How to Make Pizza Dough Less Dense? [Fool-proof Tips] (2024)

Did your last pizza turn out so bad that you felt like chomping down on a brick? It likely happened because your dough was too dense. Believe it or not but it is one of the most common concerns among people learning the ropes of pizza making.

First things first – what causes pizza dough to become dense in the first place?

The answer is excess flour. When you add too much flour to your dough, it can throw off the water-to-flour ratio, resulting in low hydration. Other than that, under/over proofing, over-kneading, and insufficient/dead yeast can also make your pizza dough dense and bready.

In this blog post, you will learnhow to make pizza dough less denseby making a few simple modifications to your recipe. I’ll be talking about everything from the science behind why dough can become dense to practical tips on how to perfect a pizza dough recipe. Let’s get started!

5 Possible Reasons Why Your Pizza Dough Is Dense [And Effective Solutions]

As I briefly mentioned earlier, the addition of excess flour is often the primary reason for dense pizza dough. But there are a few other factors to consider when troubleshooting your dough’s density. Below, I’ll discuss every possible culprit behind a dense dough to help you get to the root of the problem:

You’ve Put Too Much Flour in the Dough

Pizza doughs, sadly, are not much forgiving. Most recipes call for 70% hydration which obviously makes the dough too tacky to work with at first. Throwing in some more flour into the dough might sound like an obvious solution to this, but it’s really not. Here’s why:

Excess flour severely impacts the hydration of the dough, causing it to become dry and dense. To get a proper rise, the dough needs a certain amount of water to create steam. The steam expands the dough and lends softness to it.

If there’s too much flour, the dough becomes heavy, and the steam has nowhere to escape, leading to an unpleasantly tough crust.

Note that using bread flour can cause the same issue. Stick to flour with a protein content between 11-13% for best results! 00 Pizza flour is considered thebest flour for pizzafor this very reason.

Solution:

If you have accidentally added too much flour, you can salvage the dough by incorporating more water or fat into the dough. Start by adding a few drops of olive it, knead it nicely, and see if it works.

If not, add a splash of water and knead again. After around 8-10 minutes of kneading, poke the dough. If it springs up slowly, you’re in the clear!

2. You’ve Overmixed the Dough

Now let’s focus on my ultimate hubris – overworking the dough. As tempting as it may be to keep kneading the dough until it’s perfectly smooth, this can actually be counterproductive.

If you keep kneading the dough like your life depends on it, the gluten structure will eventually become too tight and rigid. An over-kneaded dough is unable to trap air, which eventually leads to that unsavory doughy dough texture.

Now, what if your dough is dense even after your flour-to-water ratio is on point and the dough passes the windowpane test with flying colors?

Solution:

If you are kneading by hand, knead for 10-15 minutes. If the ingredient ratios are correct, the dough will stop being sticky and start to come off the surface easily. On a stand mixer, the same process will require 8-10 minutes or less.

3. The Dough Is Under/Over-proofed

I know, I know proofing dough can be a real pain in the buns. But patience is what makes the dough light and fluffy. Proofing is the process of letting thedough rest and rises, giving the yeast time to do their thing and create those wonderful air pockets. But here’s the catch – proofing can be a Goldilocks situation; it needs to be just right!

If you don’t proof the dough long enough, it’s going to be as dense as my ex’s head. Underproofing doesn’t give the yeast enough time to work their magic and create those gas bubbles, leading to a flat and lifeless crust. You might as well be eating cardboard at that point.

On the other hand, overproofing is like giving your dough too much love and attention, it’s going to get too big for its britches. When thedough over-proofs, the gluten strands become too stretched out and weak, ultimately causing the dough to collapse.

Solution:

The longer the proofing time, the better. If you are following a traditional pizza dough recipe with active dry yeast, give it at least 2-4 hours or until it doubles in size. The dough will rise faster in a warmer environment. After that, put it in the fridge for at least 24 hours. For an even better result, cold ferment the dough for 3-5 days.

4. The Yeast to Flour Ratio is Incorrect

Yeast can be a tricky ingredient to work with. I once made the mistake of adding too much yeast to my pizza dough. Let me tell you; it was a disaster. The dough was rising so fast, I thought it was going to take over the entire kitchen! But when it came out of the oven, the crust was so dense it almost felt like eating a rubber band.

Using too much yeast in your dough can cause it to rise too quickly, meaning the gluten doesn’t have enough time to develop. A rapid-rise dough goes flat too quickly because the yeast starts to release too much gas before the gluten in the flour has enough time to stretch.

Plus, with all that extra yeast, the flavor can become overpowering and unpleasant.

Solution:

The wiser thing to do would be to start with a low amount of yeast (0.5% should be alright to begin with). While less yeast would mean you need to proof it for a longer period, it will aerate your crust and form a light and airy crust with open crumbs. Just how it’s supposed to be!

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to consider the type of yeast you’re using. Rapid-rise yeast, for example, can be a great option if you’re short on time or want to speed up the rising process. Just be sure to adjust the amount you use accordingly. If you’re using fresh yeast, keep in mind that you’ll need more of it than you would dry yeast.

5. The Yeast is Expired or Dead

Make sure to check the expiry date of your yeast before adding it to the flour. Activating the yeast in hot water is also a common mistake that can ruin your dough. The water has to be lukewarm and not hot for the yeast to start doing its thing.

Solution:

If the yeast has been sitting on your shelf for too long, here’s an easy method to check if the yeast is alive and kicking:

Get some lukewarm water and add a pinch of sugar. Think of it as a little treat for your yeast buddies. Then sprinkle in some yeast and give it a good stir. Let it sit for about 10 minutes, and if it’s alive and kicking, you should start to see some bubbles and foam forming on the surface.

If you don’t see any action, your yeast might be a goner. RIP!

Apart from ensuring whether the yeast is alive or not, you also need to make sure to activate it properly. Ideally, the water temp should be between100°–110°Ffor the (active dry) yeast to activate. For Rapid Rise yeast, the range is between 120°–130°F.

Any hotter than that, and they are dead! If you don’t have a thermometer handy, just dip your finger in the water. It should be very slightly warmer than your body temperature.

Why Is My Pizza Dough Tough?

In Conclusion

And that, my friends, ishow to make pizza dough less denseand more fluffy! As you can see, it’s not exactly rocket science! With a few simple tricks like using the right flour, adjusting the yeast, and being gentle with the dough, you can achieve a pizza crust that is so airy it could almost float away.

But if all else fails and your pizza still turns out dense enough to use as a doorstop, fear not! Just invite your friends over and tell them you’re serving a new kind of pizza – the “extra hearty” edition. They’ll never know the difference (wink wink).