What to do with Leftover Pizza Dough
We love an Awareness Day here at The Pizza Oven Shop! It’s Stop Food Waste Day on 26th April so we wanted to give all you pizza lovers some great ideas of what you can do with all that fresh pizza dough you always have left over! For anyone who makes their own dough, we salute you, but there’s so many more things you can make with it other than conventional pizza! One of the best things about pizza dough not just how versatile it is, but also how well it freezes. So please, whatever you do, don’t throw your leftover dough in the bin. Ball it up and freeze it in batches, so you have access to these quick and easy ways to utilise it every day of the week.
Stop Food Waste Day
Did you know that we lose or waste 33% of all food produced globally every year? Even more shocking is that 25% of the globally wasted food could feed all 795 million undernourished people in the world! Taking any action to lower these numbers and limit our food wastage must be a positive step in the right direction! So, without further ado, here are our top suggestions for what you can do with all that dough…
Panuozzo
Panuozzo is essentially a sandwich made using pizza dough instead of bread. Its origins trace back to the Campania region of southern Italy, particularly in the town of Gragnano. Afterward, the “bread” is cut open and filled with a variety of ingredients, such as mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, cured meats, and vegetables.
One of the most popular fillings for panuozzo includes a combination of smoked provola cheese, salami, and arugula. Another well-received filling in Italy consists of prosciutto, mushrooms, grilled aubergine, and artichokes. Panuozzo has gained popularity in other parts of Italy and in various countries too. People often serve it as street food or fast food, and it is available in restaurants, food vendors, and markets.
Pita Bread
Who doesn’t love pita bread? The good news is there’s actually very little difference between pizza dough and pita bread dough. You don’t have to fire up the pizza oven either. Simply put a none stick pan or griddle pan on the hob and get it red hot. The secret to imparting that toasted flavour into your pitta bread is to get your pan super-hot. Don’t be put off if the pan starts to smoke slightly – that’s your cue that the pan is ready!
Gently flatten a small amount of dough into a thick disk and sprinkle with a little more flour. Roll out into 8-9 inch wide circles, that are 5mm-7mm in thickness. Add a dash of olive oil to the pan/griddle and wipe off any excess. Then simply cook for around 2 minutes. Turning every 30 seconds to stop the flour from burning. You’ll see air bubbles raising in the dough as it begins to cook.
Italian Grissini Breadsticks
Grissini breadsticks are a type of traditional Italian bread that originated in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy. They are thin, crunchy breadsticks that are usually served as an appetiser or a snack. They are popular all over Italy and around the world.
To make them, simply roll your dough into thin, pencil-like sticks. Then bake in a convection oven at 200°C fan, or until they’re crisp and golden brown. Of course, you can use your pizza oven to cook them, but firing it up just for these might be a step too far!
Traditional grissini are plain, but there are many variations that have been created over time. Some are flavoured with garlic, rosemary, or other herbs. While others are dusted with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or grated Parmesan cheese.
They’re typically served with cured meats, cheese, or dips such as hummus or baba ghanoush and as such they’re a popular addition to cheese boards and antipasti platters. The guests at your next dinner party will be really impressed that you’ve made your own breadsticks – and they don’t need to know they’re made using leftovers or how easy they are to make!
Pizza Dough Cinnamon Rolls
We couldn’t write a foodie blog without something for those with a sweet tooth! Ditching savoury for sweet might not seem the most obvious route for leftover pizza dough but trust us this is a good one!
All you have to do is roll out your pizza dough into a 40cm×25cm rectangle, or whatever size your leftover dough will get you to – but try to aim for around 5mm-7mm in thickness. Next, melt 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter and brush the dough all over. Mix 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon and 60g of sugar and then sprinkle the mix over the buttered dough. Roll up the dough like a Swiss Roll, then cut the roll into evenly sized slices, around an 1½ inches in thickness. Bake the rolls in a 190°C fan assisted oven. We don’t recommend using your pizza oven for this as the sugar may have a tendency to burn due to the high temperatures. Of course, if your pizza oven is cooled down enough, give it a go!
Once the cinnamon rolls have cooled, you can glaze them with whatever flavoured glaze you like. We like to keep it simple with a vanilla, icing sugar and cream cheese glaze, mixed together and let down with a little boiling water to enable you to drizzle over the top of the cinnamon rolls. These bad boys are really worth trying!
We hope you’ve been inspired to utilise your leftover pizza dough. There’s so many ways we can all do our bit to stop food waste. These ideas taste pretty damn good as well!
Thanks for reading!