically used for shorter leavened pizza dough and bread, as well as desserts like biscotti, crostata, etc. when a lower gluten flour is required.

The 3 most common 00 flour options you’ll find in Italian grocery stores (see photographs above):

• 00 flour “per tutti preparazione” (for every preparation) which usually has around 11% -11.5% protein is what I use as a substitute for all-purpose flour in most of my baking and cooking recipes including for homemade fresh egg pasta dough recipes as well as, this basic 00 pizza dough recipe with it’s relatively short 2-hour leavening time. Please note that all-purpose flour is often made up of a mix of both soft and hard wheat or only hard wheat whereas 00 flour uses only “grano tenero” or soft wheat.
• 00 flour “per impasti tradizionale” (for traditional doughs) which usually has around 12.5% protein is what I use for Neapolitan pizza dough which has a longer 24-hour leavening time and needs a higher protein % to hold up to the yeast feeding on the carbohydrates in the flour over this extended period of time.
• 00 flour “per dolci” (for dessert) or “per dolci e frolle” (for cakes and shortcrust pastry) which usually has around 11% protein and is very similar to the other 00 flour used “for every preparation”.

Can I Substitute All-Purpose or Bread Flour for 00 Italian Flour?

Yes, you can absolutely substitute a high-quality all-purpose flour or bread flour for the 00 flour used in this recipe and still make a great-tasting pizza. Especially because the crust is rolled out so thinly and it’s not being hand-tossed (where we’d notice the shortcomings of using an all-purpose flour over the 00 flour).

I’ve made excellent thin-crust pizza dough using this exact recipe but substituting King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (which has 11.7% protein) for 00 Italian flour. That said, 00 Flour pizza dough compared to all-purpose flour pizza dough in a side-by-side comparison tastes better to us and has a better texture.

Bread flour (like King Arthur’s or Hecker’s) makes an even better substitute than all-purpose if you have it.

 

How Do I Know if This Recipe Is For Me?

You’ll definitely want to make this simple 00 thin-crust pizza dough if…

• You’ve previously failed hard at making good homemade pizza (we’ve all been there!)
• You want to make pizza that’s healthier and more digestible
• You want to make pizza without a bready, dense, or heavy crust
• You want to be able to afford pizza night for your family without breaking your monthly food budget
• You’re looking for no-fuss easy dinner recipes for family night
• You want to have full control over what’s going into the pizza you’re eating
• You want to be able to choose the highest-quality pizza topping ingredients

Can I Make Pizza If My Oven Doesn’t Reach 500°F/288°C or Higher?

Yes, you can make great homemade pizza even if your oven doesn’t reach 500°F/288°C! In fact, I’ll show you precisely how to make perfect homemade pizza even if your oven only reaches upwards of 475°F-482°F/250°C (as is the case with my current European Whirlpool oven), and even if you only own a toaster oven.

One of the keys to making the absolute best homemade pizza crust: Preheat your oven with the pizza stone (or my best pizza stone substitutes outlined below) for at least 30 minutes at the highest temperature your oven will go (even better if you can preheat it for 45 minutes). Anyone can make great homemade pizza in a regular oven or toaster oven even if it doesn’t reach high temperatures of 500°F-550°F (260°/288°C).

That said, as with any good (or great) homemade pizza, there is science involved with baking. And the taste and texture of this 00 pizza dough are even better the higher you can crank the oven. Not only will the pizza crust have more “oven spring”, but the pizza cooks faster creating a better overall texture. So, if you’re lucky enough to own an Ooni pizza oven, an outdoor brick oven, or a Kettle Pizza Weber grill converter kit, you should definitely bake this pizza recipe in them!

