How to Turn Leftover Pizza Dough into Something Amazing

You’ve spent hours crafting the perfect dough for your pizza party, it’s gone down a storm, but there are tonnes of leftovers. We’ve all been there. But fear not, it’s a common situation! Rather than throwing that leftover dough away, we want to show you just how versatile pizza dough can be. With your wood-fired pizza oven already hot/warm and ready to go, that extra dough can be transformed into something creative in a matter of minutes. 

Savoury

Grissini

Leftover dough is ideal for making savoury snacks such as Italian-style breadsticks or grissini. Simply roll the dough into thin strips, brush with olive oil and add a few herbs andsea salt. Launch into your wood-fired pizza oven, and you’ll have crisp breadsticks in around 60 seconds. They’re perfect served with dips, cheeses or cured meats, and much more impressive than opening a packet from the supermarket!

Panuozzo

Essentially, a sandwich made with pizza dough. Sounds simple, but if you’ve never had one before, you’re in for a treat! Just stretch out the dough into a rough circle, slightly thicker than if you were making a pizza. Drizzle the dough with olive oil and fold over, then launch. The dough cooks in around the same time as a pizza, so keep an eye on it. The olive oil stops the dough from sticking together, so you can simply open the dough back up and load up with the fillings of your choice. Mozzarella, roasted vegetables and cured meats work really well. 

Comfort Food

Garlic Bread

We all love a bit of comfort food, right? And at the top of many people’s list would be garlic bread. But we don’t mean any old garlic bread. Using pizza dough means you can get a little bit creative here. The dough can be shaped into a simple flatbread, small rolls or even a pull-apart loaf, then topped generously with garlic butter, herbs and cheese. When cooked in a wood-fired pizza oven, the high heat quickly melts the cheese while creating crisp charred edges and a soft, fluffy centre. Perfect!

You can even get creative with the flavour combinations. Classics like mozzarella and cheddar work well, but a quality goat’s cheese or even blue cheese can really elevate the garlic bread to the next level. Try experimenting with fresh herbs, chilli flakes or roasted smoked garlic to add extra depth of flavour.

Igneus Top Tip: Just like when making pizza, it’s important to keep an eye on the dough and rotate it regularly to ensure even cooking.

Sweet Treats

Cinnamon Rolls

This is why you’re really here, isn’t it? After the last bite of pizza has been enjoyed, it’s often not long before we hear the “anything for dessert?” line. Many people think pizza dough is just for savoury dishes. Those people couldn’t be more wrong! It can easily be turned into sweet treats, too. One great option is cinnamon rolls or sweet dough twists. By rolling the dough out, brushing with a little melted butter and sprinkling with sugar and cinnamon, you can create a simple dessert that bakes beautifully as the raw heat of your wood-fired ovenstarts to subside. 

Once cooked, the rolls can be finished with a light icing, honey drizzle or dusting of icing sugar. These sweet bakes are a great way to round off a pizza night and often surprise guests who don’t expect dessert from pizza dough.

Sweet Doughnut Bites

This one literally couldn’t be easier, yet still impressive. Kids go nuts for these, too, so if you’ve got young ones in the house, you can earn some serious brownie points here. Start by portioning the dough into small bite-sized balls or rings to create mini doughnuts. Launch directly onto the floor of the pizza oven and turn until puffed up and start to take on a slight bit of colour. 

Once baked, the doughballs can be brushed with a little melted butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar, or filled with chocolate spread, jam or sweetened mascarpone. Get some dipping sauces and sprinkles on the go as well, such as chocolate sauce, honey or maple syrup.

Igneus Top Tip: Be careful when baking sweet dishes as they can burn very easily. It’s best to use the oven as it cools rather than with an intense flame.

Final Thoughts

We hope we’ve managed to convince you that leftover pizza dough is far too good to waste. With a little imagination, it can be transformed into everything from savoury sides to indulgent sweet treats. Making the most of every dough ball not only reduces waste but also helps you get even more enjoyment from your Igneus pizza oven.

If you’d like to find out more about the Igneus range of wood-fired pizza ovens, or you have a question you’d like answered, our friendly team is always happy to help. Give us a call on 01423 575885, or browse our full range of pizza ovens and accessories here to get inspired.