Handling your pizza dough in the summer heat

We are currently enjoying some wonderful sunshine. While we are definitely not complaining, it can have somewhat of a bloating effect on dough as it becomes very active and expands when taken out the fridge. Follow these steps and your dough will be just fine.

1. When the temperature is around 23°C (73.4°F) outside, take the dough out the fridge around 4 hrs before using it, and not the 5 hrs as instructed. If the temperature is around 25°C, then 3 hours is fine. If the temperature is any higher, then only take it out the fridge 2 hours before using it. You do need the dough to be room temperature when using it though, or you'll struggle to stretch it.
2. When you take it out the fridge, keep it in the coolest part of the kitchen/pantry. The dough needs to come up to room temperature and soften nicely to make it easy to stretch. Don't leave it in direct sunlight as it'll be way too hot and over-proof. Somewhere around 19-20°C is the perfect temperature
3. The dough will expand in the container, this is totally normal. However, if it bursts through the lid of the container, or is close to doing so, grab a larger container/bowl, brush it with a layer of olive oil, and pop the dough ball into it
4. Cover the new container with a lid, dish towel or cling film to protect the dough ball. If you don't cover the dough it'll develop a hard skin and will essentially be ruined - it should not be exposed to air flow until you're ready to use it

That's all folks, enjoy the beautiful sunshine!