Overnight Pizza Dough

Ever since I made overnight artisan bread, I've been intrigued by overnight bread dough and was so excited my friend and neighbor, Jeanne, was teaching a class on how to make overnight pizza dough.

Once I tried her overnight pizza dough I decided I may never go back to any other kind!
It is so soft and basically melts in your mouth. I halved the recipe, but you can easily double it so it yields 2 sheet pans or 8 personal pizzas.

While it does take a bit of babysitting, it is mostly hands-off and it is so worth it. And yes, the type of flour makes a HUGE difference. Bread flour contains more gluten, which means your dough will be fluffier and chewier. But if you're in a pinch, you can use all-purpose flour.
My husband is now obsessed with this pizza dough as well and will not let me make anything else from here on out. It's that good!

Overnight Pizza Dough
Prep Time: About 13 1/2 hours, including rise time
Serving: 1 sheet pan
2 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. instant yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
8 oz. water at room temperature

1. Add flour, salt, yeast and sugar into a large bowl. Stir with a large spoon until combined. Mix in oil and water until ingredients are fully hydrated, 1 to 2 minutes. 
2. Let rest 5 minutes then mix with a large spoon for an additional minute. The dough should be soft, supple and slightly sticky.
3. With wet fingers (to prevent sticking) bring dough up from bottom of the bowl and knead 4 times, rotating the bowl 1/4 each time. Let rest 5 minutes. Repeat the kneading process 4 more times. The dough will become firmer and less sticky.
4. Place in a large oiled container and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator overnight (12 hours) or up to 3 days. (The dough will not always noticeably rise. This is normal.)
5. Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before use. Stretch the dough as much as it will let you into an oiled sheet pan. Cover with a tea towel and let rest for 1 hour.
6. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Finish stretching dough into sheet pan. Top with desired topping and bake for 15 minutes.

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