Pizza Dough for Outdoor Pizza Oven
Adapted from Serious Eats on March 2, 2026
Prep:
5 minutes
Inactive:
24 hours, 5 minutes
Total:
24 hours, 10 minutes
Ingredients
Serves/makes 4
Instructions
1.
Combine flour and yeast in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 3 to 4 times until well-combined. With machine running, add water and continue to process until mixture forms rough ball and no dry flour remains, 10 to 20 seconds. Allow to rest for 20 minutes.
2.
Add salt to top of dough and process until a mostly smooth ball of dough forms, 20 to 30 seconds. Dough temperature should register 75°F (24°C) on an instant-read thermometer when mixing is complete. If not, continue to mix in 10 second intervals until it reaches the desired dough temperature. Transfer dough ball to a lightly oiled medium bowl and knead once or twice by hand until smooth ball is formed. Cover bowl and let dough sit for 45 minutes.
3.
Using lightly-moistened hands, knead dough in bowl until uniform in texture, 5 to 10 seconds. Cover and let sit at room temperature until puffy and not quite doubled in volume, 60 to 120 minutes.
4.
Transfer dough to a lightly floured countertop and divide into four pieces of about 225g (8 ounces) each for 12-inch ovens, or three pieces of about 300g (10.5 ounces) each for 16-inch ovens. Form each portion into a smooth, round ball. Coat exterior of dough ball lightly with oil and place each in a 4- to 7-inch round, lidded plastic takeout container, or on a lightly-oiled tray, spaced at least 2 inches apart, covered loosely but completely. Refrigerate dough for at least 24 hours or up to 4 days (48 to 72 hours is ideal).
5.
On the day you plan to bake pizzas, remove dough balls from refrigerator and allow to warm up, covered, 1 to 2 hours before baking. Exact timing depends upon ambient temperature; dough should reach at least 60°F (15.5°C) before stretching and baking.
Related
Misc.
Notes
For best results, use a digital scale set in grams to measure ingredients. For the yeast, using a jeweler's scale will give you the most precise measurement possible.
If King Arthur all-purpose flour is unavailable, bread flour may be used in its place.
Once you are comfortable working with this dough, you can try increasing the hydration. I really like this dough at 70% hydration, but it's slightly more difficult to work with, and inexperienced pizza-makers may find that it's more prone to tearing during stretching. To increase the hydration to 70%, use 375g (13.2 ounces) of water in step 1 (an additional 25g).
The pizza dough needs to be made at least 24 hours ahead of baking. It can be refrigerated for up to 4 days, but 2 to 3 days is ideal. Or, for long-term storage, freeze the dough balls once fully fermented.