The Perfect Pizza Dough for Wood-Fired Ovens

Some recipes come and go. Others evolve with you — shaped by experience, time, and a little heat.

When we first began baking in wood-fired ovens, the dough was good but temperamental — a whole-grain blend that offered nutty depth but little forgiveness. With every fire, every stretch, and every imperfect crust, the recipe grew closer to what it wanted to be: balanced, workable, and beautifully alive.

This is the dough we make now. It’s simple, flexible, and endlessly rewarding. The kind of recipe that feels more like a ritual.

The Recipe

Makes about 18 (12oz) rounds.
Easily scaled for smaller batches or hand-kneading.

Ingredients

Starter:

• 28g yeast

• 2360ml warm water

• 20ml honey

In a large bowl, pour warm water over the yeast, then add honey. Stir gently until hydrated and dissolved. Let rest several minutes, until frothy.

Main Dough:

• 900g whole wheat flour

• 900g white all-purpose flour

• 900g white bread flour

• 80g salt

• 120ml olive oil

Mix in the bowl of a 20-quart mixer on speed 1, adding up to 480ml additional water until smooth and moist.

Mix for about 5 minutes, increase to speed 2 for 1 minute, then let rest for 5 minutes.

Finish with another 2 minutes on speed 1.

(The times are suggestions — dough is a conversation, not a stopwatch. Follow its texture, not your timer.)

The Rise

Pull dough from the mixer and place it in a large covered bin — it will grow. Set in a warm place for about 1½ hours, or until doubled in size.

Flop the dough onto a lightly floured counter. Fold in thirds, turn 90°, and fold again. Return to the bin and let rest for 1 hour.

Repeat the fold once more. Let rise 30–60 minutes.

When ready, divide into 12oz pieces. Round each into a smooth, tight ball and rest, covered, for 30 minutes — until the dough relaxes beneath your fingers.

To Use

Stretch, top, and bake in your wood-fired oven. Each ball should open easily under your hands — soft, resilient, and ready for the flame.

For Overnight Dough

To make ahead, follow the recipe through the first rise, then refrigerate overnight.

Pull the dough 3–4 hours before baking, fold once, rest, and divide.

The result? A more supple dough, deeper flavor, and perfect oven spring — the kind of crust that blisters and caramelizes just right.

A Note

Dough is forgiving. It listens. If you’re short on time, skip a rise. If you have time to linger, let it breathe.

There’s no wrong way to learn the rhythm of good dough. Experiment, taste, adjust, repeat. 

That’s the beauty of baking in a Maine Oven Craft oven: the fire teaches you as much as you teach it.

Fire, Meet Flavor

Whether you’re cooking in a custom mobile oven, a commercial fire kitchen, or at home on a handcrafted hearth, this dough delivers. It performs under heat, under pressure, and under the eyes of hungry guests.

That’s because our ovens are designed not just to cook, but to collaborate—with you, your ingredients, and your craft. Built from authentic Le Panyol cores, finished by hand in Maine, and shipped nationwide (learn about shipping), these ovens turn your dough into something more: a ritual.

Let’s See Your Pizza Ritual

Tried this recipe? Fired up something beautiful in your Maine Oven Craft oven?

Tag us in your creations on Instagram, Facebook, or reach out here.
Use #MaineOvenCraft and show us how you bring your fire to the table.

Your dough. Your hands. Our oven. Let’s cook.