Easy Overnight Pizza Dough

If you’re familiar with my recipes then you might know that I love an easy dough/bread made with instant yeast. Why? Well, for starters I’m a lazy baker and instant yeast is accessible and well, instant. Secondly I don’t do sourdough – I’ve never been successful in keeping a starter alive and if a recipe calls for a starter well, then I’m simply not going to make it because I don’t have the means to.

This dough recipe is easy to throw together, has a brief rest then is portioned and sent to bed in the fridge overnight. Take it out a couple of hours before you want to make pizza and voila, excellent dough ready to go.

The Secret to a Light and Chewy Pizza Crust

I wanted to create a dough that wasn’t too hydrated, but developed enough airiness in the crust – and I’m happy to report I think I’ve done just that.

This dough hits the perfect sweet spot: it remains incredibly easy to stretch without tearing, but still develops a wonderful airiness in the crust. The resulting pizza is delightfully chewy with a soft, beautifully puffed-up edge.

You can easily achieve that coveted authentic “leoparding” (those beautiful charred spots on the crust) by allowing for a good final proof at room temperature, being gentle so you don’t knock the trapped air out of the crust during shaping, and cooking it in a properly preheated, roaring hot oven.

Why you’ll love this easy overnight pizza dough

• No sourdough starter or biga required – achieve incredible, pizzeria-style results using standard instant yeast without the fuss of maintaining a starter or prepping a pre-ferment.

• Beautiful leopard crust – when fired at high temperatures, this slow-fermented dough produces that highly sought-after blistered, charred leoparding on the crust.

• Low effort, high reward – just 20 minutes of hands-on preparation, then let the fridge do all the hard work for you.

• Deep, complex flavour – by letting the dough cold ferment overnight, the flour breaks down slowly, building a rich taste and an perfectly airy, chewy texture.

Ingredients you’ll need to make this dough

• Strong bread flour – look for a high-quality pizza or strong bread flour with a protein content of 12g per 100g or more (I highly recommend Mulino Caputo Manitoba Oro). This provides the gluten structure needed for a stretchy dough and a puffed crust.

• Instant dry yeast – just 2 grams is all it takes! Because it undergoes a long, slow fermentation in the fridge, a tiny amount of yeast results in maximum flavour and texture without over-proofing.

• Cold water – keeps the dough temperature down during mixing and kneading, ensuring the yeast doesn’t activate too quickly before its long overnight rest.

• Olive oil – a splash of mild-flavoured extra virgin olive oil adds a touch of suppleness to the dough, making it easier to stretch and giving the crust a lovely texture.

• Salt – essential for tightening the gluten network, enhancing the savoury flavour of the crust, and regulating the yeast activity so it rises perfectly.

How to make this easy overnight pizza dough

1. Combine water, olive oil and yeast

Fit your stand mixer with a dough hook. Add the cold water, mild olive oil, and just 2 grams of instant dry yeast directly into the bowl and give it a quick stir.

2. Add the flour

Tip in your strong bread flour and turn the mixer onto a low speed. Mix until the flour absorbs the liquid, the dough begins to come together, and the sides of the bowl are left completely clean.

3. Incorporate the salt

Add the salt into the bowl and continue to knead with the mixer for a few minutes until it is fully incorporated into the smooth dough.

4. Knead the dough until smooth

Tip the dough out onto your workspace. It will be slightly on the sticky side, so use a bench scraper to help you hand-knead it for about 5 minutes until a smooth, taut dough ball forms. Cover it with a clean tea towel and let it rest for 15 minutes.

5. Portion the dough

Divide the rested dough into 5 uniform balls (roughly 250g each for a larger pizza) or 6 balls (around 210g each). Use the palm of your hand and your bench scraper to roll and tuck them into tight, neat rounds.

6. Cold ferment overnight

Place the portioned dough balls into a lightly oiled, airtight container, leaving enough room for them to expand. Brush the top of each ball with a little more olive oil, seal the lid, and refrigerate overnight for a minimum of 16 hours (and up to 48 hours).

7. Bring to room temperature

Take the container out of the fridge 2 to 3 hours before you plan to make dinner. Let the dough come up to room temperature and undergo its final proof. When you poke it gently with a floured finger, it should spring back slowly.

8. Shape, top and fire!

Gently stretch out your dough ball, leaving the outer crust untouched to preserve the trapped air. Add your favourite toppings and slide it into a preheated pizza oven at 375–400°C (700–750°F). Let the side closest to the flame puff up and leopard for 20–30 seconds, then use a turning peel to rotate it in quarter turns every 10–15 seconds until bubbling and golden.

Tips and tricks and substitutions for this recipe

• No stand mixer? No problem – you can easily mix the flour and liquid together with a wooden spoon. Use a soaking wet hand to squeeze and combine the salt using a firm grabbing motion, hand-knead it directly in the bowl, and then tip it onto the counter to finish kneading.

• Choosing the right flour – for the absolute best results, you should always use a strong bread flour or an Italian Tipo 00 pizza flour with a high protein content (ideally 12% to 14%). High-protein flours create a strong, elastic gluten network that can handle the overnight fermentation and stretch beautifully without tearing, resulting in that classic artisanal texture.

How to freeze pizza dough in advance

This recipe is incredibly freezer-friendly, meaning you can easily batch-prepare your dough weeks in advance for a quick weeknight dinner.

1. Follow the standard instructions all the way through to Step 7 (allowing the dough balls to come to room temperature and fully proof).

2. Once the dough balls are fully proofed, carefully place them onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper or parchment paper.

3. Place the tray into the freezer to flash-freeze for approximately 20–30 minutes until the exterior is firm.

4. Wrap each lightly frozen dough ball loosely in a piece of baking paper (folding it in half around the ball works perfectly).

5. Place the wrapped balls into a secure freezer bag or an airtight container, and pop them back into the freezer. You can store these for up to 3 months.

6. To cook: Take a dough ball out of the freezer and allow it to come back to room temperature on the counter for roughly 1.5 to 2 hours (depending on your local climate) until soft and pliable. Then, proceed directly to shaping and topping at Step 8!

FAQs

What is the finger-poke test for pizza dough?

To know if your dough is perfectly proofed and ready to stretch, press your floured finger gently into the side of a dough ball. If the dough springs back instantly, it is still too cold or under-proofed. If the dent stays completely indented without moving, it is over-proofed. If it springs back slowly and leaves a slight, soft indentation, your dough is at peak perfection and ready to fire!

How long can I leave the dough in the fridge?

While a minimum of 16 hours is recommended for an overnight rest, you can leave this dough in the fridge for up to 72 hours. The longer cold fermentation allows the complex sugars in the flour to break down even further, resulting in an even more flavourful, airier, and beautifully chewy crust.

Why is it only 2 grams of dry yeast?

As this is a slow-fermented overnight dough, a tiny amount of yeast is all you need. If you were to use a whole 7g packet of yeast, the dough would over-proof rapidly in the fridge, and could turn unpleasantly acidic. The lower yeast content is exactly what allows the dough to develop its incredible flavour, chewy texture, and help you achieve that beautiful leoparding!

Why this recipe works

The slow, overnight fermentation develops flavour and creates a lovely airiness in the dough, leading to a light yet chewy crust. Using instant yeast makes it accessible even for beginner bakers, while giving you results similar to a pizzeria at home with minimal hands-on time.

And if you fancy yourself a bit of a baker, why not try my same-day ciabatta style loaf or classic focaccia? 

That’s pretty much it for this easy, overnight pizza dough! If you make it, please tag me on Instagram or Pinterest so I can see!