I made a pizza dough and I left it to rise until doubled in bulk. However, it didn't rise at all. After reading here I can just guess that I killed the yeast cells:

Yeast Is Too Hot. Recipes that call for active dry yeast direct you to dissolve that yeast in warm water. Sometimes the recipe calls for the liquid to be heated with fat and then added to the yeast. Either way, if the liquid is too hot it will kill off yeast cells. Yeast is pretty picky. It doesn’t like it too cold and it doesn’t like it too hot.

If this is the case and after waiting more time, it still doesn't rise, is there something I can do with the dough? I wouldn't want to throw it away.


  • can you provide your reciepe? – Ryan May 17 '17 at 16:54
  • @Ryan, here is the recipe but used a pizza flour. At the end it did began to rise. Should I delete the question or do I leave it in case it does happen what I described? – Pichi Wuana May 17 '17 at 17:00
  • yeh, you need to put the dough.. like 45mins to an hour, be patient~ – Ryan May 17 '17 at 17:04
  • @Ryan Well it passed more than an hour so I was wondering – Pichi Wuana May 17 '17 at 17:06
  • warm room and covered with damp cloth? – Ryan May 17 '17 at 17:09

Very possible your yeast was killed or was dead to begin with. The recipe you linked has no sugar, and sugar usually is used to speed up fermentation. The recipe does call for salt, which tends to inhibit fermentation. The recipe calls for pretty intense mechanical mixing for 2 minutes, which is going to raise the temperature of the dough by the friction generated. A lot of potential things working against you.

I've had pizza making disasters and have managed to salvage some dead doughs and at least get something on the table that can be called a pizza; but you aren't going to get great results unless you cut your losses and start over with new ingredients.

To prevent waste of that flour, you could salvage it and at least cook it as a flat bread or garlic knots, etc.

The way I salvage dead dough is by putting about 10g of yeast in a tablespoon of water with 10g sugar, let it become active to prove you have action happening, then mix into your dead dough, then let rise.

  • What do you mean by let it become active to prove? – Pichi Wuana May 17 '17 at 21:42
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    @PichiWuana Some yeast needs to be activated in water and sugar for about 5-10 minutes. You should be able to smell a yeasty smell, and start to see some bubbles. – Fodder May 17 '17 at 22:08
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    @PichiWuana You will smell it a bit when you first add it to water, but I've found it becomes stronger once they're active. But if your water was too hot and you've killed it, I don't think it'll work very well anymore. :( – Fodder May 17 '17 at 22:16
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    I see. At the end it did work :) – Pichi Wuana May 17 '17 at 22:16
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    @PichiWuana That's good news. I guess then the problem might be the salt, and maybe the place where you left the dough wasn't warm enough. – Fodder May 17 '17 at 22:41

Assume you are using bread flour. You could

  1. Refrigerate your dough, buy some new yeast.
    When you could source yeast powder again, add them back to make your pizza.

  2. Make no-yeast flatbread.
    This link is a reciept to make a flatbread without yeast, where you can dip with any dip sauce you like, or curry. Remember to adjust the portions of different ingredients, like here in this link, milk is used.

A trick ensure that you are using lukewarm water without killing your yeast (and of cause without a thermometer) is just put a drop of the water onto your inner wrist, and see if the temperature of water is similar/ not too hot for your hand.

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    I guess pizza flour would work as well too – Pichi Wuana May 17 '17 at 17:04

From https://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/bread/yeast_temp.html:









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