12 Unexpected Ways To Use Store-Bought Pizza Dough

If you're just dipping your toes into homemade pizza making, you've likely already taken the store-bought, frozen or refrigerated pizza dough route before. Making your own pizza dough is an admittedly tedious process with tons of tricky bends; if your hydration ratio is off or your dough doesn't rise properly, you could be left picking up the phone and ordering takeout from your favorite local pizzeria instead. On the other hand, store-bought pizza dough is nothing if not consistent. To use it, all you need to do is bring it up to temperature (trust us, it makes it easier to work and shape), stretch it, add your toppings, and bake — it's that easy, and that much quicker than homemade dough. 

But, it turns out that store-bought pizza dough can be an easy and tasty base for a whole host of recipes, spanning from sweet breakfasts to snacks and everything in between. In order to spark your imagination, whether you bought one too many bags of dough or are racking your brain for ways to use up a small portion of leftover dough post-homemade pizza night, we've curated a list of some creative and unexpected ways to make the most of your store-bought pizza dough. 

Focaccia is one of the most fun and novice-friendly breads that you can make at home. Normally, it involves whipping, bulk fermenting, and proofing a fluffy, yeasty dough — which can take upward of several hours. But, if you have a bag of pizza dough on hand, you can expedite the process and have a tasty focaccia on your table in no time at all. 

In order to make an easy focaccia, you're going to want to plop your pizza dough into a well-oiled pan. The oil is critical to a focaccia dough, made with this shortcut or not, because it will crisp up the top and edges of the bread and prevent it from sticking. The fun part comes after the dough has had enough time to rise and slack in the pan: poking it with your fingertips so that the oil can permeate, and creating its dappled appearance. After about a half-hour in the oven, your bread will be ready to slice and enjoy. 

Another benefit of using pizza dough to make focaccia is that you can focus all of your efforts on adding flavor, rather than being worried about whether or not it's properly risen or if it will have the right texture after it's done baking. Olives, sliced tomatoes, and fresh herbs all make great additions to this shortcut bread recipe. Just add them when you're massaging in the oil. 

Pot pie is a versatile, homestyle meal that can easily be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. Once you have your veggies, proteins, and broth in a cooking vessel, all you need to do is layer on a top coat of pie crust and you should be set. But, pie crust can be finicky, seeing that you have to roll it out just right and get the perfect composition of fat and flour to maximize its buttery potential. An easy shortcut? That leftover pizza dough hanging out in your fridge. 

This unconventional use for pizza dough is simpler than you may think to execute. How you go about it is dependent on the style of pie you're working with. For example, if you're making a pot pie in a mug, you'll just need to place a small piece of dough on top of the pie to cover it. You'll also want to prick your pizza dough with a fork before you slide it in the oven, as you'll want to leave the opportunity for steam to escape as the pie is baking. You can also roll out a whole piece of dough to make a more traditional, double-crusted pot pie — but it's important to note that the texture of the pizza dough is much fluffier and not as crispy as pie dough, so it won't have the same effect as you may be used to. 

No trip to the mall is complete without an obligatory stop at Auntie Anne's (or some other pretzel shop of a bygone era). But, it turns out that you don't have to make a trip to the mall — nor do you have to be proficient in German baking — to make a delicious batch of homemade soft pretzels. 

Using pizza dough for your recipe is a store-bought shortcut that will yield fluffy, flavorful, and perfectly tasty pretzels. Once you have your blob of pizza dough, you're going to want to parcel it into smaller hunks for your recipe. From there, you can watch a couple of YouTube videos on how to properly fold and twist pretzels — or, just chop a log into small pieces to make pretzel bites. After that, you'll need to boil the dough in an alkaline bath. You can use baking soda as a shortcut here, or opt to boil your twists in lye to develop that malted flavor and create the golden brown skin that pretzels are known for. 

There are tons of ways that you can serve your tasty-yet-simple soft pretzels. Add a sprinkle of coarse pretzel salt before sliding them in the oven and pair them with a decadent beer cheese or honey mustard dipping sauce. Or, take the sweet route and toss your pretzels in melted butter, cinnamon, and sugar for a twist on a food court favorite. 

