Elevate Your Store-Bought Pizza Dough With A Simple Rolling Technique

Whether it's game day, family night, or just another Tuesday, there are many occasions that call for the crispy, cheesy goodness of a hot pizza straight from your own oven. Of course, the best way to get a fresh-tasting pizza without the daunting task of fermenting dough from scratch — and without making the mistake of using too much yeast — is to use store-bought pizza dough. More flavorful and customizable than bland frozen pizza (like the brand we decided to never buy again), store-bought dough carries a level of convenience that even chefs like Giada De Laurentiis love. One simple way to elevate premade dough to pizzeria quality? Roll it into a ball before baking.

While you may be tempted to just plop the dough out of the package and start assembling your pizza, freshly unwrapped store-bought dough can often stick and tear as it's stretched. The solution, according to the pizza experts at Baking Steel, is to divide the dough and form it into balls before allowing it to rest for three to four hours at room temperature. This trick creates a more malleable dough that can stretch more easily than what comes straight out of the plastic.

Even though store-bought dough is meant to simplify the process of making pizza at home, it can create unnecessary headaches if handled improperly. Typically stored in cold, condensation-heavy refrigerators at the grocery store, premade dough can often come out of the package incredibly sticky and hard to manage. That's why experts at Baking Steel, a professional pizza stone company, highly recommend making dough balls to trap extra air inside and allow the gluten within to relax.

To ball your dough, remove as much as possible from the original packaging and place the dough on a well-floured work surface. Divide the mound in two with a knife or bench scraper, and generously flour each half to reduce any remaining stickiness. Working with one piece at a time, take the dough into both hands and firmly press inwards with your fingers to create an indentation. Then, press the dough together between your palms, rotate it within your hands, and repeat two to three more times until a solid ball has formed. Once both halves are balled, cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap and leave it to rest at room temperature (68 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit) for three to four hours. Remember to always stretch pizza dough by hand, as using a rolling pin will knock out all the air bubbles you just diligently reintroduced.