Is "ballooning" normal for dough?

[nysauce]

When I take the dough out of the fridge to bring it up to room temperature, I notice that if I leave it out for a longer amount of time it collects air like a bubble. So when I start to stretch the dough and slap it to flatten it it releases air like I'm squashing a balloon. Is this normal behavior for dough or have I not mixed it enough, etc. Thanks in advance!

[RoadPizza]

It's perfectly normal.  The yeast excretes the air that form the bubbles in the dough.  If it gets too big or if it deflates, you've left it out too long.

[Randy]

I take my dough from the cooler two hours early and knock it down into a flat disk.  You might give this a try but like RP said it is not a problem.

Randy

[Arthur]

I did have this problem, but no longer do....I can't tell you exactly what the answer is, but I think it's one of these things:

- use room temp water in the recipe
- don't use too much yeast
- I take the dough out of the fridge just 30 minutes before cooking