What to Expect When You Make This 00 Pizza

This is not a pizza dough that’s ready from start to finish in 30 minutes or even an hour. Because while it only takes 15 minutes to prep and fully knead, it still requires adequate hands-off proofing time to achieve its best flavor and texture. If you want to make and eat this pizza on the same day (which we often do), you’ll need to set aside about 2 1/2 to 3 hours from start to finish (when you want to be sitting down eating the pizza). Since this basic 00 dough is made with yeast it’s important for it to have time to rise (proof or prove). Here’s why:

There are lots of “quick and easy pizza dough recipes” online promising to make “the best pizza recipe ever” often referring to almost zero kneading and “just 30 minutes of total rise time“. I can’t get behind this concept because yeasted pizza dough needs the proper amount of time to proof, or it inevitably lacks in both flavor and texture (not to mention it will also be less digestible).

If a speedy great-tasting cracker-like magic pizza crust is what you’re after, I recommend trying this delicious (no-yeast) St. Louis-Style pizza dough recipe instead. It’s quick and easy and will fill every pizza craving you’re having but with just about zero effort!

Why does pizza dough need to rise or proof? Any dough made with yeast (commercial or natural starter yeast) needs time to build a strong gluten network (for good texture), and for the yeast to have ample time to feed on the carbohydrates in the flour which helps develop the best pizza crust flavor and also makes pizza easier to digest. In fact, for Italians, the digestibility factor of pizza is of equal importance to the quality of whole tomatoes used for the pizza sauce and the ingredients used for pizza toppings. 

Below is the timeline for how long each step of this homemade pizza-making process takes:

• 5 minutes to measure and mix the ingredients
• 10 to 12 minutes of kneading the pizza dough (by hand or in a stand mixer)
• 1 1/2 hours for the first rise
• 1/2 hour for the second rise
• 5 minutes to roll, sauce, and top each pizza
• 8 minutes to bake

Overview: Homemade Thin-Crust 00 Pizza Dough Ingredients

All Homemade pizza dough includes 4 basic ingredients: flour, yeast, salt, and water. However, there are very good pizza-science reasons (outlined below) as to why you should also add extra virgin olive oil (or even vegetable oil) and sugar to your dough. 

In fact, pizzerias across Italy (and in the States) typically don’t add sugar or oil to the dough because it’s not necessary since these pizzas are cooked in commercial or wood-burning brick ovens with temperatures reaching up to 800°F/425°C. These pizzas cook much faster which means the science behind the ingredients and how each of them affects the dough as it bakes are very different from that of pizza cooked at lower temperatures for longer in a standard home oven.

However, sugar and oil are ingredients that even world-renowned Italian pizzaioli (plural for pizza chefs) recommend adding to pizza dough when baking them in a home oven where temperatures may only reach between 450°F/232°C and 500°F/288°C. Below is an overview of the ingredients used in this traditional pizza dough and what each of them adds in terms of flavor and texture when baked in a home oven (or toaster oven):

1. Yeast: I use SAF Instant Yeast and Red Star Instant Yeast. These are high-quality yeasts (SAF Instant is what we used in the commercial restaurant kitchen I worked in and is the preferred yeast in commercial kitchens around the world). With instant yeast, you don’t have to bloom it first in warm water (which is a 10-minute time-saver). Instead, it’s added directly to the flour. You’ll need 2 teaspoons (or just 1/4 teaspoon less than one packet of yeast) for this pizza dough.
2. Flour: 00 Italian flour with 11 to 11.5% protein (or in a pinch substitute King Arhur’s unbleached all-purpose flour with 11.7% protein). High-quality flour means a better pizza crust.
3. Water: Use gently heated warm water between 110°F-115°F (43°C-46°C). Yeast will die at temperatures of 130ºF (54°C) or higher so if you don’t have a thermometer, think of the temperature as needing to be just slightly warmer than milk would be for feeding a baby.
4. Salt: Every good pizza dough contains salt because, without it, it won’t taste good. That said, if you need to make a low-sodium pizza you can simply use less salt than this recipe calls for. In fact, I did this for my Mom so I know it’s still delicious! FYI, I’ve used Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt in this recipe.
5. Sugar (sub honey or maple syrup): I’ve added 2 teaspoons of sugar to this pizza dough to help with color without affecting the flavor of the dough at all. As mentioned above, sugar is not an ingredient found in typical pizzeria dough. And while you don’t have to add it (and you can even substitute honey or maple syrup), when cooking a pizza in the home oven, adding sugar helps improve the color of the pizza (see photo comparison below). You don’t need to add a lot of sugar because flour already contains the natural sugars glucose and maltose which also help with coloring.
6. Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Most pizzerias in Italy making traditional pizza don’t use oil in their pizza dough, but for pizza made in the home oven, we add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. And contrary to what most people think, oil isn’t added to pizza dough for extra flavor, but rather to provide the necessary fat for a well-textured dough. In fact, just about any vegetable oil will work if you don’t have EVOO. However, if you’re drizzling oil over the top of the fully assembled pizza just before baking (which I recommend) it does add extra flavor so do not use anything but extra virgin olive oil for this. Drizzle a #6 pattern over the assembled pizza like pizzaioli do.

