Pizza Night Upgrade: Fresh-Milled Pizza Dough

Once you experience pizza made with fresh-milled flour, you’ll never go back to store-bought dough! Freshly milled flour transforms pizza from a typical fast food indulgence into a wholesome, nutrient-rich meal perfect for the whole family. In this blog, you’ll learn how to make fresh-milled pizza dough at home with easy, step-by-step instructions designed for beginners and seasoned bakers alike.

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Why Fresh-Milled is Superior to Gluten-Free

A few years ago, a holistic health practitioner suggested I switch to gluten-free foods to help with my digestive issues. At the time, I was confused—after all, I was already eating mostly whole foods made with organic ingredients. Curious to understand more, I began researching and discovered a surprising truth: conventional all-purpose flour is heavily processed, stripping away much of its natural fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

Since the 1940s, food manufacturers have been “enriching” white flour by adding back synthetic nutrients like iron and B vitamins to make up for what’s lost during refining. In contrast, whole wheat and fresh-milled flours retain their natural nutrients in a form that’s easier for the body to digest. That’s when it clicked—my digestive troubles weren’t just about gluten, but about the ultra-processed nature of commercial flour. My body simply wasn’t tolerating it well.

Fresh-milled sourdough, made through a natural fermentation process, is often easier to digest—especially for those sensitive to conventional bread. The fermentation breaks down gluten and unlocks nutrients, making it a wholesome, gut-friendly alternative to highly processed store-bought loaves. Plus, by using fresh-milled flour, we avoid the preservatives and unnecessary additives commonly found in commercial flours.

That’s when we made the switch to homemade, fresh-milled sourdough—and it completely transformed how our family eats. The difference in taste, texture, and how we felt after eating it was remarkable. Curious about our journey to better bread? Learn more about why we made the switch to fresh-milled sourdough here.

In this blog, I’ll walk you through how to make fresh-milled pizza dough step-by-step—including how to mill your own flour, the essential equipment you’ll need, and the full process to create a delicious, homemade dough from scratch. Let’s dive in!

What You Need to Get Started

• A grain mill – I personally use and recommend the Nutrimill, which has been a reliable tool in my kitchen. If you decide to go with Nutrimill, be sure to use the code acresandaprons at checkout for a discount! Other great alternatives include brands like Mockmill and Komo, so choose the one that best fits your needs and budget.
• A stand mixer (unless you plan to knead by hand)
• This baking steel isn’t *actually* needed, but it will really level up your pizza game.
• Grains for fresh-milled pizza dough (I order all my grains from Azure Standard):
  • Hard White Wheat – Best for a lighter, softer crust with a mild flavor. It has strong gluten development and works well for Neapolitan-style or soft crust
  • Hard Red Wheat – Higher in protein and gives a more robust, nutty flavor. Great for a hearty, artisan-style pizza crust
  • Durum Wheat — Best for a crispy, chewy crust. This is the grain used for traditional Italian semolina flour. You can mix it with hard white or hard red wheat for structure.
  • If you want to experiment with blending grains for your crust, try these suggestions for a balanced crust: 75% Hard White Wheat + 25% Durum Wheat (for a crispy yet soft crust) or 50% Hard Red Wheat + 50% Hard White Wheat (for a heartier, more rustic flavor
• Other helpful tools are a kitchen scale, a dough scraper, pizza steel, and pizza paddle.

Step-By-Step: How to Make Fresh Milled Pizza Dough 

Step 1: Mill. You’ll want to start early — your dough needs 6-8 hours to rest before baking. If making pizza for dinner, begin around 8–9 AM. Start by milling your grains—if you’re new to this, be sure to check out my Guide to Fresh-Milled Grains here for a detailed walkthrough on all things home milling. Slowly pour the wheat berries into your mill’s hopper, allowing the machine to process them evenly. Avoid overloading, as this can put unnecessary strain on your mill. As a general rule, 1 cup of wheat berries will yield about 1 ¼ cups of fresh-milled flour.

Step 2: Mix. Add all ingredients to a stand mixer with a dough hook. I use my Bosch Universal Mixer. Knead on medium speed. (Bosch setting 2) for 7–10 minutes, until it passes the windowpane test.

The windowpane test:

• Take a small ball of dough (about the size of a golf ball). 
• Gently stretch the dough between your fingers, thinning it out as much as possible. 
• Hold the dough up to a light source. 
• If the dough can be stretched to a thin, translucent sheet without tearing, it has passed the windowpane test. 

Step 3: Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover, and let it rest at room temperature for 6-8 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

Step 4: Divide the dough into 3 portions. Roll out the dough on parchment paper, keeping a thinner center and thicker crust. Leave as much of the air pockets in it as possible. Don’t force the dough to stretch, allow it to relax and stretch naturally. If it tears, don’t panic: Simply stretch the dough over the tear and pinch the edges together. 

Step 5: Bake to Perfection – Let the dough rest for 15-20 minutes. Preheat your cast iron pans/stone in your oven, to 475°F (245°C). We baked our most recent pizzas in the oven in cast iron pans, but using an outdoor pizza oven can result in the crispiest crust. We also love our baking steel in our home over for the perfect crispness! Add sauce and toppings of choice (Our favorite toppings are tomatoes and basil, beef sausage, and buffalo chicken!). Bake for 13-15 minutes or until crispy!

Tips for Success with Fresh-Milled Flour

Fresh-milled flour can be tricky but making the switch has benefited our family tremendously. I thought I was sensitive to gluten, turns out, it is just the flour. My Fresh-Milled Guide contains 50+ pages of information on how to work with fresh milled flour, with loads of tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way.

Our Favorite Toppings & Sauce Pairings

• Classic Margherita – A classic Margherita pizza typically features a simple yet flavorful combination of tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil leaves. 
• Farmhouse-style with fresh homestead cheese
• Fermented sourdough-style pizza for an even deeper flavor

Make tonight Pizza night!

I want to encourage you to give fresh-milled pizza dough a try! I think you’ll agree that the flavor is richer than traditional pizza doughs and the most beautiful, crispy crust is going to make your family ask for a weekly pizza night!

recipe: 

• 227 grams Sourdough Starter (≈ 1 cup – make sure it’s active)
• 810 grams Fresh Milled Flour (≈ 6 cups)
• 540 grams Water (≈ 2 ¼ cups)
• 18 grams Salt (≈ 3 tsp)
• 32 grams Honey (≈ 1 ½ tbsp)
• 41 grams Olive Oil (≈ 3 tbsp)

steps: 

Preparing the Dough

Start early—your dough needs 6-8 hours to rest before baking. If making pizza for dinner, begin around 8–9 AM.

1. Add all ingredients to a stand mixer with a dough hook. I use my Bosch Universal Mixer.
2. Knead on medium speed (Bosch setting 2) for 7–10 minutes, until it passes the windowpane test.
3. Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover, and let it rest at room temperature for 6-8 hours 

Shaping & Baking

1. Preheat oven and cast iron pans/stone to 475°F (245°C).
2. Divide the dough into 3 portions 
3. Roll out on an oiled surface, keeping a thinner center and thicker crust. Transfer to parchment paper for easy handling.
4. Add sauce and toppings of choice (Our favorite toppings are tomatoes and basil, beef sausage, and buffalo chicken).
5. Bake for 13–15 minutes until crispy.

Notes 

If you’re not baking the same day, let your dough rest on the counter for 8 hours, then refrigerate for up to 5 days. For longer storage, freeze it for up to 3 months.

Pro-Tip: I don’t recommend using soft wheat for this recipe, as it does not hold together well.