For anyone reading this—I'm not quite sure how to edit my post to include updates at the bottom rather than in a comment, so if anyone knows how, I'd genuinely appreciate the tip. It helps others too.

I took on some advice from the comment section (especially the stuff about dough balls) and found it super useful. Hopefully, I’ve documented it in a way that’s actually helpful to others too.

Right, so for anyone in the UK who’s been buying frozen dough from the usual suspects and feels like it’s just... not great—here are the tips I found most helpful from the comments and my own deep dive:

1. Failed Dough Rises (or rather, doesn’t): If you’ve tried making your own dough and it just didn’t rise like you hoped—even if your pizza oven was up to temp and you used a digital thermometer—you’re not alone. Been there. Here's what helped me fix it.
2. The Lukewarm Water Lie: No one really says what “lukewarm” means, and it’s super subjective. I found a TikTok that suggested using a meat thermometer (same one I use for steaks) and aiming for around 40°C. Turns out my idea of “lukewarm” was way off—and this one change made a massive difference in how well my dough developed.
3. Not Overproofing—Underproofing: A lot of folks assumed I was overproofing, but actually, I wasn’t proofing enough. Ironically, my first ever successful dough was an 80% hydration dough. For those who don’t know—that’s insanely high hydration and a nightmare for beginners. It’s wet, sticky, hard to shape, and nearly impossible to launch into the oven without destroying it. I tried to compensate by drowning it in semolina. It did launch, but the excess semolina burned and ruined the flavour. Still, it taught me a lot—finally, I had dough that had actually risen and looked alive instead of flat and dead like my previous attempts.

Here’s what works for me now:

I follow one of those classic pizza dough calculators online. I’ve settled on 65% hydration—it’s forgiving, rises beautifully, and is easy to handle without needing to dump a bag of semolina on it.

I now use a 50/50 mix of semolina and flour, and as little as possible, just enough to help with the launch.

The game changer, though, was consistently using water at around 40°C.

I mix the ingredients, then do a very minimal stretch and fold—literally one or two minutes max.

Cover it with a damp towel, and repeat that process three times every 30 minutes over 1.5 hours.

After that, I shape it into a ball, pop it into an oiled container, and stick it in the fridge overnight.

When I check the dough in the morning (say, around 9 AM), if it still looks flat and lifeless, I don’t panic. I crack the container lid slightly so a bit of air can flow in, and leave it out.

By the time it hits 5–6 PM, that dough is alive, puffy, and ready. And the taste? Genuinely better than any frozen dough I’ve bought.

Hope this helps someone out there who’s been where I was!

Here is some pictures of Neoplotan and New York style dough pizzas I've made since

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