I've had success making pizza dough and [covering it and] letting it
rise in the refrigerator. This way, you can make the dough earlier in
the day and it will be ready for baking. (You can also make an early
children's dinner and a later dinner by taking out only as much dough
as you need.)
I often use my Kitchen Aid to make the dough (Mix yeast and water in
the bowl and then mix in flour and salt.) Then put the plastic lid on
the bowl (plastic wrap will also work) and stick it in the
refrigerator. Not too much of a mess. No mess on the counter. Just
remember to wash the dough hook before the dough hardens.
I've never tried making the dough early in the morning but a 4 hour
refrigeration rise works pretty well. When you take it out of the
refrigerator, it's best to remove it from the chilled bowl and and put it
on a floured work surface and let it sit covered for a little while
so that it starts coming up to room temperature. Since you've got to
start heating up the oven, [and if you are fortunate enough to have a
pizza stone or other similar thing in your oven, heating the oven can
take a while.]
If anyone has experience freezing dough, please share it.
jayne