Recipes

Poolish Pizza Dough

Serves 3 × 12" pizzas or 2 × 16" pizzas 2 days
Italian Dinner VegetarianMake-Ahead
Poolish Pizza Dough

My wife is Italian, so pizza dough gets taken seriously in our house. A poolish means starting two days out, but it builds a flavor that same-day dough never finds.

Ingredients

Poolish

  • 150g tipo 00 flour
  • 150g water
  • 0.5g dried yeast

Final Dough

  • 350g tipo 00 flour
  • 200g water
  • 15g salt

Steps

Day 1: Evening

  1. 9:00 PM, make the poolish: Combine the poolish flour, water, and yeast in a container and mix until no dry flour remains. Cover loosely and leave at room temperature overnight for 12 hours. Room temperature should ideally be 68–72°F; cooler slows fermentation, warmer accelerates it.

Day 2: Morning

  1. 9:00 AM, mix the final dough: Add the poolish to a large bowl. Add the remaining 350g flour, 200g water, and 15g salt. Mix until a shaggy dough forms. It will look rough and uneven at this stage.
  2. 9:30 AM, first fold: Perform a set of stretch-and-folds: grab one side of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl and repeat 3 more times. Cover and rest.
  3. 10:00 AM, second fold: Repeat the stretch-and-fold sequence.
  4. 10:30 AM, first form: Turn the dough onto an unfloured surface. Using a bench scraper, drag the mass toward you with short, firm strokes to build surface tension. Let rest 5 minutes.
  5. 11:00 AM, second form: Repeat the forming step for a tighter, smoother ball.
  6. 12:00 PM, divide and shape: Divide the dough into individual balls, then shape each piece into a tight ball by folding the edges under and rolling against the surface.
    • 3 × twelve-inch pizzas: 338g each
    • 2 × sixteen-inch pizzas: 507g each
  7. 12:10 PM, room-temperature rest: Leave the dough balls uncovered or loosely covered at room temperature.
  8. 12:40 PM, refrigerate: Transfer to an airtight container or cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

Day 3: Pizza Day

  1. Warm up: Remove dough from the refrigerator 60–90 minutes before you plan to shape and bake. The dough needs to relax and come to room temperature so it stretches without springing back.
  2. Shape: Gently press from the center outward with your fingertips, letting gravity do the work. Avoid a rolling pin. It degases the bubbles you’ve spent two days building.

Baker’s percentages

  Weight %
Total flour 500g 100%
Total water 350g 70%
Salt 15g 3%
Yeast 0.5g 0.1%

Notes

  • Hydration: The 70% hydration produces an open, airy crumb and a crackly bottom. It’s on the wetter end. Flour your hands lightly when handling.
  • On the poolish: The 12-hour fermentation at room temperature develops complex flavor that a same-day dough can’t replicate. After 12 hours the surface should be domed or just starting to fall, with visible bubbles. If it smells sharp or alcoholic, it over-fermented. Use it anyway, but reduce the overnight fridge rest.
  • On flour: Tipo 00 is finely milled with a lower bran content, which gives a more elastic, extensible dough. Bread flour works as a substitute but produces a slightly chewier crust.
← Recipes