What is Dough Point and Why It Matters

In Italy, you’ll often hear pizza chefs refer to the “dough point”. So what is it?  The dough point is the time when you decide three things: The elasticity, the softness, and the hydration of the dough. Being able to identify the dough point is important because oftentimes we’re just using a recipe we found online but the pizza turns out different than we’d expected — it may be hard or doesn’t leaven well. If we’re able to determine the dough point instead of solely relying on measurements, we’ll have a much better result even if we follow a recipe exactly and weigh all of the ingredients. The more dough and yeast breads you make, the better you’ll be at determining this.

You’ll know the dough has reached the dough point when after you’ve kneaded it long enough, you start to see that the dough is no longer moist looking. At this point, start feeling the dough and if it’s smooth, silky, soft, has the right elasticity, and is well-hydrated you’ve reached the dough point (see below photos and also watch the video in the recipe card).

Overview: Thin-Crust 00 Pizza Dough in 7 Easy Steps

Here’s an overview of how to make this thin-crust 00 pizza, but you’ll find the full recipe instructions in the recipe card or watch the video that shows how to make it!

• Make the dough: Mix the dough ingredients together by hand or using a stand mixer. Do this in the order described in the recipe card.
• Knead the dough: Knead by hand or with your mixer. I like doing this by hand for 10 to 12 minutes.
• Let the dough rise (1st rise): Place dough into a greased mixing bowl, cover tightly, and set aside to rise for about 90 minutes, or until doubled in size.
• Punch down the dough and form the dough balls: Punch down the dough to remove air bubbles and divide into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a uniform ball, and place them onto a lightly oiled baking pan, then brush them lightly with a little oil, and cover the dough with sustainable cling film, OR place them onto a lightly floured baking pan, dust them with a little more flour and cover them with a clean lint-free kitchen towel.
• Let the dough rise (2nd rise): Allow the covered dough balls to rise for about 30 minutes in a warm environment (like the oven with the light turned on).
• Roll out the pizza dough: Roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured work surface or non-stick baking mat to 1/8 inch thick. Use the rolling pin to transfer it to a piece of parchment paper and place a cutting board or flimsy placemats underneath it for support while you top it.
• Top the pizza and bake the pizza: Top the pizza with your favorite store-bought or homemade pizza sauce, add grated Parmesan, Parmigiano-Reggiano, or Grana Padano, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, add your favorite pizza toppings, and drizzle the pizza with a little extra virgin olive oil. Bake pizza in an oven that has been preheated for at least 30 minutes at 475°F/250°C or at the highest temperature your oven goes for about 8-10 minutes. Bake a few minutes longer if you’re baking pizza at a lower temperature like 450°F/232°C. 

00 Thin-Crust Pizza Step-by-Step Recipe Photos

 

Best Pizza Toppings (With Photos)

Are you looking for the best pizza toppings and can’t decide between vegetarian pizza, meat lovers pizza, or maybe even a supreme pizza? Whether you’re looking for creative pizza toppings or authentic Italian pizza toppings, below are some of our favorites. Mix and match to make your pizza stand out or for a little make-your-own pizza bar inspiration!

