If you’ve ever tried your hand at making homemade pizzas, then you know how important it is to get the right pizza dough recipe.
You can try out all types of pizza recipes, but if you want something simple yet delicious, there’s no better option than an ooni pizza dough.
What Is The Ooni Pizza Dough Recipe?
The Ooni pizza dough recipe was developed by Chef Adeshina “Ade” Ajayi in his restaurant called The Ooni.
It’s made from scratch with ingredients such as white flour, yeast, water, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
To top off its unique flavors, this pizza dough recipe has been spiced up with fresh herbs like oregano and basil.
It isn’t just any old pizza dough either.
This one is different because of its thickness, crispiness, and chewiness (which makes it easy to eat).
If you’re looking for a great, authentic-style pizza dough recipe, then look no further.
Ingredients for the ooni pizza dough recipe
- 1 cup warm water
- ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 5 cups bread flour
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Basil or Oregano leaves
Making the ooni pizza dough recipe
To start preparing the ooni pizza dough, combine the 1 cup of lukewarm water and ¼ teaspoon of active dry yeast into a large bowl.
Mix well until dissolved completely.
Add 5 cups of the bread flour, ½ teaspoon of sea salt, ⅓ cup of extra virgin olive oil, and ¾ teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning.
Then, mix them altogether using a wooden spoon or spatula.
Next, add the remaining 2 cups of bread flour to the mixture.
Stir vigorously so that the dough comes together.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it sit for about 10 minutes while it rises.
Once the dough begins to double in size, knead it again with both hands until smooth.
You should now be ready to shape the dough into a ball.
Place it on a lightly floured surface and roll it out to form a circle.
Use a rolling pin to stretch it out evenly across the entire area.
Do not worry too much about getting every part equally stretched out.
Just leave some parts thicker than others to give the final product a more rustic appearance.
Once the dough is shaped, transfer it onto an ungreased baking sheet.
Leave it uncovered and allow it to rise again for another 15 minutes.
When the time is up, preheat the oven to 450ºF / 230ºC.
Place the raised dough inside the hot oven and bake it for 8 – 12 minutes depending on whether you prefer thick or thin slices.
After it cools down completely, brush it with olive oil and sprinkle it with freshly chopped basil or oregano leaves.
Now, you have yourself a perfect, authentic-looking pizza!
How Do You Make Ooni Pizza Dough?
Ooni pizza dough is made from flour, water, yeast, salt, oil, and sugar.
The ingredients are mixed together in a bowl until smooth, sticky, and elastic, before being rolled into balls or discs that are placed on baking sheets.
Once baked, these will become the base for your pizza toppings.
Some traditional toppings include tomato sauce, cheese, and basil leaves.
But some people like them with other flavors as well, such as garlic, spinach, and bacon!
In this article, we have outlined everything you need to know about making ooni pizza dough so you can start enjoying fresh-baked pizzas today.
The first step: Preparing the dry ingredients
To begin making your own ooni pizza dough, you first need to prepare the dry ingredients used to make the dough.
These include allspice, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
- 1 tablespoon ground allspice (or 1 teaspoon whole allspice)
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
After preparing the spices, combine them in a small bowl and set aside.
The second step: Mixing the wet ingredients
Next, add the remaining ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
This includes 2 cups of bread flour, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, and 1 cup of lukewarm water.
- 2 cups of bread flour
- 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons of kosher salt
- 1 cup of lukewarm water
Start by adding the liquid ingredients into the bowl.
Then, use a fork to stir until they form a thick paste.
The third step: Adding the eggs
After mixing the wet and dry ingredients thoroughly, it’s time to add the eggs.
First, beat one egg using a whisk or electric beater, followed by another.
Continue beating each additional egg, alternating between the two until all six have been added.
The fourth step: Kneading the dough
Now comes the fun part—kneading the dough.
To knead, simply mix the dough in circular motions with both hands until it becomes soft and pliable.
Once done, let the dough rest under refrigeration for 20 minutes before rolling it out onto a floured surface.
This will allow the gluten proteins to relax and help produce a more tender pizza crust when baked.
What Is The Best Ooni Pizza Dough Recipe?
A good ooni pizza dough recipe will be one that makes sure you have a high-quality product with excellent flavor.
Most people would agree that the taste of this pizza dough is what sets it apart from other varieties, so we are going to focus our attention on that aspect here.
It should also help to keep the cost down because it is so easy to prepare.
- Prepare the yeast according to the instructions on the packet.
- Put the flour in a large mixing bowl or food processor.
- Add salt and water and mix well until you have a smooth paste.
- Add the oil into the mixture slowly while stirring constantly.
- Do not add too much oil, as the dough may become dry after some time.
- Cover the bowl with cling film and leave the dough inside overnight.
- The next day, remove the clingfilm cover and knead the dough gently for about 5 minutes (this step is optional).
- The dough should look like a ball when done.
- Leave the dough to rise again for another hour.
- When ready to cook, heat up the oven to its highest temperature on the convection setting (350 degrees F/180 degrees C) and preheat the baking tray.
