How to Soften Hard Pizza Crust?-5 Guaranteed Solutions!

There are many popular foods people enjoy eating in the world, and pizza is definitely one of them.

Making pizza at home is a fun and exciting experience. But when you make your own pizza, you may encounter a problem with your pizza crust being too hard.

There are many people who face this problem with their pizza crust, and it can be frustrating not to be able to enjoy your perfectly baked pizza. A variety of factors can cause the crust to become too hard.

You should be aware of the reason why your crust becomes too hard to eat. Pizza crust needs to be softened in order to make it the most delicious.

Are you concerned about hard pizza crust? Don’t be concerned. We will now discuss the reasons why your pizza crust is too hard and how to soften hard pizza crust.

Why Is Your Pizza Crust So Hard?

There are a few reasons why your pizza crust may have turned out to be too hard.

• Incorrectly Kneaded Dough
• Excessive Use of Flour
• Not Properly Greased
• Using a Rolling Pin Instead of Stretching
• Over-baked the Pizza

Now we have the quick answers, let’s go inside the problems thoroughly…

1. Incorrectly Kneaded Dough

One reason why your pizza crust may become too hard is that the dough was not kneaded properly. Many online recipes and books describe kneading the pizza dor for 10-20 minutes. This is absolutely a wrong theory.

Too much kneading causes the dough more dense what is known as a tighter crumb in the bread world. You don’t need to knead your pizza dough too much. The kneading builds up gluten which is the stretchy network of strands in the dough. 

Ensure a resting period after adding all your ingredients. This rest time allows the flow and water to hydrate themselves and start the chemical reaction. Many people think that gluten needs to knead the dough. But the fact is, Gluten starts forming on its own with no kneading.

Let the dough rest for 20 minutes and then start to knead the dough for 2-3 minutes. Kneading your dough thoroughly will ensure that all of the ingredients are combined properly. It will also ensure that the dough is soft and ready for baking.

You will get a semi smooth dought that will make a very tasteful crust. You should always make sure to knead your dough thoroughly before you add any toppings.

2. Excessive Use of Flour

After mixing ingredients, it needs to knead the dough. Raw dough may be sticky to get stuck on the pot. That time we use flour with the dough to get rid of the sticky issue.

If you add flour to the dough it will drop in its hydration ratio and dry out quickly. Dry dough means your crust will not rise as well.

Make sure that you do not use too much flour on the dough and pan..If it gets sticky use a dough scraper to pull out the dough together. Too much flour may also contribute to your pizza crust becoming too hard.

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3. Not Properly Greased

If the pan and dough are not properly greased, your pizza crust could become too hard. You should always grease your pan and dough with a decent amount of oil to ensure that your dough does not stick to the pan.

If you do not grease your pan enough, then there is a chance that your dough could stick to the bottom of the pan. This will prevent your pizza crust from being soft.

4. Using a Rolling Pin Instead of Stretching

Rolling the dough instead of stretching to flatten pizza push all the pockets of gas that are built up when it cooks. Move the dough around with your hands to keep the base stretching from all angles.

Rolling the dough instead of stretching it with your hands may result in a hard pizza crust. You should always stretch your dough by hand to ensure that it is not rolled out too thinly.

5. Over-baked the Pizza

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You should always bake your pizza for the perfect amount of time. If you bake it too long, then your crust will become too hard. Occasionally, the crust may become completely burnt.

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Why Should You Care About Softening Your Crust?

Softening your pizza crust is very important. There are numerous reasons for this. The best way to ensure that your crust is as tasty as possible is to soften it.

If your crust is too hard, then it will be difficult to cut through with a knife. This will also make eating the pizza difficult.

An Explanation of How to Soften Hard Pizza Crust

You already know why it is necessary to soften hard pizza crust. Now let us look at the different methods that can be used to soften hard pizza crust.

But before that, check the table for an instant overview.

Alternative	Effectiveness
Brushing water	Medium
Brush with Milk or Oil	High
Put It Upside Down to Re-Heat	Medium
Place Cheese on Hardened Parts	Medium
Microwaving	Medium

1. Brush the Crust with Water

You can soften your hard pizza crust by brushing it with water. This method will give your crust a great moist texture that will help to soften it up.

However, you should not add water immediately after you take it out of the oven. Otherwise, the hot pizza would absorb the water.

Wait three to five minutes after baking the pizza before adding water. The pizza crust should then be brushed with water.

You should then bake it for ten seconds in the oven. The crust will appear smoother after this step.

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2. Brush the Crust with Milk or Oil

The second most common way to soften your hard pizza crust is by brushing it with milk or oil.

Just like brushing water, this method will also give your crust a great moist texture that will help to soften it up.

Once you have applied milk to the crust, you should microwave it for about 20 seconds. The milk will then moisten the crust. 

As an alternative, you may brush oil over the crust and wait just one minute. Then, you can microwave the crust for approximately twenty seconds. This will result in a greasy crust. You can now enjoy a delicious and soft pizza.

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3.Put It Upside Down to Re-Heat

Sometimes we have leftover pizza and the crust of your leftover pizza is so hard. To soften your pizza, you need to reheat it. The process is simple; you just flip the pizza and then microwave it.

Cover the cold slices with an aluminum foil sheet and place them on the lowest rack of an oven. Then set the oven temperature to 275 degrees and let the pizza warm for 25 to 30 minutes. As the slices are covered with a sheet they will not be dehydrated but the crust and cheese will be softened.

4. Place Cheese on the Hardened Parts

Another way to soften hard pizza crust is to add cheese to the hardened areas. This will also help to raise the flavor of your pizza. Simply microwave the cheese for 10 seconds to melt. The resulting pizza will be softer.

5. Microwave Combined With a Glass of Water

Another very unique method to soften hard pizza crust is by putting a glass of water in the oven along with your pizza. This will also help to smooth out the dough.

The dough should be microwaved for 30 seconds. The moisture will then be transferred to the crust. Consequently, the crust will become softer and tastier.

You May Also Read: Best Available pizza steel on the market.

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FAQ

How do You Reheat Pizza and Keep the Crust Soft?

Place a piece of tin foil directly on your oven rack. Put the pizza on the foil. Bake for five minutes at 450 degrees. For a softer crust, try ten minutes at 350 degrees.

Can I eat Harden Leftover Pizza?

Yes, you can definitely eat leftover pizza if it’s hard. But then you can just sprinkle some water on the crust. And then microwave it for 20-30 seconds. Now, the pizza is ready to eat.

Can I Put oil and Herbs over the Pizza Crust and Eat it without Reheating?

You can do that. But, One thing you will not get the herb flavor without heating the pizza. On the other hand, if you use oil it will keep raw over the pizza. But you can use olive oil.

Conclusion

So ultimately, you have got all the knowledge about how to soften hard pizza crust. All the methods are simple to follow. You can use any of these methods to get a soft and delicious pizza crust.

However, you can try all the methods to find what works best for you! Thus, next time you can enjoy your soft and delicious pizza with your family and friends. They will appreciate your cooking skills.