When making pizza dough ahead, at what point in the process should I let it rise?
I would like to make pizza dough by hand a few nights before actually baking. Do I knead the dough, let it rise, punch down, cover in oil and saran wrap, and then place in fridge? Or do I knead the dough, cover in oil and saran wrap, and then place in the fridge?
Best Answer
It should be safe to skip the punch down step. In fact, Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François, who literally wrote the book (or at least a book: Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day) on making pizza dough ahead of time, strongly encourage us to never punch down. Actually, if you search their website for the words "punch down," you will find that it only occurs in the following phrase (emphasis theirs):
DO NOT PUNCH DOWN THE DOUGH!
Having said that, it is worth noting that most of the doughs they make are relatively wet, and they usually suggest just mixing and storing everything in a bucket without bothering to oil the dough.
However, in my own experimentation, which has mostly involved doughs that are not quite as wet, I haven't been able to detect a difference in the end product whether I punch the dough down or not, as long as the dough is fully kneeded, regardless of whether or not I portion/oil the dough out for individual pizzas before storing it in the fridge (though portioning it out in advance or not does make a difference for me).
You can also see that our dear friend Alton Brown, who prefers proofing the dough in the fridge (see "Flat is Beautiful," Good Eats Season 3 Ep. 11), also does not suggest punching the dough down before stowing it.
Finally, when in doubt, try it out. Homemade pizza dough is great stuff (and inexpensive); now you have an excuse to make it twice and see what happens.
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Quick Answer about "When making pizza dough ahead, at what point in the process should I let it rise?"
You are going to want to let the dough rise as much as possible before applying oil. (The first scenario) This is so cracks and unoiled patches do not form in the rising process. If this is not possible, apply a little more oil to allow it to cover the increased surface area better, but do not use too much.When should 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. This is great for entertaining.Do you need to let pre made pizza dough rise?
Pizza dough needs at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours to rise, outside of the fridge. Here's an easy trick to allow the dough plenty of time to rise. Set it near a window or wrap it in a kitchen towel and set it on the counter.Is it better to let pizza dough rise in the fridge?
(You can skip this rise in the refrigerator and use the dough right away, but this cool, slow rise makes it easier to stretch and gives the pizza a crisper texture and more nuanced flavor.) To use dough, form each piece into a smooth, firm ball, and place on a flour-dusted or parchment-lined baking sheet.Is it better to let pizza dough rise longer?
Don't let it rise for too long, though. \u201cA few days' rise is fine and will enhance the taste of the crust, but any more than three days and the yeast will start to eat up all the sugar in the dough and convert it into alcohol, which will adversely affect crust flavor,\u201d Schwartz said.How long should pizza dough rise? ⏰
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Answer 2
You are going to want to let the dough rise as much as possible before applying oil. (The first scenario) This is so cracks and unoiled patches do not form in the rising process. If this is not possible, apply a little more oil to allow it to cover the increased surface area better, but do not use too much.
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