No problem. Just to be clear, you only need to put the stone into the cold oven and then set the temperature to 450F. It will slowly heat up as the oven heats up. It's best not to put a cold stone into a hot oven; otherwise, it may crack. Cheers!

I appreciate the comment on when to rise the dough for freezing. that is don't rise it before freezing it said. Does the same apply to refrigerated dough? Should you rise and then put in the fridge or just put in fridge after you pull it out (understand that you need to bring it to room temperature again even if you already rose it. We are only 2 in our household, so I am wondering if we can make on pizza and then store the other in the fridge to make the next day or two. To do so, when do we rise the bread? thanks

In the text recipe (see step 1), the instructions are given for letting dough ferment/rise overnight in the refrigerator. The slow rise helps to develop more flavor in the dough. It is best to make the dough one day, refrigerate it overnight and then use it the next day. If you leave the dough for too long in the refrigerator, the yeast can lose its power. You might also find it helpful to review the lesson on the Stages of Bread Making in the Cooking School. Here we cover fermenting/rising steps. Cheers!

I have read that the active dry yeast requires a double rise, and the instant does not. The basic dough recipe uses instant dough and I would prefer to use active, but wonder whether a second rise is needed. Also, do you have any comments on what the double rise refers to? I seem to recall "punching down the dough" in previous times. Thanks for any insight here.

The primary difference between instant yeast and active dry is that they need to be handled differently when combining the ingredients (instant does not need to be dissolved - see topic on Yeast in the lesson on the Basics of Bread Making). You can definitely substitute active dry yeast for instant in any formula.

Some yeast breads - whether they are made with instant or active dry yeast - can go through a double rise. The extended fermenting process will help to develop more flavor. Punching the dough down again before the shaping stage will also help redistribute the yeast once again, build flavor and help to produce a finer texture/crumb in the finished product.

Most yeast doughs go through similar stages though: fermenting - punching down/portioning/pre-shaping/shaping/proofing and finally baking. It all depends on the product and how much time the you have. Again, make sure to check out all of the lessons in the Bread section. Cheers!

I have had great success with this recipe, So I had frozen some of the dough, When I went to use it, I must of done something wrong when I thawed it and it stuck to my pizza peel...... So I folded it over and called it a Stromboli instead,
It was fantastic!

Hello,
How long is too long in the refrigerator ? Can I keep it there for 3 or 4 days ? & Can I bake just the dough for later use?

I am trying to figure out how to make a lot of pizzas in a short amount of time(feeding a large crowd).

Thanks for the help!

3 to 4 days is too long. The yeast will run out of food and die and you won't get a good rise (if any) when you go to bake. My preference is to make the dough the day before as shown in the video, but if you have to, you can make the dough ahead of time and freeze it (also shown). If you freeze the pizza dough, just let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Whether you freeze the dough or just refrigerate it, let it come to room temperature before you try to shape it. The results are good...but not as good when it is made fresh. Mise en place is key. Have everything grated, sliced, prepped and making the dough the day before will be easy. Cheers!

I was wondering; after the dough rises overnight and is divided into smaller portions, how long does it have to rest before using?

Thanks

As per Step 1 of the recipe "Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 2 hours prior to making pizza so the dough can come to room temperature." Hope this helps. Cheers!