A good rule of thumb when topping a pizza is to not add too much sauce or toppings. Add too much sauce and the dough won’t cook like it’s supposed to and it will be soft and maybe even soggy. Add just about 1/4 cup of sauce or crushed fresh peeled whole tomatoes per pizza.

Also, slice any vegetables as thinly as possible and pat them dry to help remove excess moisture (a mandoline is one of my all-time favorite pizza tools to slice pizza toppings super thin like onions, mushrooms, etc.). I know from personal experience it can be really hard to limit toppings when you have so many delicious ingredients to choose from. But if you can refrain from overloading your pizza, I promise you’ll be rewarded with pizza perfection.

• Fior di latte (fresh cow’s milk mozzarella), Mozzarella di Bufula (buffalo mozzarella), burrata cheese, or Ricotta
• Ricotta cheese
• Sun-dried tomatoes or roasted tomatoes in Olive Oil & Herbs
• Black Olives and Green Olives
• Romesco or purple, orange, green, or white cauliflower
  
• Pioppini mushrooms
• Shaved button or cremini mushrooms
• Sliced onions or shallots
• Artichoke hearts in oil
• Zucchini (julienned or shaved ribbons)
• Roasted Red, yellow, or green bell peppers
• Fresh Red, yellow, or green bell peppers
• Fresh basil (add a little before you bake the pizza and just after it comes out)
• Pesto (basil, spinach, or kale varieties)
• Sweet fresh pineapple tidbits
• Abruzzese Ventricina 
• Spicy Italian Salami Piccante 
• Pepperoni slices 
• Sopressa or Sopressata
• Speck di Asiago (it may be added “in cottura” meaning before you bake the pizza, or just after the pizza comes out of the oven)
• Prosciutto di Parma (add it to the pizza just after the pizza comes out of the oven)
• Prosciutto cotto (or Canadian bacon)
• Italian salsiccia (or sweet or hot Italian sausage just cooked through)
• Bacon
• Chashu Pork

FAQ: Should I Add Sugar To Pizza Dough?

Adding Sugar Versus Not Adding Sugar in Pizza Dough: (see photo comparison above). As previously mentioned, when making 00 pizza dough at home you can choose to add the 2 teaspoons of sugar called for in this recipe or omit it altogether. It won’t affect the taste of your baked pizza, but it will affect the color as shown in the above photo comparison (LEFT: 00 pizza dough without sugar and RIGHT: 00 pizza dough with sugar). It’s delicious either way so if you’re not on a low-sugar diet, I recommend adding sugar for extra color. You can also substitute honey or pure maple syrup for the sugar.

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The Best Tools For Making Pizza

Here are my favorite useful tools for making pizza at home:

• Mandoline slicer (for slicing ultra-thin vegetables which cook up faster)
• Pizza stone (Emile Henry is what I’ve used for this post, but a refractory pizza stone would be even better)
• Good pizza pans (as outlined below) especially for making hand-stretched or hand-tossed pizza)
• Pizza peel (or sub parchment paper)
• Rolling pin (for making thin-crust pizza)
• Pizza cutter (for cutting the pizza)
• Ladle or large soup spoon (for spreading out pizza sauce)

Pizza Pro Tip: Best DIY Substitutes for a Pizza Stone or Pizza Peel

If you’re wondering “Can I make homemade pizza without a pizza stone or pizza peel?”, the answer is, yes! In fact, you can make excellent pizza even if you don’t own a pizza stone or peel. Outlined below are my 2 favorite DIY baking stone substitutes and how to use them to get a really crispy and thin pizza crust:

My favorite substitute for a pizza stone is a large 12-inch cast iron skillet. Turn it upside down and place it in the hottest part of your oven (for me this is the oven floor) and preheat it on your oven’s highest setting for at least 30 minutes (or up to 45 minutes to 1 hour) before baking the pizza right on top (in above left photo).