- Make sure both trays are clean before using them.
- Divide the dough into two parts by cutting through the middle horizontally.
- Use a sharp knife to cut straight across so as not to tear the dough.
- Place each half onto the prepared baking tray and flatten it slightly with the back of a fork.
- Use more forks to create a cross pattern over each piece of dough.
- Bake in the hot oven for 10 – 15 minutes, depending on thickness.
- The edges should start to turn golden brown and crisp up as they bake.
- Remove the pizza from the tray and let cool completely before serving.
- This pizza dough recipe takes around 30 minutes to complete, including rising and cooking times.
How Do You Make A Perfect Ooni Pizza Dough?
There are two main methods used by chefs when baking pizza dough.
The first method involves using yeast as part of the process, while the second uses sourdough starter instead.
This article will focus on the latter since this is what most people use in their home kitchens.
It also makes more sense because you don’t have to wait too long before eating the dough.
- You’ll need around 1/4 cup flour (1/3 cup + 2 tbsp) and water (180ml)
- Add salt and sugar and mix until combined (about 30 seconds).
- Add the rest of the dry ingredients such as semolina or cornmeal and combine well with a spoon.
- Then add the liquid slowly and mix thoroughly.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for about 10 minutes or until doubled in size.
- If you don’t see any bubbles, keep mixing it every 5-10 minutes.
- Once double in size, knead the dough for about 3 minutes – not too much so that it becomes tough, just enough to give it some elasticity.
- Let it rise again for another hour or so until nearly tripled in size.
- Preheat oven to 450°F / 230C.
- Roll out onto a clean surface and spread the sauce over the top.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes depending on thickness and desired crispiness.
- Remove from the oven once golden brown and leave to cool down completely.
What Ingredients Do You Need For Ooni Pizza Dough?
The best part about ooni pizza dough is that it only requires five main ingredients.
Here are those ingredients:
- 1 cup flour
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- A pinch of sugar
- 1/4 tablespoon yeast
You may also add some olive oil or vegetable shortening to the mix, but this isn’t necessary.
The more fat in the dough, the thicker it will be, so choose wisely.
As with most other pizza dough recipes, you could use any type of flour you like.
But we recommend using bread flour because it has less protein content compared to regular white flour.
This means that you don’t have to worry as much about overworking the dough when kneading it (unless you really want to).
What Is The Secret To The Perfect Ooni Pizza Dough?
Ooni pizza dough is made from scratch with just 4 basic ingredients: flour, water, yeast, and salt.
It doesn’t require any special equipment or fancy kitchen utensils, so anyone who has access to those things can make their own pizza dough.
The best part about this type of pizza dough is that it comes together quickly as long as you follow these steps:
- Mixing the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
- Covering the bowl with plastic wrap and leaving it in a warm place until it doubles its volume.
- Kneading the risen dough.
- Rolling out the dough into a circle on a floured surface.
- Baking the rolled-out dough in a hot oven (400 F / 200 C) for 10 minutes.
Why Do We Need Pizza Dough Recipe Instructions?
As we mentioned earlier, ooni pizza dough does not have many tools required to make it.
However, some people still prefer instructions when they are working with food because it helps them understand what needs to be done next before moving forward.
We should note here that you don’t actually need to read through all the instructions listed above since most of them are only used once during the whole process.
The last step, however, requires you to roll out the dough which may take more time depending on how thick the finished product will be.
That said, having written instructions would help everyone out by minimizing confusion and mistakes.
How Do You Store Ooni Pizza Dough?
Unlike other pizza dough recipes, which are usually made using yeast or baking powder as the main ingredient, ooni pizza dough uses flour instead.
The result is a very light, airy, and fluffy pizza dough that is also easy on the stomach because it contains less fat compared with other pizza dough recipes.
Since it doesn’t contain any yeast or baking powder, once you make this pizza dough, you will have to keep it in the fridge until it is used up.
This helps prevent the formation of yeasty flavors during storage.
You should take care not to over-handle the dough when storing it.
If you handle the dough too much, you risk tearing it apart, which means you will end up having to start from scratch again.
Ooni pizza dough has a shelf life of about four days after it is baked.
However, since it is already frozen before being stored in the freezer, you don’t need to worry about spoiling it like most fresh food items would.
How to freeze ooni pizza dough
- Divide into portions according to what size of pies you plan to bake (e.g., 1/4 cup).
- Once divided, place each portion in its own bag or container.
- Label them clearly so you won’t be confused later on.
- Place these containers in the freezer.
- When you are ready to use the ooni pizza dough, remove one piece at a time and let it thaw completely.
How Long Does Ooni Pizza Dough Last?
You can make up to 5 batches with this recipe using 1 cup (250 mL) of flour each time.
So, depending on how much you plan on baking or what kind of toppings you are going to add, you will need enough dough to make about 15 to 20 pizzas.
This means that you should be able to bake as many pizzas as you have people over in one sitting! Or maybe even more if you decide to double or triple the recipe.
