Pizza troubleshooter
Choose what you saw — up to three things — and, if you know them, what you baked on, the style and the bake. PizzaHQ ranks the likely causes from its 57 documented symptoms, 137 recorded causes and 36 equipment-specific branches, and for each one says why it fits, how to tell it apart from its neighbours, what you can still rescue, and what to change next time.
Ranked causes
Most likely
Dead or inactive yeast
Generally acceptedDough formulation · from Dough did not rise
Yeast loses activity over time, especially once opened, and is killed outright by water above roughly 50C.
- Why it fits
- Recorded cause of "Dough did not rise", ranked 1 of 3 by PizzaHQ's editors.
- How to tell it apart
- No rise at all, even after moving the dough somewhere warmer, and the yeast is old, was opened long ago, or met very hot water.
- Rescue it now
- Move the dough somewhere warmer (around 24-27C) and give it more time; if yeast is suspected dead, a small proofed test batch confirms before discarding the whole dough
- Next time
- Proof yeast in warm water with a pinch of sugar before mixing if in doubt, and check your yeast's use-by date
Dough did not riseHow to get an airier crustYeast and fermentation basics
Room or dough temperature too cold
Generally acceptedFermentation · from Dough did not rise
Yeast activity slows dramatically below about 15C, extending fermentation time well beyond a typical recipe's estimate.
- Why it fits
- Recorded cause of "Dough did not rise", ranked 2 of 3 by PizzaHQ's editors.
- How to tell it apart
- A slow, partial rise is visible, the dough sat somewhere cool, and it picks up once moved somewhere warmer.
- Rescue it now
- Move the dough somewhere warmer (around 24-27C) and give it more time; if yeast is suspected dead, a small proofed test batch confirms before discarding the whole dough
- Next time
- Proof yeast in warm water with a pinch of sugar before mixing if in doubt, and check your yeast's use-by date
Dough did not riseHow to get an airier crustYeast and fermentation basics
Also possible
Too much salt in direct contact with yeast during mixing
Generally acceptedDough formulation · from Dough did not rise
Salt is osmotically harsh to yeast cells if added directly onto them before mixing disperses it.
- Why it fits
- Recorded cause of "Dough did not rise", ranked 3 of 3 by PizzaHQ's editors.
- How to tell it apart
- Yeast and salt went into the bowl together, on top of each other, before mixing, while the yeast and room temperature otherwise check out.
- Rescue it now
- Move the dough somewhere warmer (around 24-27C) and give it more time; if yeast is suspected dead, a small proofed test batch confirms before discarding the whole dough
- Next time
- Proof yeast in warm water with a pinch of sugar before mixing if in doubt, and check your yeast's use-by date
Dough did not riseHow to get an airier crustYeast and fermentation basics
How this works
Every cause shown is one PizzaHQ has already documented, either on a symptom page or as an equipment-specific branch. The troubleshooter does not invent causes; it ranks the documented ones against what you told it.
A cause starts from its recorded evidence confidence and its editorial rank within its symptom. An equipment-specific cause for the equipment you used rises sharply, and causes for equipment you are not using are set aside. A kind of cause (bake environment, fermentation, toppings…) that also explains another thing you saw rises again — one explanation for two observations is more likely than two separate faults.
If you name a style, its recorded equipment fit, bake temperature and bake time are compared with yours; a bake far outside the style's range, or equipment PizzaHQ records as a compromise for that style, raises the heat and equipment causes and says why.
Assumptions
- Causes are bucketed — most likely, also possible, less likely — rather than given a percentage; the underlying ranking is additive and every addition is listed under 'Why it fits'.
- 'How to tell it apart' is the observation PizzaHQ records as distinguishing that cause from the symptom's others.
- Bake temperature and time only count when a style is chosen, because they are judged against that style's recorded range.
Limitations
- Only documented symptoms can be diagnosed. If what you see is not listed, the closest symptom page is the better starting point.
- Equipment-specific branches exist where equipment genuinely changes the answer; most dough-stage problems have none, by design.
- A ranking is a starting point for checking, not a verdict — the distinguishing observations are there so you can confirm or rule out each cause yourself.