My second favorite substitute for a baking stone is a heavy-duty sheet pan, or the grill pan that comes with your oven. Place the baking pan in the hottest point of your oven (for me, this is the very bottom on the oven floor) and preheat the oven with the baking pan in it on your oven’s highest setting for at least 30 minutes (or up to 45 minutes or 1 hour) before baking the pizza in the pan (in above right photo). 

To use either of these two baking stone substitutes, it’s best to place the rolled-out pizza dough onto a sheet of parchment paper before adding pizza sauce and toppings. Parchment paper is the perfect solution and substitute for a pizza peel when making homemade pizza!  Double up on the parchment paper if needed to ensure the bottom of the pizza dough is fully covered. The parchment paper acts as a substitute for a pizza peel. Place a cutting board or other flat surface under the parchment paper with assembled pizza to support it when you’re ready to transfer it to the oven. Gently, tug at the corner or the edge of the parchment paper to pull the whole parchment sheet (with the pizza still on it), onto the cast iron skillet or gently slide it off onto the preheated baking pan. 

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FAQ: What Are The Best Pizza Pans?

My favorite way to bake thin-crust pizza is directly on a pizza stone. I own a flame-proof Emile Henry stone which allows me to place it directly on my oven floor without it breaking. But be careful of other types of stones that don’t hold up well to super high heat because they can break.

A preheated grill pan or heavy-duty aluminum 1/2 sheet pan also works well for making crispy thin pizza. Blue steel, carbon steel, and cast iron also make excellent pans for baking pizza because of their even heat distribution and ability to retain heat.

If for some reason you don’t want to preheat the pizza pan before baking the pizza, then go ahead and add a little olive oil to the pan before adding the rolled-out pizza dough directly to the pan and assembling the pizza. It will help with browning. You may also sprinkle a little cornmeal on the pan after adding the oil to help prevent the pizza dough from sticking. The crust won’t look like the ones in this post, but it will still be good. 

FAQ: Can You Make Pizza Dough In Advance and Refrigerate it?

You can make pizza dough ahead of time and refrigerate it, and here’s why you should! Making dough 1 to 3 days in advance and refrigerating it allows it to cure through a process known as cold-fermenting giving it superior flavor and texture to a pizza made the same day.

In fact, this is my favorite method for making better-than-average pizza whether I’m hand stretching the dough or rolling out as with this recipe. Not to mention it’s a huge time-saver for quick weeknight meals. Depending on your schedule here are 3 ways to refrigerate homemade pizza dough:

1. Refrigerate the dough just after kneading it and allow it to fully cold ferment (rise slowly in a cold environment) overnight or for up to 3 days. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, portion it into 4 equal dough balls, brush them lightly with oil, cover them, and allow them to rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Then proceed with recipe instructions.
2. Refrigerate the dough just after its first rise (about 1 1/2 hours), and place it covered in the refrigerator overnight and for up to 3 days. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, portion it into 4 equal dough balls, brush them lightly with oil, cover them, and allow them to rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Then proceed with recipe instructions.
3. Refrigerate the dough balls just after their 2nd rise (after about  2 hours), lightly oil the inside of a large freezer bag being sure to cover the entire surface area inside. Place the dough balls an equal distance apart leaving room in between them as they will slightly expand. Squeeze out all the air, seal them, and refrigerate them for up to 3 days. Bring the dough balls to room temperature (see instructions below for how to temper refrigerated pizza dough balls) Then proceed with recipe instructions. *This is my preferred method for making homemade pizza dough!

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FAQ: How Do You Bring Refrigerated Pizza Dough To Room Temperature?

If you’ve refrigerated individual pizza dough rounds, you’ll need to allow them to come up to room temperature before rolling them out, or hand stretching them. When you’re ready to bake the pizzas remove the dough rounds from the refrigerator (keeping them in the sealed and lightly oiled bag), and allow them to come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before rolling out the dough and proceeding with the remaining steps.

FAQ: Can You Freeze Homemade Pizza Dough?