When you use this type of pizza dough, you don’t have to worry too much about storing any leftover dough because you can just keep it in the fridge as long as you would like.
However, it is best to let any unused dough sit out for 24 hours after its first batch has been baked before using it again.
Can You Freeze Ooni Pizza Dough?
Ooni pizza dough is one of those ingredients that just makes sense in terms of freezing.
It has very few ingredients, so freezing isn’t really going to be much of a hassle.
The only thing you have to worry about when freezing this particular pizza dough is whether or not the texture will go bad after being frozen.
To keep things fresh, we recommend keeping our ooni pizza dough in the fridge until ready to use.
This way, you won’t have to spend time thawing it before using it.
If you do choose to freeze it though, make sure to leave plenty of room on your shelf as the dough can expand significantly when heated up.
The best part about freezing ooni pizza dough
One of the biggest benefits of freezing ooni pizza dough is its versatility.
Since it doesn’t require any special equipment, you can take your freezer with you anywhere you need to go without having to worry about carrying around extra supplies.
That means that you don’t even need to buy new tools for cooking whenever you travel either!
You can also easily scale down the size of your ooni pizza dough by simply dividing the amount of flour needed into smaller portions.
For example, if you had four cups of flour but only wanted half-sized pies, then you could divide each cup by two and end up with two “half cups” of flour.
All of these little tricks come in handy when trying to cut costs while still enjoying a great meal.
What Are Some Tips For Making The Perfect Ooni Pizza Dough?
We have two options when it comes to choosing the best pizza dough recipe – either we make our own or we use store-bought pizza dough.
If you already have some time on your hands, I highly recommend trying out this ooni pizza dough recipe.
It is by far one of the easiest ways to create the ultimate pizza base without having to spend too much money.
- The first step in creating the perfect ooni pizza dough involves mixing together the flour with water until it becomes smooth.
- Once the mixture has been mixed well, add yeast into it.
- The next step is to knead the dough so that the gluten strands will develop.
- This will ensure that the pizza will be light and airy (and not heavy) once cooked.
- Once the dough is ready, transfer it onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Let the dough rise for about 30 minutes before using it to make pizza bases.
- After rising, cut the pizza dough into small pieces and form them into balls.
- Place these balls on a flat surface and let them rest for another 15 minutes.
- This resting period allows the dough to absorb more moisture, resulting in a lighter and fluffier base.
- When you’re ready to cook your pizza, preheat your oven to 500° F / 260° C.
- Take each ball of dough and place it directly over the flame burner.
- As soon as the dough starts getting hot, press down its center with your fingers so that it forms a hole.
- This creates steam which makes the dough puff up.
- Next, take a sharp knife and slice through the middle of the flattened piece of dough.
- This should reveal a hollowed out space inside the dough.
- Using tongs, carefully lift the pizza off the pan and put it on top of a prepared pan.
- Let the pizza bake for 4 to 5 minutes and then remove it from the oven.
- Now that the pizza is baked, brush it lightly with olive oil and sprinkle it with salt.
- Repeat this process for every other pizza dough ball you made.
Equipment
- mixer
Ingredients
- 12.8 oz cold water 364g
- 4 tsp salt 18g
- 20 g fresh yeast or 9.2g active dried yeast, or 7g instant dried yeast *amend yeast quantities depending on proving time.
- 21.4 oz “00” flour 607g, , plus extra for dusting
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine two-thirds of the water. Bring the remaining third of the water to a boil in a saucepan or microwave, then add it to the cold water in the bowl. This produces the ideal temperature for yeast activation. Incorporate the salt and yeast into the warm water.
- Fit the dough hook to the mixer and place the flour in the mixer bowl. Turn the machine on low and slowly add the yeast mixture to the flour. Once combined, continue to mix the dough at the same speed for 5-10 minutes, or until the dough is firm and stretchy. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place to rise for about 2 hours.
- When the dough has roughly doubled in size, cut it into three or four equal pieces, depending on the size of your pizzas (either 12 inches or 16 inches wide). Place each piece of dough in its own bowl or tray, cover with cling film, and leave to rise for 30 – 60 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- Begin with a perfectly rounded ball of pizza dough to ensure that the shape of the pizza base remains circular during the stretching process. Place the ball on a lightly floured surface, flour your hands, and press the dough into a small, flat disc with your fingertips. Working from the center, spread your fingers and push the dough outwards to make a slightly larger disc. Pick up the pizza dough and gently pinch it all the way around the edge, allowing gravity to pull it down into a circle. Because Neapolitan-style pizza bases are so thin, you should be able to see through them when held up to the light. You don’t want it to tear while you’re doing this.
- After the pizza dough has been stretched completely, lightly flour your pizza peel and place the base on it. If there are any small holes in the dough at this point, gently pinch them back together. Once you’re satisfied with the base, add your toppings and bake in your Ooni pizza oven according to the recipe.
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My blog is all about creating delicious meals with ingredients that are easy to find in your local grocery store. I’m passionate about making yummy meals that I can share with my friends and family.