Got a pizza oven and want to fire it up? Try this Ooni pizza dough recipe, which works with any type of outdoor pizza oven! This dough makes the perfect supple crust that’s ideal for firing at high temperatures. It comes out light and chewy on the inside and charred on the outside, with the perfect hydration ratio for cooking at high heat. Here’s how to do it! Jump to the recipe below, or review our best practices first.
What makes the best Ooni pizza dough?
The best pizza you can make at home? Pizza in an outdoor pizza oven. Luckily, there are many great pizza ovens on the market these days. We own and have extensive experience with both the Ooni pizza oven and the ROCCBOX: and this recipe works perfectly with both! Here’s what we’ve learned in our research about what makes the best Ooni pizza dough recipe:
Use a dough with 62% hydration for hot temperatures. This gets a little nerdy, but the recipe below has a slightly lower hydration than our standard pizza dough recipe. Hydration is the ratio of water to flour in a dough. Lower hydration dough works better in the high temperatures of a pizza oven, and it’s a bit easer to work with (not as sticky). If possible, use Tipo 00 flour. Tipo 00 flour is the type of Italian flour that Neapolitan pizza restaurants use. It makes a supple and fluffy dough that’s a notch above regular all purpose flour. It’s becoming easy to find at your local grocery or online. Substitute all purpose flour if it’s all you have, but it’s worth seeking out the good stuff.
Tips for how to make Ooni pizza dough
This Ooni pizza dough recipe is straightforward, but it does take some practice. Here’s what to expect in the dough making process:
Measure using a food scale. Use a food scale for your measurements if you can. Measuring by weight is more accurate and accounts for environmental changes. Knead the dough by hand or using a stand mixer. You can do either! A stand mixer is totally hands off, but you can get your hands dirty, too. In both cases, it takes just 8 minutes. Rest the dough for 45 minutes. This is also called “proofing” and lets the dough rise, allowing it get to the perfect fluffy texture. Or, make the dough up to 3 days in advance. The flavor actually gets better over time! For best results refrigerate the dough for 2 to 3 days, which imparts a nuanced, nutty undertone.
How to stretch the dough
Stretching the dough is the trickiest part of the Ooni pizza dough process (outside of cooking it, of course!). You’ll need to stretch it into an 11-inch circle.
Dust the pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina flour. This helps the dough to slide right onto the stone. We prefer semolina flour. First pat the dough into a circle. Place it on a lightly floured surface and gently press it into a circle, flipping several times and adding a pinch of flour if it is too sticky. Gently stretch the dough over your knuckles. Once you have about an 8-inch circle, pick up the dough and gently drape it over the knuckles on both of your hands. Slowly rotate it around, allowing gravity to stretch it into a circle about 11 inches in diameter. If the dough starts to resist stretching, put it down and allow it to rest for a few minutes, at which point it will stretch more easily. Watch this video for best results! Go to How to Stretch Pizza Dough.
Pizza peel side note
Alex has been making Ooni pizza dough for years and has a slightly different method for the pizza peel. He noticed that cornmeal or semolina on the bottom can tend to burn slightly in a pizza oven. So he prepares and tops the pizza dough first on our conveyor Super Pizza Peel (so he can avoid using semolina). Then he uses the conveyor to place the dough onto the stainless steel pizza peel that comes with the oven. It’s a bit of a workaround, but it’s our best practice! You can still use cornmeal and semolina with great results. Another tip: we like using this ROCCBOX turning peel to rotate the pizza while it cooks in the oven, which is very helpful. You can use the nonstick peel for transfer (which comes with the oven).
Our favorite pizza ovens
Here at A Couple Cooks, we’re a bit pizza oven obsessed. We’ve owned an Ooni pizza oven for several years, and just added a ROCCBOX to the family. Here’s our two cents on the best pizza oven after years of experience:
Open-front propane ovens are best for easy cooking. We recommend this Ooni Koda 12 or the ROCCBOX. This type is a definite upgrade from our previous wood fired Ooni, which was delicious but definitely more finicky in the cooking process. Ooni and ROCCBOX are comparable. We decided on the ROCCBOX for extra insulation and our personal preference of dough cooking, but both are comparable. Try the Ooni Koda 16 if you prefer a larger pizza.
Pizza recipes for outdoor ovens
What’s the best Ooni pizza recipe? Honestly, a great Margherita with tangy tomatoes and gooey cheese really can’t be beat. Here are a few of our top ideas for pizza recipes to make in an Ooni pizza oven:
Go classic with Perfect Homemade Margherita Pizza Try a Goat Cheese Pizza or Pesto Pizza Opt for a White Pizza or Greek Pizza with Feta Go big with Truffle Pizza or Mushroom Pizza with Fresh Herbs Try fresh Veggie & Avocado Pizza or Healthy Pizza
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