How long can you let pizza dough rise? (2024)

FAQs

How long can you let pizza dough rise? ›

Once you've made your pizza dough, you can place it in the fridge and let it rise overnight for up to 24 hours. Take it out of the fridge 20-30 minutes before you intend on using it to let it come to room temperature. This way, you can make your pizza dough the day before.

You can refrigerate the dough after almost any step, but after the first rise (or a little before) works best. Store it, covered, in the refrigerator for 1-3* days.

“If the dough has risen too long, it's going to feel fragile and might even collapse as you poke it,” says Maggie. If this is the case, there's a chance you can save your dough by giving it a quick re-shape. Learn more about this fix in our blog on saving overproofed dough.

The general rule is to let pizza dough rise until it has doubled in size, which could take anywhere between 1-1.5 hours. This will give the yeast time to activate and create a light, airy texture in the crust. However, I personally prefer cold-fermenting the dough for 48 hours for extra flavor.

Place on counter and let sit 12-24 hours at room temperature. It will double in size and you may see bubbles forming on the surface. Place bulk dough into fridge for 1-2 days.

Step 1: Perform the fingertip test to make sure your dough is over-proofed. The test involves gently pressing your finger into the surface of the dough for 2 seconds and then seeing how quickly it springs back. The dent you make will be permanent if the dough is over-proofed.

With pizza fermentation, you can create a pizza dough with the ideal texture and flavor with minimal effort. By double fermenting pizza dough, you are allowing it to rest twice. This process helps the yeast react better with the other ingredients in the dough and helps it rise correctly.

How long does proofing pizza dough take? The minimum amount of required proofing time is 24 hours. A 48-hour proof is a better option, and a 72-hour proof is ideal.

Overproofed is when the dough has rested too long and the yeast has continued making carbon dioxide while the strength of the dough (gluten bonds) have begun to wear out. The dough will look very puffy, but when you touch it or move it you may notice it deflate or sag.

Feel: Bread dough that has successfully risen/proofed will spring back slowly when poked and leave an indent. If it snaps back too quickly, it needs more time.

Can you let pizza dough rise for 12 hours? ›

Once you've made your pizza dough, you can place it in the fridge and let it rise overnight for up to 24 hours. Take it out of the fridge 20-30 minutes before you intend on using it to let it come to room temperature.

Rise: Transfer dough to a greased bowl and cover with a dry towel or greased plastic wrap. Allow to rise for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until it has about doubled in volume. Roll out: Gently punch the dough down and place on a lightly greased or floured counter top.

If your pizza dough is quickly snapping back or difficult to stretch, your dough is too tight. Cover your dough with plastic wrap and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. After a bit of rest, the gluten in the dough will relax, making the process of stretching much easier.

If you are planning to use your pizza dough soon, you can store it at room temperature for about four hours. Any longer than that and you will want to keep it in the fridge to avoid over-fermentation.

Yes! If a recipe calls for proofing bread dough overnight in the refrigerator, it can be proofed on the counter at a warmer temperature for a shorter period. Rather than placing the dough in the refrigerator overnight, leave it covered on the counter for 1 to 4 hours until it's ready to bake.

Dough that is over-fermented will start to spread once scored and look bubbly/weak. You'll notice it falling in a bit or a lot. Notice how the whole loaf is collapsing. If you notice your dough is over-fermented be sure to score very shallow and use a minimum of scoring slashes.

Like other perishable foods, pizza that has been at room temperature—or anywhere in the 40°F to 140°F danger zone— for more than two hours should not be consumed, confirms Meredith Carothers, a food safety specialist with the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service.

Each dough ball will make a 10-inch diameter pizza. If you'd like to refrigerate the dough, wrap dough pieces individually in resealable zipper bags and refrigerate for several hours or, for best results, overnight; you can also freeze it for future use.