There is something magical about coming down the stairs on Christmas morning and seeing a plate of warm and gooey cinnamon rolls topped in a decadent vanilla icing waiting for you. But with this shortcut, you'll have all the more reason to whip up a batch of cinnamon rolls beyond just for special occasions. Instead of tediously mixing, rising, and resting a batch of homemade cinnamon roll dough, you can make easy cinnamon rolls by swapping out your dough with store-bought pizza dough. Although most cinnamon roll doughs are sweetened and enriched with ingredients like sugar and milk — and most store-bought pizza doughs are not — you'll still get a similar fluffy texture and blank canvas to experiment with different fillings. 

Once your pizza dough is workable, roll it out into a rectangle on your workspace. Then, add your filling of choice (either conventional cinnamon-sugar or try a unique twist, like Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal) to the roll. Once the treats are rolled up tight, we recommend resting them again before you bake them, to leave enough time for the gluten in the dough to slack so that your rolls come out extra fluffy. 

Once your rolls are finished baking, you can add a tasty topping before serving, like a gooey maple-infused frosting or a classic and decadent cream cheese icing. Your guests may not even be able to tell that your rolls were made with your pizza night leftovers!

One of the best parts about store-bought pizza dough is that, with a little imagination, it can be transformed into just about anything — including "baguettes." Now, we're not saying that soft pizza dough will be able to replace the crispiness and snappiness of a baguette that you'd buy from a French bakery, but it will do the trick if you need something to serve with Boursin cheese or are looking to switch up your sandwich routine every once in awhile. 

To implement this handy store-bought pizza dough hack, just roll out the dough into baguette-like logs, dividing it into smaller pieces as needed. From there, you can use a bread lame or a sharp knife to score the surface before adding a drizzle of butter (or garlic butter, if you're feeling so inclined), and baking the bread until it's crispy and crunchy. Again, you won't get the same texture as a classic French baguette, since this iconic bread is steamed to gelatinize the starch on its crust, but you will still get something that's crispy enough to drag through a dish of extra virgin olive oil or slice and serve with your charcuterie favorites.

The best part of a pasta dinner isn't the noodles, nor is it the Sunday sauce that someone probably spent a whole lot of time on — it's the plate of garlic knots, smothered with an herby, buttery, and cheesy topping, piled high on the center of the table. The good news is that you don't have to settle for mediocre store-bought garlic knots for your next meal, considering that you can use store-bought pizza dough as a simple and easy substitute. 

It's already super fluffy and malleable, so you'll just need to roll out strips before tying the pieces into simple knots. From there, you can add a brush of butter or oil and bake them in the oven until they're golden brown. While you can add the garlic mixture to the knots before baking, you run the risk of it burning as the rolls are baking. So, you're better off smothering it on after the rolls have exited the oven. Plus, that way, you'll get the most pungent garlic flavor possible — vampires beware. 

Is it a sandwich? Is it a pizza? No, it's stromboli! Stromboli is like an inverted pizza, with all of the toppings rolled and sandwiched inside of the dough. The sauce, often marinara, can be served as a side for dipping or integrated into the filling instead. It's not the same thing as a calzone, as stromboli are shaped into rectangles and may only feature one type of cheese (mozzarella), though fillings can vary and include cured meats and vegetables. 

Store-bought pizza dough is an excellent vessel for a stromboli, and it allows for experimentation with different fillings. Once your dough has been rolled out into a rectangle, you can layer your toppings and gently tuck the sides in so that your stromboli remains log-shaped. After a brief trip in the oven and an adequate amount of time to cool, your pizza dough creation can be cut and served. The fact that you can prep one stromboli and slice it up into portions makes it a family-friendly favorite and an ideal choice for feeding a crowd.

As previously noted, strombolis and calzones are not the same, though you can use pizza dough for both of them. We love repurposing leftover pizza dough for calzones because you don't have to have a ton of dough on-hand to make this recipe work. Take what pizza dough you do have and roll it flat. Once you add your fillings (which can include cheeses like ricotta and mozzarella, and any number of meats and veggies), fold it over so that it resembles a half-moon shape. 

