Crazy Dough for Everything (2024)

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Crazy Dough for Everything(aka Universal Dough) – make one miracle dough, keep it in the fridge and use it for anything you like: pizza, focaccia, dinner rolls, pretzels , crescent rolls etc

Crazy Dough for Everything (1)

My mother got this recipe for Crazy Dough from her friend over 20 years ago. At the time it was called “Universal Dough”, but now it is often referred to as “Crazy Dough” (UPDATE November 2014: I’ve seen some food bloggers have used this recipe and called it “Miracle Dough”). This friend was so thrilled with the recipe because it was very simple to make and you could use it for almost anything you wanted. Just mix all ingredients together, keep the dough in a plastic bag in your fridge for up to 3 days, and take out as much as you need for whatever you need: pizza, focaccia, panzerotti, dinner rolls, buns, scones, crescent rolls, pretzels, doughnuts, etc. For Vegan Crazy Dough click here.

A neighbour of mine said she always keeps it in the fridge and, whenever she has any kind of leftovers, she uses them as a stuffing for panzerotti. Another friend told me Crazy Dough is the best pizza dough in the world. I was a bit skeptical about it, but when I tried it, I must admit it is true.

From this batch you will get 4 lb (1.8 kg) dough which is quite a lot, enough to make 4 pizzas (10 inches / 25 cm diameter). If you don’t need that much, just use half the batch.

Crazy Dough freezes well, too. You can always have it prepared and easily make fresh snack or a dinner in no time. When you need it, take it out of the freezer, let it thaw and then use it in the same way as you would use fresh dough.

Do you use Crazy Dough in your recipes? What has been your experience? Please share in the comments! Thanks!

UPDATES:

No 1.
I made Crazy Dough using WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR and I can confirm that it does work.

No 2.
I created VEGAN Crazy Dough for all those people who cannot eat milk, yogurt or eggs and GLUTEN-FREE Crazy Dough fro gluten-intolerant.

No 3.
I FROZE Crazy Dough and thawed it several days later. Then I baked it in the same way I bake fresh dough and it turned out just as good.

No 4.
I get a lot of questions about YEAST quantity. I always use 80 g of fresh yeast. When I was writing this blog post I tried to convert it to Active Dry Yeast or Instant Yeast measures. For that purpose I consulted various online Yeast Converters, but each of them gave me different results, which was pretty frustrating.

That is why I bought all kinds of yeast that I could find on the market and made conversions myself.
I wrote down my results and made an Yeast Conversion Chart infographics out of them so that both you and me can refer to it any time we need it.

Also, I baked Crazy Dough using Active Dry Yeast and Instant Yeast, so now I know for sure that it works and that quantities are correct.

Yeast Conversion Chart



See how to make Crazy Dough for Everything (video shows just 1/4 batch):

4.74 from 15 votes

Crazy Dough for Everything (3)

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Crazy Dough for Everything

Crazy Dough for Everything (aka Universal Dough) – make one miracle dough, keep it in the fridge and use it for anything you like: pizza, focaccia, dinner rolls, pretzels , crescent rolls etc

Course:Side Dish

Cuisine:American, Eastern European

Keyword:crazy dough

Author: Kitchen Nostalgia

Ingredients

  • 1cup(220 ml220 g) milk, lukewarm
  • 2tspsugar
  • 80gfresh yeastor 4 tsp active dry yeast or 4 tsp instant yeast
  • 6 2/3cupall-purpose flour1 kg
  • 3tspbaking powder
  • 3tspsalt
  • 1 1/2cup(360 ml360 g) plain yogurt
  • 2whole eggs

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, combine lukewarm milk with sugar and yeast. Let stand until yeast activates. It will become foamy and start expanding.

  2. Put the yeast mixture together with all other ingredients in a bowl of your mixer or food processor. Mix well. You should get soft dough, similar to pizza dough. If the dough is too dry, add a little bit of milk or water. If it is too soft, add just a little bit of flour.

  3. You can use miracle Crazy Dough immediately. Shape it into whatever shape you like, wait a little bit (15-20 minutes in the warm kitchen) until it starts expanding, then pop in hot oven.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Put Crazy Dough in a plastic bag, squeeze the air out and close the bag. Just to be safe, you can put it all together in another bag because the dough will continue expanding and the first bag could burst.
Keep it in your fridge for up to 3 days. You can freeze it, too.

