Pizza dough for wood fired ovens
Do you love a wood fired pizza? Have you tried making it at home? Awhile back we bought an Ooni Fyra wood burning pizza oven after seeing a blogger friend raving about them. We are so in love and baking up pizza at least weekly now. After a few tweaks to my regular pizza dough recipe, I have perfected this delicious Ooni pizza dough recipe. Crispy, chewy, bubbly and oh so yummy!
This recipe is perfect and easy anytime the weather cooperates for tending your fire outside. In the summer, try my Zucchini Flower Pizza in the Ooni for a fresh seasonal flavor. You can find my simple seasoned pizza sauce recipe on that page too.
For a simple make ahead side dish, Apple Kale Slaw or Rocket and Pear Salad are both good choices and if it's a party, why not mix up some Homemade Margaritas!
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Classic dough balls with everyday ingredients
This classic pizza dough recipe bakes up thin and bubbly in any wood fired pizza oven. It is quick and easy to put together and just needs a little rising time. Once it has risen, divide it into 6-8 and shape into pizza dough balls. Place your dough balls on parchment and cover with a tea towel or more parchment to rest while you prepare your other toppings and fire up your Ooni oven.
My recipe uses easy pantry ingredients. Unbleached all purpose flour, warm water, yeast and salt are all that's required. To speed up my yeast, I add a ½ teaspoon sugar at the beginning but if you have time to let your yeast bloom a bit longer, you can omit the sugar.
Kneading and proofing for a stretchy, chewy, crisp crust
Using a stand mixer with dough hook (I have a Kitchenaid) makes this even easier and less messy. I start my mixer on low to prevent flour flying everywhere, then bump up the speed to medium low for about 10 minutes. Of course you can knead this by hand if you don't have a stand mixer. Kneading helps the pizza dough develop the gluten (a naturally occurring protein), making a lovely stretchy dough with a satisfying chew.
Once your dough has been mixed, you let it rise for awhile. This step lets the yeast break down the flour and creates that bubbly texture we love in pizza dough. It also further develops the gluten.
Divide and tuck into dough balls
After proofing (the pro term for rising) you will decide on the size of your pizza's and divide your dough accordingly (this recipe makes 6-8 individual sized pizzas but you can also make fewer larger pizzas).
Make each chunk into a pizza dough ball by folding the sides down and tucking them together at the bottom. Place the dough ball on lightly floured parchment with the seam sides down and smooth side up. Once they are all placed on the tray, cover loosely with a tea towel or piece of parchment paper to keep from drying out too much.
Our Ooni Fyra
While you can use this recipe in a regular oven set to it's hottest temperature, the pizza dough really sings when you bake it a wood fired oven. The Ooni wood fired pizza oven we chose is the Fyra. It is the smallest and most portable and you can take this easily on a picnic. Don't let it's size fool you though, this oven gets up to 900' F easily and bakes up a family's worth of pizza in no time.
Use a pizza peel
Both for ease of transferring the pizza and because of the heat and speed of cooking, a pizza peel is a must. Using a pizza peel is easier than you might think. Once you've done your first pizza you'll have gotten the hang of it. (If you can't get a pizza peel, use the back of a thin baking sheet or cutting board. A little more awkward but it will work too.)
Place the peel beside your oven and ingredients and lightly dust it with flour so your pizza will slide off easily. Take one of your smooth, beautiful pizza dough balls and stretch it out. Place on the pizza peel and press it gently but firmly until it is quite thin, approximately ¼".
Working quickly, spread your pizza sauce on and add your toppings including cheese and then slide it into your oven. Jerk the pizza peel back fast to let the pizza remain behind in the oven.
Once the pizza has been in a minute or so and is bubbling and browning, we like to slide it part way out and turn it quickly with a fork before sliding back in to finish baking evenly.
Topping your Ooni pizza
Topping ideas are endless so I won't go too far into it here but I will say less is more. Keep your toppings light to let the pizza dough and toppings cook evenly and quickly. One or two toppings is plenty along with a sprinkle of fresh basil or arugula afterward cooking if you like.
I love a classic Margarita pizza and it's usually a crowd pleaser. Simple tomato sauce (like a tomato basil passata or smooth pasta sauce), fresh mozzarella and basil. Truly divine, Margarita pizza is a classic for a reason. My daughter loves a Hawaiian and mushrooms are another top choice for me. I also love thinly sliced courgette/zucchini like this pizza here.
Have fun trying different sauces (alfredo, spicy tomato, pesto....) and different cheeses too. Provolone, taleggio and parmesan are classics but cheddar, blue and goat are great as is a caramelized onion with brie.
