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Best Pizza Dough Recipe with a Stand Mixer: Step-by-Step Guide for Pizzerias

  • Writer: Yina Huang
    Yina Huang
  • Oct 4
  • 4 min read

A good pie lives or dies on dough discipline. Stand mixers take the grunt work out and give you repeatable strength, but only if you run the process cleanly: right flour, correct water, steady mixing, and cold, controlled fermentation. Below is a pizzeria-proof workflow with grams and baker’s %, scaling math, quick checks, and realistic troubleshooting. You’ll see target dough temperature (DDT), windowpane cues, and a 24–72 h fermentation plan that builds flavor without wrecking service. When it’s time to upgrade from “planetary plus luck,” there’s a spiral-mixer note too. Follow the steps below to make your perfect pizza dough recipe with a stand mixer.


Silver mixer on a wooden counter in a bright kitchen, beside a pizza, tomatoes, and a white bowl. Fresh, cozy atmosphere.

Pizza Dough Recipe with a Stand Mixer Ingredients & Formula

High-protein flour delivers chew and structure; proper hydration and salt finish the texture; a small, consistent yeast dose keeps fermentation predictable for service. These ranges align with established guidelines and professional practice, adapted for stand mixers.

Base formula (baker’s %)

  • 100% flour (strong bread/“00”, 12–13% protein)

  • 60–63% water (start 60% for new teams)

  • 2.2–2.6% salt (aim 2.4%)

  • 0.2–0.4% instant yeast (0.2% for 48–72 h cold; 0.4% for 24–36 h)

Batch example (8 x 260 g dough balls ≈ eight 12–13″ pizzas)

  • Flour 1,100 g

  • Water 660–690 g

  • Salt 26 g

  • Instant yeast 3–4 g

Helpful Content — Target dough temperature (DDT)Aim for 24–26 °C (75–78 °F) after mixing. Warmer dough ferments too fast; colder dough slows and stiffens. Adjust your water temp to hit DDT.


Step-by-Step: Stand Mixer Method

You want a smooth, slightly tacky dough that clears the bowl sides, clings a bit at the bottom, and stretches thin without tearing (windowpane). Time is a guide; visual/feel is the truth.

  1. Bloom (if using active dry): Blend yeast into the formula water (24–26 °C) for 5 min. Skip if using instant.

  2. Combine: In the bowl, add water (and yeast), then flour, then salt. (Order matters less than not dumping salt directly on yeast for long.)

  3. Mix low (2–3 min) with dough hook until shaggy mass forms.

  4. Mix medium-low (6–8 min) until the dough smooths and begins to clear the bowl. If still rough, add 1–2 min. Typical stand-mixer guidance: ~4–10 min total at working speed, depending on load and model.

  5. Check gluten: Do a small windowpane—thin, translucent membrane without tearing = ready. If it rips immediately, mix 1–2 minutes more and recheck.

  6. DDT check: Shoot for 24–26 °C. If hot, chill 10 min before dividing; if cool, give a brief ambient rest

Quick Checks

  • Dough clears bowl sides? ✓

  • Windowpane holds? ✓

  • DDT 24–26 °C? ✓


Bulk, Balling & Cold Fermentation

Cold fermentation (24–72 h) builds flavor and handling ease. Longer than ~5 days invites off flavors and weak dough. Plan service around this window.

  1. Bulk (short): 15–20 min rest at room temp to relax gluten.

  2. Portion: Divide into 260 g (or your standard). Tight ball with smooth skin.

  3. Cold proof: Oil containers lightly; cold-ferment 24–72 h at 2–4 °C.

  4. Service day: Pull to room temp 60–90 min before stretching.

Case Study — 2-store pizzeria switch to 48 h

  • Before: 6 h room-temp ferment; variable spring; shaping fights late in rush.

  • After: 48 h at 3 °C; 75 min temper; same mixer. Result: easier stretch, more uniform cornicione, fewer blowouts; waste down 1.4%.

  • Why it worked: time for enzyme activity; better gas retention; calmer dough.


Shaping & Topping Discipline

Keep the gas you built. Press from center out; don’t crush the rim. Avoid flour piles that burn and taste bitter; balance semolina/corno with dough humidity. (Neapolitan specs call out thickness and cornicione heights—use them as sanity checks even if you’re NY-style.)


Helpful Content — Thickness guide

250–280 g ball → 12–13″ skin, center ≈ 2–3 mm before bake; don’t roll pins for VPN-style.


Bake Targets

Underbaked pizza looks done on top and gummy underneath. Bake to surface color and bottom color with proper heat and deck/pan conductivity. For electric/gas deck ovens, adjust launch temp and turn early; for very hot ovens, keep formulas lean. Cold-fermented dough browns faster—watch it.

Quick Checks

  • Even leopard or golden bottom? ✓

  • Center slice supports the tip (no paste)? ✓


Troubleshooting

Symptoms lie; sequence doesn’t. Diagnose by temperature → time → strength → formula.

  • Dough too elastic, snaps back → didn’t relax: 15–20 min rest.

  • Dough too slack, tears → under-mixed or over-fermented: add brief mix next batch; shorten ferment.

  • Gummy crumb → underbaked: extend and verify; don’t trust minutes—trust evidence.

  • Ferments too fast → DDT high; cool water next mix and reduce yeast slightly.


Optional: Neapolitan-Lean Variant

For VPN-style dough, plan 55–62% absorption, longer room-temp fermentation (often 12–24 h), and lean formulas (flour/water/salt/yeast). Mix to “dough point,” then brief finishing; portion 200–280 g depending on diameter. No mechanical press for shaping. Use this as a reference frame even if you don’t seek certification.


Stand vs Spiral: When to Upgrade

Planetary stand mixers are fine up to moderate loads, but they generate heat and can stall on stiff doughs. Spiral mixers develop gluten efficiently with less heat; watch your water temperature either way. If you’re doing heavy dough daily, run a spiral ROI. (Stand-mixer workflows still work—just manage friction heat with chilled water.)


Service Card

  • Mix: 2–3 min low → 6–8 min medium-low → windowpane → DDT 24–26 °C.

  • Ball: 260 g; oil boxes.

  • Ferment: 24–72 h @ 2–4 °C; temperature 60–90 min. Serious Eats

  • Bake: Deck/stone hot; verify bottom color; avoid gummy centers.


Talk to Someone Who Sets Up Pizzerias

You don’t need another sales pitch—you need a clean, numbers-first plan that matches your flour, hydration, mixer, fermentation window, and oven. Send the essentials and we’ll map your workflow from mix to bake with realistic batch sizes, target dough temperature, and a cold-proof schedule that won’t wreck service. Prefer a quick chat? Message directly. Prefer a paper trail? Use the form—attach your floor plan and we’ll size gear, not guess.

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