1/2 BATCH (for 2 lb / 900 g dough):
1/2 cup (110 ml, 110 g) milk
1 tsp sugar
40 g fresh yeast (or 2 tsp active dry yeast or 2 tsp instant yeast)
3 1/3 cup (500 g) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup (180 ml, 180 g) plain yogurt
1 whole egg

1/4 BATCH (for 1 lb / 450 g dough):
1/4 cup (55 ml, 55 g) milk
1/2 tsp sugar
20 g fresh yeast (or 1 tsp active dry yeast or 1 tsp instant yeast)
1 1/2 cup + 2 1/2 Tbsp (250 g) all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp (90 ml, 90 g) plain yogurt
1 whole egg

Recipes using Crazy Dough:

Crazy Dough Bread

Crazy Dough Cinnamon Rolls

Crazy Dough Focaccia

Crazy Dough Pizza

Vegan Crazy Dough

Gluten-Free Crazy Dough

Crazy Dough Dinner Rolls


Crazy Dough Pretzels

Crazy Dough Doughnuts

Crazy Dough for Everything (14)

Crazy Dough for Everything (2024)

FAQs

What is Little Caesars Crazy Bread made of? ›

One of the most popular products available from Little Caesars is the Crazy Bread, first served in 1982. It's pizza dough cut into eight pieces, then coated with garlic salt, butter, and Parmesan cheese.

How do you make super stretchy dough? ›

The more gluten, the more elastic, stretchy and strong the dough will be. Mixing gluten and water results in a dough that almost feels like rubber. Wheat flour contains 6 to 12 percent gluten, enough to provide a gluten network that holds the carbohydrates together.

What is the secret to making dough? ›

Tip #1: Don't add too much extra flour. The amount of flour you need to bring the dough together into a smooth, elastic, and cohesive ball will depend on your kitchen environment. If the dough is tacky, or even a little sticky, don't worry. It will absorb moisture as it rests and rises.

What is the best homemade playdough recipe? ›

how to make the world's best homemade play-doh. You'll need 3 cups of white all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons cream of tartar, 1 cup + 2 tablespoons of table salt, 3-4 tablespoons of any cooking oil (start with 3 and add more if necessary), 3 cups HOT water, and food coloring.

How to make homemade playdough with 2 ingredients? ›

Instructions. Place the cornstarch in a large bowl. Mix in the hair conditioner with your hands--it will just start coming together and it will be pliable and very, very smooth. If desired, add a drop or two or food coloring.

Do I have to refrigerate Crazy Bread? ›

Bread: Unopened crust/bread must be stored in the refrigerator for no longer than 7 days, or must be stored in freezer for no longer than 95 days. Frozen crust/bread will thaw at room temperature in about 30 minutes. Crust/bread must be thawed prior to baking.

Does Little Caesars use real dough? ›

The Little Caesars pizza-making technique

First, batches of dough are mixed up every day but may be refrigerated for up to three days before being used. The sauce is also prepared fresh daily from bagged tomato paste which is mixed with their own spice blend and water.

What is rich dough? ›

Rich doughs are yeast-based doughs that contain butter, cream, some kind of fat or eggs. Rich dough produces a bread that is soft with a tender cake-like texture. The added fats shorten the gluten strands, making the finished product tender and soft.

What ruins dough? ›

Too much flour, or not the right kind, could be to blame. Dough made only from flour with a high or even average amount of protein (like bread flour or all-purpose flour) can become tough from overmixing. Protein gives bread structure in the form of gluten—the more you mix and move the dough, the more gluten you get.

What ingredient makes dough stretchy? ›

Gluten is what makes dough elastic and stretchy. If your gluten hasn't developed enough, it will remain too tight and your dough will want to spring back into its original shape.

What ingredient makes pizza dough stretchy? ›

When mixing your pizza dough, the flour and water create a chemical reaction that results in a build-up of gluten. Gluten is what helps create a stretchy texture, allowing the dough to stretch without breaking. Though it's important to knead your dough thoroughly, it's not necessary to knead your dough for long.

What is the recipe for old school playdough? ›

2 cups water 2 cups flour 1 cup salt 2 tbs cooking oil 4 tsp cream of tartar Food coloring (optional) Add food coloring to water it you wish to color the dough. Mix and heat until ingredients form a ball. Knead until smooth and store in airtight container.

What to make with playdough easy? ›

It is easy to use your playdough to model some of your favorite foods. Some of the easiest to make include a breakfast plate of eggs and bacon, or creating a pizza and adding all of your favorite toppings. Don't forget to make a plate to put all of your delicious food on!

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