How To Tell When Pizza Dough Has Gone Bad

You don't have to pay expensive pizza-parlor prices for a hot and delicious pie. Make your pizza at home for a fraction of the price that large chains charge to create a pizza to your specifications. Using homemade dough for your pizza within three hours of making it provides you with an ideally fluffy crust, but you do not have to use your pizza dough immediately. Wrap leftover pizza dough in plastic and place it in the refrigerator to make another pizza, tarts, bread sticks or other items at a later date. If you don't use your leftover dough quickly, however, it can spoil.

Step 1

Calculate how long your dough has been in the refrigerator. You can leave pizza dough in the refrigerator for up to a week. If the last time you used the dough was over a week ago, it's likely the dough has gone bad and you should not risk eating it.

Step 2

Spread out the pizza dough and look for spots of mold. Although refrigeration inhibits mold growth, it does not prevent it entirely. If you see dark spots of mold scattered throughout your dough, do not eat it.

Step 3

Smell the dough. If the dough has a pungent, sour odor, throw it away. A yeasty smell is normal for dough that has been stored in the refrigerator, but a sour smell is not.

Step 4

Examine the dough's coloring. Pink liquid or pinkish patches are indicators that your pizza dough has gone bad.

Tips and Warnings

If you know that you won't use your pizza dough anytime soon, place it in an airtight container or wrap it in wax paper and plastic wrap and put it in the freezer. Always allow your dough to rise before attempting to freeze it.
Never eat pizza dough you suspect may have gone bad. If you're desperate for pizza, make a fresh batch a dough or pick up pre-made dough from the supermarket. Eating spoiled pizza dough can make you and your family sick.