can I still use my pizza dough?

[goofygirl]

I made some pizza dough about three days ago and want to use it tonight. It has a slightly fermented smell, but otherwise looks fine. Does anyone know how long you can keep fresh pizza dough before you need to toss it? I know TJ's has fresh dough and they keep it for several days, but I don't know if it has any preservatives.

[mbrogier]

I've used pizza dough a few days after I bought it. The fermented smell is the yeast still hard at work. The crust will taste more "yeasty" than it would have fresh, but I like that taste.

[sparrowgrass]

If you had it in the fridge, no problem, especially if you are making thin crust pizza. It may not rise well for thick crust pizza.

If it was on the counter all this time--I don't know if I would use it.

It probably only cost twenty cents to make, so if you are worried, toss it and make some more.

[sneezles]

I do that all the time and have had the balls of dough get to be the size of a cantaloupe and still used them!

[heavy hedonist]

you may even get a more chewy crust-- that's happened to me lots of times. It is perfectly safe to use.

[Anne]

You are part of the way to making a type of sourdough so expect something inbetween that and regular bread. One of the sourdough recipies I have calls for leaving a soupy dough (sponge) on the counter for a week before finishing the bread (most call for starting with potatoe water to help culture the right yeast).

[goofygirl]

to update:

I went ahead and used the dough. I was not concerned about the cost of the dough, were I to toss it out. It was a matter of convenience.

The dough did smell and taste more yeasty that "normal". I know that a slow rise (my dough was in the refrigerator the whole time) will give bread a more chewy texture. I was more afraid that it had gone sour (but not a good sour as in sourdough).

It turns out that the bottom element of my oven decided to die. I waited about 30 minutes for the oven to heat, and it never got over 210 degrees. I put the pizza in the oven (which I made while the oven was "heating") and turned the oven to the broil setting. The top cooked ok. The cheese got nice and bubbly, with little brown spots. Then I took the pizza out of the oven and cooked the bottom on my stovetop griddle pan.

Sometimes you have to get creative.