It's important to cut steam holes in the dough, especially if you're working with veggies that release a lot of moisture and steam as they cook (like broccoli and peppers). This will prevent your dough from puffing up too much or busting open as it's baking. Once your calzones are out of the oven, whip up a tasty dipping sauce to serve them with. While marinara is always a classic, you may want to opt for a more unconventional, but still complementary dip to enhance the flavor of your calzones, like pesto or Alfredo sauce.

One of the best parts of making homemade pizza is that its shape is freeform. While you can resort to baking it as normal pie, on a pizza stone or sheet pan in the oven, you can also try fun shapes using different pans. A muffin tin, for example, is a handy tool that you can use to make mini personal deep dish pizzas. 

You're going to want to start by oiling the inside of your muffin tin. You can use a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass or a jar to slice out little pieces of dough for your mini pizzas. Place the dough into the base of the muffin tin, add a few tablespoons of your favorite pizza sauce, and top things off with cheese, meat, or sliced veggies. You can also hold off on adding the sauce to the wells and serve it as a dipping sauce instead. 

The muffins are kid-friendly and easy to personalize. It's also a great way to use up a small serving of extra pizza dough, as you don't have to make a dozen muffins all in one shot. 

Fried dough, served piping hot and with an ample coating of powdered sugar on top, is arguably one of the best state fair foods ever made. But, you don't have to wait for fair season to get your hands on a piece, so long as you have access to store-bought pizza dough and a frying pan. It's so easy to repurpose your dough for this tasty treat, which can be made sweet or savory depending on your choice of toppings. 

Simply flatten the dough into the shape of your choosing and drop it into a shallow pan of oil until it's golden brown and crispy on both sides. Then, before it gets too cold, you can toss it in your seasoning of choice. Powdered or cinnamon sugar is a great way to turn this simple treat into a dessert, while a dusting of Parmesan and a side of marinara sauce for dipping will turn it into the perfect easy appetizer for your next family meal.

The key to making great fried dough is simple: fry it hot and eat it quickly. If you cook too many pieces of dough at once, you'll risk lowering the temperature of the oil too much and rendering it greasy. It's best served piping hot, but we already know that you're going to have people lined up waiting to try a piece of it, so that shouldn't be an issue. 

Monkey bread is the ultimate tear-and-share and a must-try for folks who love cinnamon rolls, but can never manage to get through a whole one — especially when the table is filled with other brunch fare. Traditionally, monkey bread is made with canned biscuits or cinnamon roll pieces, but you can also make a delicious batch of it using pizza dough, too. Pizza dough is plush and soft, so you'll get a satisfactory mouthfeel from each morsel. Plus, it has a neutral flavor, meaning that you can customize your recipe with an array of sweeteners, spices, and flavorings. 

All you need to do is cube your dough into bite-sized chunks, toss them in a cinnamon-sugar coating, and add them to your monkey bread tin. In no time flat, you'll have a decadent, sugary treat that can be served for breakfast or dessert. Just don't forget the dipping sauce, which can include anything from traditional vanilla icing or melted chocolate to whipped cream cheese. 

Although monkey bread is often sweet-leaning, that's not to say that you can't give it a savory spin and use pizza as your inspiration. Top your cubed pizza dough with Parmesan, garlic, and butter and stick the pieces into your greased baking pan. Serve them with pesto or marinara for a simple, yet savory appetizer. 

Pigs in a blanket are one of the best appetizers ever created. Who knew that little smokies and some sort of doughy coating would be such a dynamic duo? While many pigs in a blanket recipes call for canned crescent rolls, you can just as easily swap them out with pizza dough instead. Roll out the dough and cut it into small strips; if you're using full-sized hot dogs, you'll want to slice the pieces a little larger. Once the dough is rolled out and sliced, you can easily place the "pig" in the center and roll the dough around it. We would recommend baking the weenies seam-side down so that they don't unfurl in the oven. If you want to get more of a golden color on your pigs in a blanket, consider coating them in egg wash or melted garlic butter. 

Pizza dough doesn't have a strong flavor on its own, so you can use its blandness as an opportunity to dress up your appetizer. Serve it with a flavorful dipping sauce, like honey mustard or a spicy aioli, or take inspiration from the pizza itself and sprinkle your dogs with a little Parmesan cheese and serve them with a marinara dipping sauce.