Overnight Pizza Dough

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This overnight pizza dough recipe is different than others that I have made as it proofs overnight in the fridge. A cold proofed dough is said to have a better flavor, less rise, and is easier to roll thin.

I love making pizza with my children. We do it quite often (these picture are from two different pizza making evenings) and it is one of our favorite Friday night activities. They like to roll out their dough and spoon the sauce over the crust. They sprinkle their cheese on top and make happy faces with their pepperoni. We laugh and chat about our day. It is makes a mess and there is flour everywhere, but I hope that when my babies are adults that they remember our Friday night pizza parties the same way I do. That they were my favorite way to spend a Friday night.

I have to say that I agree, this dough is flavorful and very easy to work with. It makes a thin pizza crust that is crunchy and chewy. The only downside that I can see is that you need to plan ahead and make it the day before. The sauce is a quick, no-cook sauce that is perfect for this pizza.

I have tried to make heart shaped pizzas in the past for Valentine’s Day and never had any luck. They always baked misshapen and not at all heart shaped. I saw the heart shaped pepperoni pizza on One Charming Party and there it was. A solution to my problem. A festive holiday pizza that looks adorable and tastes great. This pizza is perfect for your little Valentines.

Pizza crust and sauce recipe from Cooks Illustrated.

It has come to my attention that I have infringed upon a design patent (US D491338S) for heart shaped pepperoni. Who knew that I could only use my cookie cutter for cookies? Please be warned that if you choose to recreate this pizza and blog about it, that you will get a letter as well. Because didn’t you know that shaped processed meats are intellectual property? Isn’t it a shame that a mom cannot make an adorable Valentine’s Day treat for her children, without violating federal code?

Overnight Pizza Dough Ingredients //

For the dough:

• 3 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon instant or rapid rise yeast
• 1 1/3 cups ice water
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

For the pizza sauce:

• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 freshly ground pepper

To assemble:

• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• pepperoni
• fresh basil

How to Make // The Steps

Step 1: In the bowl of your food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, and yeast.

Step 2: Pour the cold water through the feed tube with the machine running. Process until just combined and my flour remains, about 10 seconds. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Step 3: Add the table salt and the vegetable oil and process until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. It takes about a minute. Pour the dough out and knead it for about 1 minute or until the dough is smooth.

Step 4: Put the dough in a bowl coated with vegetable oil. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 24 hours and up to 3 days.

Step 5: Put everything in the food processor and process until smooth.

Step 6: Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to use.

Step 7: Press your dough out with your fingers. Top with the pizza sauce and the cheese.

Step 8: I just used a small heart shaped cookie cutter to cut the pepperoni into heart shapes.

Step 9: Preheat your oven to 500 degrees for at least one hour. I put the rack as close to the top of the oven as I can and still have room to get the pizza in and out. Slide the pizza onto a pizza stone or a cookie sheet that has been flipped over.

Step 10: Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 1o to 12 minutes. Let the pizza stand for 5 minutes before you cut it.

I hope that you will spend a Friday night like this very soon. Aren’t my boys cute?

Do’s and Dont’s to prepare this recipe //

The most important ingredient of this recipe is yeast. For those who don’t know what yeast is; yeast also known as “sugar fungus” is an essential ingredient in the baking world. It converts the starch into carbon dioxide which results in aerating the dough and ultimately rising the dough. However, the yeast needs to thrive at the best temperature for it to do its job. Using hot or boiling water will kill the yeast and hence it is strongly advised NOT to use hot water. It is best to use cold water or room temperature water.

Pizza Sauce storage instructions //

Since the dough takes up to 24 hours to prepare, you could either prepare the pizza sauce while preparing the dough and store it or after the dough has been prepared and make it fresh. If you do decide to prepare it beforehand, pizza sauce can be stored in an air tight jar in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you do make an excess batch, the pizza sauce can also be frozen and stored for up to 3 months. All you need to do is put it in the fridge for thawing the night before you want to use it.