Fermentation-first technique, from formula and hydration to proofing, shaping, and oven spring. Start where your dough is breaking down.
Dough School
Most bad pizza is a dough problem before it is an oven problem. Start with fermentation, because time and temperature decide flavour, strength and how the dough behaves in your hands. Then move to handling, and use the recipes once you know why each number is there.
Find the symptom, then the fix: stretching, rising, stickiness, proofing, cold fermentation, and launching.
Dough Troubleshooting
Diagnose any pizza dough problem fast: won't stretch, won't rise, too sticky, overproofed, or sticking to the peel. One symptom table, eight full fixes.
Updated November 11, 2026
Dough Troubleshooting
Dough tearing or snapping back when you try to open it? Diagnose whether it's cold, under-proofed, or over-proofed, and fix it before your next attempt.
Updated November 11, 2026
Dough Troubleshooting
How to tell if your pizza dough is overproofed, what to do with it right now, and the yeast or timing fix that stops it from happening again.
Updated November 11, 2026
Dough Troubleshooting
Pizza dough hydration explained by what it actually changes: handling, texture, and the oven temperature it works best at. Find the right percentage for your setup.
Updated November 11, 2026
Dough Troubleshooting
Dough stuck to your peel right before the bake? Here's the exact fix: what to dust with, how long you have, and how to rescue a stuck pizza mid-launch.
Updated November 11, 2026
Dough Troubleshooting
Pizza dough not rising? Check these three things in order: did salt touch the yeast, is the kitchen too cold, and is your yeast actually alive.
Updated November 11, 2026
Dough Troubleshooting
Is your pizza dough supposed to be this sticky? Learn when stickiness is normal for your hydration level, when it signals overproofing, and how to handle it without adding flour.
Updated November 11, 2026
Dough Troubleshooting
Stop guessing with the clock. Learn the visual and tactile cues that tell you pizza dough is actually ready to shape and bake, at any fermentation length.
Updated November 11, 2026
Dough Troubleshooting
How cold fermentation actually works, why it makes better pizza, and the exact timeline from mixing to bake for 24, 48, and 72-hour cold ferments.
Updated November 11, 2026
