Pizza dough that has been left to rise for too long, or has been over-proofed, can potentially collapse. The gluten becomes overly relaxed, and the end product will be gummy or crumbly instead of crisp and fluffy.
Standard pizza dough (with more yeast) can sit out on the counter for 2-4 hours, while a Neapolitan-style pizza dough (with less yeast) can be left out for up to 24 hours. Pizza dough should be stored in an airtight container, zip lock bags, or covered with plastic wrap.
The answer unfortunately depends on ambient temperature, the amount of yeast, and the temperature of water used when mixing the dough. For example, dough could proof for 24 – 48 hours without over-proofing if you use cold water and leave the dough in your fridge overnight.
The general rule is to let pizza dough rise until it has doubled in size, which could take anywhere between 1-1.5 hours. This will give the yeast time to activate and create a light, airy texture in the crust. However, I personally prefer cold-fermenting the dough for 48 hours for extra flavor.
Can pizza dough be over proofed? Well yes, pizza dough can be over proofed. In the most extreme cases, over proofed dough can lead to a dense and tough dough that makes poor quality pizza.
Pizza dough should proof in room temperature anywhere from 1 to 24-hours or even more. While cold-proofing a pizza dough can take anywhere from 24 to 72 hours.
Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 45 minutes; then refrigerate it for 4 hours (or up to 36 hours); this step will develop the crust's flavor. It'll continue to rise in the fridge, so make sure it's in a big enough bowl. Divide the dough in half.
The answer is, that the rise time for pizza dough can be as short as 6-10 hours at room temperature and as long as 1-3 days (24-72 hours) in the refrigerator.
It's better to leave cold pizza dough out for 30 minutes and/or follow my recommendations for using a window to let the pizza rise. If you don't want to wait for pizza dough to rise before stretching it, then make pizza on a frozen pizza crust. There are so many ways to make it taste restaurant quality.
At which point during the dough making process would it be best to freeze or refrigerate? You can refrigerate the dough after almost any step, but after the first rise (or a little before) works best. Store it, covered, in the refrigerator for 1-3* days. Allow room for the dough to expand as it will continue to rise.
Degassing Pizza Dough
Typically, pizza dough is degassed twice because the recipe often calls for you to degas the dough after each rise. The second time occurs after the second rise, and this time it's crucial because the gluten has had time to develop again.
You punch dough down once it has had its first rise to deflate the dough. This gentle technique releases air to stop fermentation, reactivate the yeast, redistribute and even out temperature and moisture, prevent overproofing, and ensure a more delicate texture and improved flavor.
Over-proofing happens when dough has proofed too long and the air bubbles have popped. You'll know your dough is over-proofed if, when poked, it never springs back. To rescue over-proofed dough, press down on the dough to remove the gas, then reshape and reproof. (This method won't work for sourdough bread.)
The second rise allows the yeast to produce carbon dioxide gas, which helps to leaven the dough and gives it a light, airy texture. However, some recipes only call for a single rise. This can be achieved by using a higher amount of yeast or by letting the dough rise for a longer period of time.
Most pizza recipes call for one rise, whereas most other bread recipes call for two rises. The single-risen dough is only partially fermented.
If the dough doesn't spring back at all, you've likely over-proofed the dough.
If your gluten hasn't developed enough, it will remain too tight and your dough will want to spring back into its original shape.
Under-proofed pizza dough is hard to stretch and dense. An over-proofed dough will stretch too thin and won't spring up when you put it in the oven. Warm-up your dough: Cold dough is hard to stretch and more prone to tearing. Let your dough warm up to at least room temperature before stretching for best results.
For best results, we want a non-porous, tight-fitting cover that will keep the dough from becoming too cool or developing a skin. And a towel doesn't cut it: The porous material allows heat to escape, causing the dough to lose temperature.
Though it's important to knead your dough thoroughly, it's not necessary to knead your dough for long. We recommended kneading your dough for about 4 to 6 minutes! Over-kneading your dough will create a fine, crumb-like texture, giving your dough a bready texture rather than a light and airy pizza crust.
The dough will be easy to stretch, have an elastic-like feel and bounce back when touched. Overworking or over-kneading dough is quite common when using a stand mixer. Because stand mixers produce faster results, it's easy to overdo it. The overworked dough will often feel tight and tough.
You'll end up with a loaf that doesn't expand or bake well, and that is also misshapen and very sour. While some people (including us) like that biting flavor, others may find it too sour. Mistakes are inevitable when it comes to proofing bread, but there's no need to throw out dough if it proofs too long.