Does Pizza Dough Need To Be At Room Temperature?

Last updated on July 20th, 2022 at 09:11 am

Pizza for dinner is always a fun night. Typically, when you think of pizza for dinner, you think of delivery. What if it didn’t have to be delivered and you made it yourself? You’d be able to create any type of pizza you wanted! 

If you are not a fan of the red sauce, you can create your own sauce to use on the pizza. If you love cheese, you can add all kinds of cheese to your pizza to make it the ultimate cheese pizza. If you never feel like you get enough meat when you order delivery, you can add all the meat you want at home! 

The toppings part of pizza at home is easy, it’s the doughy crust part that is a bit more complicated. You have the option of buying pizza dough already baked and ready to go, or you can experience the whole baking process and make the dough. 

Whether you buy or make the dough, at some point in the process it will be refrigerated. Are you able to take the dough straight from the fridge and use it or does it need to be at room temperature first? 

Pizza dough will need to be at room temperature before you start rolling it out. The pizza dough should be between 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything lower than 65 degrees and the pizza dough won’t stretch properly. The gluten that is in the dough will keep “resetting” to its original shape if not at the proper temperature. 

So if the pizza dough has been in the fridge for a while you will want to set it out for a little while and allow it to warm up. That will let it stretch and be molded in your pizza pan much more easily. 

How Long Should You Leave Pizza Dough Out Before Rolling? 

Making pizza at home can either turn out to be very stressful or a fun time baking with the family. If the pizza dough is not cooperating the way it should, it can turn from fun to frustrating rather quickly. 

One of the reasons the dough may be difficult to work with is that it’s a little too cool. The pizza dough should be around 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything less than 65 degrees and your dough will not cooperate well. 

How long should you leave your dough out of the fridge to reach the desired temperature? 

The pizza dough should be out of the fridge for no less than a half-hour before rolling. The normal temperature for a fridge is 40 degrees Fahrenheit. This means that the dough needs to rise in temperature, no less than 25 degrees. Around a half-hour to an hour is a good time frame to let your dough come to room temperature. 

Be sure to not let it sit out for more than two hours or it may start to go bad. 

Do You Cook Pizza Dough Before Adding Toppings? 

Now that you have let your dough sit out and reach room temperature, you are ready to roll out the crust. After you roll it out, do you start putting the toppings on right away? Do you need to bake the dough completely first before adding the sauce and other toppings? 

You should bake the pizza dough for about five to six minutes before you add the toppings. After you have baked the dough for a few minutes, you can then add your toppings. This allows the dough to become crisp on the outside but stay soft and doughy on the inside. 

The majority of the toppings you are adding to the pizza won’t take as long to cook as the dough. You will end up burning cheese, drying out meats and veggies, and have a very doughy crust if you add toppings right after rolling out the dough. 

How Long Will Pizza Dough Last In The Fridge? 

After you have rolled out the dough for everyone’s personal pizza, you realize you still have quite a bit of dough leftover. You can use that dough and make some breadsticks along with the pizza. But if you still have quite a bit leftover, does it have to be thrown away or can you save it to make something else another day? 

Could you make a batch of pizza dough for meal prep and save it in the fridge until you are ready to make it? 

Pizza dough will last in the fridge for about two weeks. Place the dough into a bowl and cover the opening of the bowl with plastic wrap before placing the lid on. This acts as an extra barrier of protection from air or moisture. 

You can also freeze the dough as well using the same method. The dough will last in the freezer for almost a month. 

How Do You Roll Out Pizza Dough Without A Rolling Pin?

We have all seen, in either TV or real life, pizza dough being tossed in the air and shaped into a perfect circle. As cool as it may look, it takes lots of practice to get to that level of pizza dough shaping. If you tried it home, you could end up with a big mess of dough on your floors, walls, or even ceilings. 

Since we’ve ruled out throwing a pizza in the air as a shaping method, the next option is a rolling pin. But what if you don’t have one? Are there any other methods that you can use to roll out your pizza dough into the perfect shape? 

There are a few different methods you can use to “roll” out your dough for pizza without a rolling pin. 

Cup Method

Though you may not have a rolling pin, you will likely have a cup in your house. You can use a smooth cup to help roll out the dough. 

The cup is smooth and cylindrical much like the rolling pin. Instead of going out and purchasing a rolling pin, you can use some of the cups in the cupboard. 

Pie Method

We’ve all heard of pizza referred to as a pizza pie, so why not shape the dough like you would shape pie crust? You can use a pot, pan, cookie sheet, etc. to help roll out the dough. Just place the ball of dough in the pan, press out the dough until it fills the pan, carefully remove the dough, and place it in the oven on a baking sheet. 

You can also use a pizza pan to press out the dough, but be sure to use a cooking spray before pressing so the dough won’t stick to the pan. 

Hand Method

This method is simple. Flatten the dough into a small circle with your hands. Once you have the small circle, place one hand on top of the dough. You will then use your other hand to grab the edge of the dough and flip it onto your hand. You’ll have one hand, palm up, with all the dough in it. 

The dough will slowly start to stretch. You will place the pizza dough back on the counter and repeat the process until you have the desired size of the pizza. 

Final Thoughts

Baking pizza at home is a great way to express your food creativity. While adding the toppings may be easy, the dough might be tricky. 

The dough will need to be at room temperature before you start rolling it out; this will help you have a nice crisp pizza crust under all the delicious toppings.