Tested Store Bought Pizza Dough

Looks tasty, this homemade pizza, and it was, too!

I admit it. I’ve tried the store-bought pizza dough in the grocery store. This one comes in a bag, cold or frozen. You take it home, thaw and warm it, and it’s considered convenient for making pizza at home.

Yes and no.

The pre-made dough ball I got came from the cold case in the local grocery store. They make it in their off-site bakery and keep it refrigerated.

I also know of at least one pizza joint in town that sells its pizza dough like this.

The upside of this kind of product: It is convenient in that you don’t have to mix and knead your own dough.

You don’t have to get any flour or yeast to make up your own dough for pizza crust. And it bulks up nicely when baking the pizza.

The down side, you still have to warm it to room temperature to get it to stretch. It didn’t save me any time.

By the time the dough was warm enough to use, I could have made my own, let it rise, and it would also be ready to make into pizza.

I’m sure my own dough is more economical to make, too. I buy the flour I like, which is bread flour from a local mill, along with a bit of whole wheat. The store dough is probably made from “00” flour, which is very finely ground and considered authentic by many cooks for Italian style pizza.

The dough I bought did make a tasty crust. And if you’re looking for something that’s a lot like pizzeria pizza, then this could be your choice. (If you want to make your own using 00 flour, check local specialty groceries or online sources like King Arthur.)

Make It or Buy It?

Store bought dough is nice to know about, and have some experience with, in case I choose to use it.

Using this dough for the pizza crust still gives me all the flexibility I want when making pizza at home, as respects the sauce and toppings.

The crust from pre-made dough was far superior to any of the premade crusts I’ve tried. (If that was my choice, I’d just order out, or buy a slice at the gas station.)

But I expect to keep right on making my own pizza dough, for the toothy, chewy crust we like, and a homemade pizza that’s exactly to our taste.

Bottom line at our house: homemade dough for pizza crust is the best balance of flavor, convenience, time and money!

Now I’m hungry for another homemade pizza tonight!

by