What To Do With Failed Pizza Dough [3 Easy Fixes] (2024)

One universal truth about pizza dough is that it must be allowed to rise before being used.

Managing unrisen pizza dough sounds like a nightmare. To put it mildly, it was a dull, bland disaster. There can be several causes if your pizza dough isn't rising properly.

Yeast problems are the norm. One of four things probably went wrong: either the yeast was stale, you didn't use enough of it, the water was too hot or cold, or you didn't "activate" it by kneading.

It could be as simple as not waiting long enough or getting up when it's too cold. Before we start discussing about the fixes don’t miss the real taste of Neapolitan pizzas from Pizza Bien.

What To Do With Failed Pizza Dough: 3 Ways To Fix

We discovered that the yeast, the temperature, and the method of kneading all play a role in why some pizza dough fails to rise. You can fix many of these issues with simple workarounds.

Add More Active Yeast

Make careful use of right amount of active yeast. Try adding a teaspoon of yeast to a cup of warm water and see what happens.

After 10 minutes, the mixture should have a foam layer of at least 1 inch. You'll know the yeast is bad and has to be replaced if this doesn't occur. To ensure the dough has enough yeast to rise, it is necessary to knead in the yeast after it has been proofed.

However, you shouldn't add the yeast mixture to the dough until later. Alternatively, make a small batch of water and flour, add the yeast, and then add this to the flat dough. Knead the dough for 10 to 15 minutes or until it is smooth and firm. The dough should rise within an hour if you put it in a warm environment.

Give a Good Knead

You may be under-kneading if your pizza dough is always falling flat. It's possible that additional kneading will cause the dough to rise.

Pizza dough needs to be kneaded for at least 10 minutes and as long as 20. A proper kneading technique is also essential for creating a dough that can rise properly by trapping air.

Warm Temperature Will Do The Wonder

To grow, yeast needs a warm, moist environment. In most cases, the dough's volume can be increased simply by putting it on the counter at room temperature. If the dough is still unrisen after this, you may need to raise the oven temperature to help the yeast go to work. Putting something in the oven is an excellent first step.

Wrap the pizza dough and put it on the middle oven rack. Put a cup of boiling water on this rack and shut the oven off. This will generate heat and serve as a makeshift oven without actually baking the dough. If the yeast was active and the dough worked properly, it should start to rise now.

3 Reasons Why Pizza Dough is Not Rising

There are some potential causes for your pizza dough to remain unrisen. If your pizza dough doesn't rise, you can figure out why and correct the problem before cooking more pizzas.

It's All About the Yeast

Expired Yeast

If your yeast isn't working correctly, your dough won't rise. Make sure the yeast you're using is still active. The lifespan of fresh yeast is only approximately three weeks. Although you can store dry yeast for up to a year, it loses some effectiveness.

Better results can be expected when using fresh yeast or yeast no more than a few days old. As a rule of thumb, the longer you wait to use yeast, the less likely your pizza dough is to rise.

The yeast is Not Working Anymore

Hot water, second only to time, is the most effective way to destroy yeast. Mistakenly activating yeast with boiling water is a typical one among amateur bakers.

Warm weather is chosen because of its positive effect on the dough's rising time. Yeast fungus, however, is a live creature that will perish if subjected to high temperatures. Lukewarm water or room temperature water around 68 degrees Fahrenheit is excellent to get your dough to the ideal rising temperature.

You Need More Yeast

A lack of yeast is another common reason pizza dough doesn't rise. The temperature you live in and the length you allow the dough to proof will determine how much yeast you will need to make your dough rise.

When the temperature is high enough, yeast can multiply much more quickly. For example, a baker in a cooler climate may need more yeast in their recipe to get the dough to rise successfully than one in a warmer one.

Dough Temperature

The dough's temperature has a significant impact on the yeast's activity. Generally speaking, things move more quickly at higher temperatures and much more slowly at lower temperatures. The dough's temperature will be affected by two factors: the temperature of the components used, especially the water, and the ambient temperature.

As was already indicated, the ideal water temperature for the recipe is between 95 and 35 degrees Fahrenheit. To achieve a typical dough rise, the room temperature should be around 70F/21C. Expect a lengthier wait to rise if your room is colder than this.

Some preparations call for the dough to be placed in a warm area before use for proofing. It's possible, but no reason. Rising the dough allows for additional flavor and texture development during fermentation. The pizza suffers when the cooking process is sped up.

A probe thermometer, if available, will allow for the most precise measurement of the dough's temperature. If you mix with water at 95F/35C, you should have a temperature of roughly 80F/27C.

Kneading goes wrong

It takes skill to knead the dough. You can knead your dough for as long as 20 minutes to provide the best results.

What, therefore, is the significance of kneading? The gluten protein in wheat flour is at the heart of the problem. Gluten's structural properties are enhanced when wet, among other uses. Gluten builds a framework of walls as you knead. As the dough is worked, the gluten networks expand, and the dough begins to form.

The network of walls also captures carbon dioxide gas released by the yeast as it ferments the carbohydrates in the flour. Because of the entrapped air, the dough will rise significantly. A lack of gluten development in the dough prevents the CO2 from being able to escape and causes the dough to fail to rise.

Because of this, it is essential to knead the dough well before using it. Mastering the art of kneading will allow you to consistently produce a dough that will rise into a crisp, flavorful crust for your pizzas.

Finally

Never fear if your pizza dough isn't rising. Perhaps you accidentally destroyed your yeast, or it simply died. Fix it with some fresh yeast while the dough is still warm.

You must knead the dough for at least 15 minutes, and you must knead it well. How about dealing with unrisen pizza dough? When you finally got it working, what did you do? Please leave us your comments on your experiences.Pizza Bien's real Italian pizzas from Italy are handmade with all-natural high quality and fresh ingredients in Naples, Italy delivered to you, anywhere in the U.S. Free Shipping Nationwide. Click Here to Buy Now!