Share your favourite or most creative toppings in the comments below! xo Sabrina
Related Recipes
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Recipe
Ooni Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Traditional Yeast
- ½ teaspoon Sugar
- 2 c Warm Water
- 4 c Unbleached All Purpose Flour Plus extra for sprinkling on balls and peel
- 1 ½ teaspoon Salt
Pizza Toppings
- 1 ½ C Passata or tomato basil sauce You can try alfredo, pesto or other sauces too
- Toppings you like: ham, pineapple, pepperoni, mushrooms, peppers, roasted veggies, prosciutto, salami, herbs etc.
- Cheese of your choice: Mozzarella, burrata, provolone, taleggio, goat, feta etc.
Instructions
- Into a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, add yeast, sugar and warm water. (Water should be quite warm but not hot so you don't kill the yeast) Stir and let sit for 10 minutes to get foamy (activate) while you assemble other ingredients.
- In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, mix flour and salt to combine well and then pour into wet ingredients. Stir together or turn on mixer with dough hook to low until it comes into a ball and then knead with mixer or by hand for 10 minutes. Put dough back in bowl if you've kneaded by hand.
- Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap (leave air escape hole) or a clean tea towel and leave dough inside to rise in a warm spot in your kitchen. (On top of the fridge or a warm, draft free corner is perfect.)Let rise 1.5- 3 hours until dough has doubled in size. If your dough gets too big for your bowl, give a quick stir to punch it down and continue to let rise.
- Preheat your Ooni oven for 20-30 minutes (or preheat your oven with a pizza stone to 500' F). I like to put these on parchment paper so I have no mess and they don't stick.
- Punch down your dough and divide into 6-8 equal sized pieces. Shape each piece into a ball by tucking the edges under making the top smooth and place on a tray or sheet of parchment. Let rest 15-20 minutes, then flatten each ball out one at a time, place on well floured pizza peel and add toppings.
- Top with favourite toppings but don't overdo the toppings or it won't cook nice and evenly. Slide your pizza in the oven and jerk the pizza peel back. These cook FAST! Our pizza's cook in about 1.5-3 minutes each so watch them carefully. We like to turn them once using the peel and fork to keep the cooking even . Once it's bubbly and browned to your preference, it's done. Take it out and slide it onto a cooling racks or wooden cutting board to cool a few minutes before slicing.
- *Optional: You can add some fresh basil, arugula, balsamic reduction or other fun condiments as soon as the pizza comes out of the oven too!
Troubleshooting
If your yeast and warm water mixture doesn't get frothy or bubbly within 10 minutes, you likely have old yeast which will not work. Make sure your yeast is active before continuing.
If dough has not doubled by 2-3 hours, you likely need a warmer spot. Try preheating your oven to it's warm setting, then turn it off and put the dough inside for awhile.
Audrey
This is just like a restaurant style pizza! Yum.
Sabrina Currie
Thanks Audrey, that was definitely my goal 🙂
Jere Cassidy
I want this pizza and pizza stove. We love homemade pizza and this would be a dream come true for my hubby.
Sabrina Currie
I highly recommend it, it works so well!
Chef Dennis
This is making my tummy growl!
Toni
That is so amazing!! My family enjoyed it! So fun and delish!
Sabrina Currie
I’m so glad Toni, isn’t it so fun!?!
AmyG
Thanks for sharing, I just bought one and I was happy to get your recipe and tips! My family loved the chewy pizza version.
Sabrina Currie
Awesome Amy! Can’t wait to see what you cook up!
Bernice
Great post! I've been eyeing one of these pizza ovens forever. I think it's something we would use quite often and this pizza dough recipe would come in so handy.
Vanessa
Wood fired pizza is the best! I've been eyeing one of these pizza ovens since it just isn't quite the same in a hot oven.
nancy
oh i love your pizza oven! it's so cute! I wish I had one now and can make my own pizza outdoors!
Terri
Wow would I love to have one of those ovens! But I’m pretty worried about having that much access to pizza😂 This looks incredible!!
Angela
We love making pizza in our outdoor oven. Thanks for the great dough recipe!
Sabrina Currie
Aren’t outdoor ovens the best?! It makes dinner an event. Thank you for the kind words, I’m glad you liked the dough recipe!
Rob
This looks delicious! Can't wait to try it!
Sabrina Currie
Thanks Rob 🙂
Jackie
Can it be prepped the day before and then be refrigerated?
Sabrina Currie
Hi Jackie, yes it can. Keep it covered while refrigerated and then bring it fully to room temperature before using. Good luck and enjoy:-)
Natalie N
Can this be made with gluten free flour?