Yes, you can freeze pizza dough, and here’s why you should!  Since it’s not recommended to refrigerate pizza dough past 3 days (at which point the dough begins the process of breaking down), the next logical step is to freeze unused dough instead. In fact, it works so well, I usually double the recipe and freeze half of the dough balls.

To do this, lightly oil the inside of a large freezer bag covering the entire inside surface area. Place the dough balls an equal distance apart leaving room in between them. Squeeze out all the air, seal them, and place pizza dough into the freezer for up to 3 months. There are no negative effects of freezing pizza dough which is why I use this method to meal prep pizza regularly to make quick and easy pizza dinners anytime we’re in the mood.

FAQ: How Do I Thaw Frozen Pizza Dough?

Below are 3 ways to thaw frozen pizza dough:

• The quickest way to thaw pizza dough (as seen in photos above) is to place the bag with frozen pizza dough in it, into a bowl with hot tap water. This is my favorite method for thawing frozen dough rounds. The dough doesn’t need to be fully immersed in the water. After 20 minutes on one side, flip the bag over to let the other side have direct contact with the water and leave for another 20 minutes. After a total of 40 minutes, the dough will be thawed, but still cold or cool. You’ll still need to allow 30 to 45 minutes for the dough to come to room temperature before using. As you can see from the photos, the previously frozen dough cooks up perfectly! Repurpose the water for watering houseplants etc.
• Remove the pizza dough from the freezer and place it into the refrigerator overnight to thaw. About 45 minutes to 1 hour before you want to make the pizza, remove it from the refrigerator (leaving it in its sealed oiled bag) and allow it to come to room temperature before proceeding with the remaining instructions.
• Place frozen pizza in the bag on the counter at room temperature for about 8 hours, or until it’s no longer frozen.

FAQ: What Are The Best Ways to Reheat Leftover Pizza?

There are 4 easy ways to reheat leftover cold pizza:

• Emergency: Place it on a paper towel-lined plate and microwave (not recommended, but sometimes you need pizza fast).
• Oven Broiler Place the pizza in the oven under a preheated broiler for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until warmed through and the cheese is melted.
• Regular Oven: Place pizza on a baking sheet covered loosely with foil and add it to a preheated 375°F/190°C for about 6 to 8 minutes.
• Skillet: Place pizza in a dry skillet and cover with a lid or foil and heat over medium-high heat for about 4 to 6 minutes (cast iron & carbon steel pans are my favorite pans for this).

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Uses for Homemade Pizza Dough

Here are just some of the many uses for this homemade pizza dough:

• Calzone
• Stromboli
• Garlic breadsticks
• Garlic knots
• Homemade ham and cheese hot pockets
• Homemade Pepperoni pizza rolls

 

Looking For More Delicious Pizza Recipes?

Below are a few of our favorite pizza recipes including a regional Italian pizza, no-yeast St. Louis-Style pizza (aka magic pizza) pizza (with whole wheat option), pumpkin focaccia pizza, and naan pizza.

• Whole Wheat Thin Crust Pizza (Better Than Takeout)
• Best Thin-Crust Pizza Dough Recipe (Using Bread Flour)
• Authentic Italian Pizza Fritte (Pizzonte Frittelle Abruzzese)
• Best 20-Minute Thin and Crispy St. Louis-Style Pizza (No-Yeast )
• 20-Minute Quick and Easy Valentine’s Day Heart-Shaped Pizza
• Easy Pumpkin Focaccia Bread (Focaccia alla Zucca)
• Easy 20-Minute Thin & Crispy St. Louis-Style Whole Wheat Pizza
• Fluffy Whole Wheat Naan Bread Pizza

I’d love to hear how this recipe turned out for you!

Did you make this recipe and LOVE it? Please leave a star ⭐️ rating and/or comment below the recipe card to help other readers. I absolutely love hearing from you and do my best to answer all your questions and comments. Plus, I love seeing when you make my recipes, so please tag me @BitingAtTheBits on Instagram and I will repost your beautiful pizza!

 

Let’s get started!

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