Sabrina Currie
Hi Natalie, I haven’t tried it with gluten free flour. It definitely won’t have the stretch. Do you have a good gf flour that you’ve tried with bread?
If you try it, let me know how it works out!
Lmartel
Can I freeze the dough?
Sabrina Currie
Hi, yes you can! wrap it well in plastic wrap or resealable bag. When you take it out, keep it in the bag and thaw in the refrigerator. Once thawed, take out and let come to warm room temperature before using. Hope that helps! Cheers 🙂
PS. This can be frozen in a regular household freezer. Freezing in a commercial freezer that gets much colder can possibly kill the yeast so it is not recommended.
Debra
Hi can you us OO flour instead?I am hoping since that is what I have bought. Thank you for the recipe it is the only recipe that I have found that has regular measurements without having to use a scale. (I need that scale lol)
Sabrina Currie
Hi Debra, yes you absolutely can use that flour. Good luck and let me know how you like them!
Erin
I made this Friday night, and it is my favorite Ooni recipe I’ve tried! Thank you!
Sabrina Currie
Wow, thanks Erin! I really appreciate the feedback. We love cooking on the ooni and I’ve been working on more recipes with it too! Ciao and happy pizza eating!
Cassie Jo Murphy
Hi! Do you think I could double this recipe in one batch in a KitchenAid mixer?
Sabrina Currie
Yes, I’ve doubled it myself with good results. You may need extra flour at the end when forming the dough into balls so it doesn’t stick.
Barbara
Can I use Active dry yeast for the traditional yeast you call for? Same measurement?
Sabrina Currie
Hi Barbara,
Yes, you can absolutely use active dry yeast for this recipe. And yes, use the same measurement.
Cheers and happy pizza making!
Kristen
Tried out our Ooni wood fired pizza oven for the first time last night and your pizza dough recipe made spectacular pizzas. The recipe was uncomplicated and came together easily. We all felt like we were back in Italy eating wonderful fresh pizza even though we were sitting in small town Ontario. Love your website.
Deb
This recipe is absolutely a winner and so quick and easy and fun for any special gathering. I got to enjoy it for my granddaughters birthday. Delicious!
Sabrina Currie
Awesome! It’s such a great meal for a party, isn’t it?!
Nick
Tried your recipe with packaged store-bought yeast, and attempted 2 doughs to no avail. Any suggestion. Warm water, used the sugar, and a kitchen aid mixer with dough hook to mix the dry ingredients into the wet. After 10-15 minutes on setting 2 it never turned into a ball. It was just gluey and never firmed up.
Sabrina Currie
Hmm, did you let the yeast start to bubble in the warm water before adding the flour? It needs to activate before mixing and by letting it bubble first, it ensures that it is still live yeast.
Let me know and if it bubbled fine, I try and think of other reasons it may not have worked.
I used the recipe again this weekend myself and it got rave reviews. When using my own recipes I measure accurately every time to check the accuracy and this has been such a solid recipe every time.
Leslie Mereminsky
I used bread machine "instant" yeast. When I saw that the dough appeared to "wet" I added more flour and the dough then seem to come together nicely. The dough is proofing now, but I am confident that by dinner time the dough will have risen as it should.
Sabrina Currie
Great job, dough can be stickier or drier depending on humidity where you are too, so always good to adjust as needed.
Professional bakers often weigh ingredients for more accuracy but I write my recipes for home cooks, most of whom don’t have a food scale.
Hope you have a fantastic pizza party tonight!
Ryan
At what point do you refrigerate the dough for use the next day? Should I shape the dough into individual balls and then refrigerate? Thanks!
Sabrina Currie
Hi Ryan, once the dough proofed (rises the first time), punch it down and put it in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
When ready to use, bring it out and let come to room temperature. Then form it into balls.
You could form balls before refrigerating but they risk drying out that way.
Ryan
Thanks for the quick response. Can’t wait to try.
Sabrina Currie
You’re welcome, enjoy and have fun!
Victoria Wright
Just tried your receipe and its perfect. I love how fast it is to make and really loved the texture.
Sabrina Currie
Thank you so much Victoria!! I love to hear that!
Jeanne Carrillo
I just tried it, when I put it in my kitchenaid it never made a ball? I double checked my measurements???
Sabrina Currie
Hi Jeanne, did you knead for 10 minutes? If you have high humidity and your dough is too wet, you can add a little more flour. If it is low humidity and your dough is too dry, add a tablespoon or two of extra water.
Let your kitchen aid run on low or med-low for a bit longer and it should come together.
Good luck, let me know how it turns out.