3 Day Poolish Pizza Dough
This 3 day poolish pizza dough makes the best crusts! Chewy & crisp, this dough has incredible oven spring & a well developed flavour.
Servings: 5 12" Pizzas
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Digital Scales
- Mixing Bowl
- Digital Food Probe
- 5 Round Storage Tubs With Lids
- Dough Scraper
- Bench Knife
Ingredients
Poolish
- 200 g 00 Flour
- 200 g Water (25.5°c/78°f)
- 0.8 g Dried Active Yeast
Dough
- 600 g 00 Flour
- 300 g Water (25.5°c/78°f)
- 20 g Olive Oil
- 20 g Maldon Salt
Instructions
Poolish
- Pour the water into a mixing bowl, add in the yeast & stir to dissolve. Add in the flour & mix until just combined.Be careful not to over mix!
- Transfer the poolish into an airtight container & cover with a lid. Leave to sit at room temperature for 1 hour then place in the fridge for 18-24 hours.Make sure to use a container with plenty of extra room! The poolish will double in size. See the notes section for room temperature adjustments.
Mixing The Dough
- The next day, take the poolish out of the fridge & leave to sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
- In the meantime, place the flour, water & olive oil into the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix with the dough hook until just combined then leave to autolyse for an hour.
- Next, pour the poolish into the dough & mix on a medium speed until incorporated. Add in the salt & continue mixing until the dough passes the windowpane test. This will take 10-15 minutes on a medium speed.
Bulk Ferment
- Cover the bowl with clingfilm (or a tea towel) & leave at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Next, tip the dough out onto a clean worksurface, divide into 5 even pieces then shape into balls. Each ball of dough should weigh around 260g.
- Lightly oil 5 round storage containers then place a ball of dough into each. Make sure to cover each pot before refrigerating (with a lid or clingfilm).I use 760ml/25oz storage pots with lids.
Cold Ferment
- Place the dough in the fridge & leave to ferment for 36-48 hours.Once proved, the dough will have lots of tiny bubbles around the sides. This is a sign of proper fermentation! You can prove for up to 72 hours for a stronger fermented flavour (like sourdough) but I wouldn't go any longer than this.
Using For Pizza
- Take the dough out of the fridge 1½ - 2 hours before using for pizza. The dough should be at room temperature when used.
- To make into pizza, first tip the dough out onto a floured worksurface then flip over so that the dough is facing the same was as it was in the container.
- Using your fingertips, press the dough into a disc. Starting from the centre & working to the edge, making sure to leaving a 1-2 cm border (this will be the crust).
- To stretch, I like to use a method know as "The Steering Wheel" stretch. Here's how...Using both hands, pick the dough up from one edge & hold it in front of you like a steering wheel. Now rotate the dough in your hands, pinching to form a crust as you do so. As the dough rotates, gravity will stretch it into a large circle. With this method you have full control on the thickness of the crust. If you'd prefer a thinner crust, pinch the dough nearer the edge. For a thicker crust, pinch more towards the centre.
- Top the dough with a light layer of toppings then cook in a pizza oven at 400°c - 450°c (750°f/840°f) for 1-1½ minutes turning regularly with a peel to stop it burning.
Video
Notes
1. Number Of Pizzas - This recipe makes 5 pizza doughs. Each will make a 12" pizza.
2. Flour - For this recipe, I used Caputo's Nuvola flour but you could also use their Classica or Pizzeria flour.
3. Yeast - To weigh the 0.8g of yeast out, you'll need a set of micro scales. If you haven't got any it equates to a ¼ tsp of yeast. I'd recommend sticking with dried active yeast as instant yeast will make the dough ferment quicker.
4. Water Temp - I'd highly recommend using a digital food probe to check the temperature of the water before using it for the poolish & dough. This is key for proper fermentation.
5. Room Temperature - The room temperature of my kitchen tends to be between 20-25°c (68-77°f) & is what the timings for this recipe are based on.
If your kitchen is warmer than this, keep in mind that the dough/poolish may ferment slightly quicker. On the other hand, if your kitchen is colder, it may take slightly longer.
6. Pizza Oven - This dough cooks best in a pizza oven but can also be cooked in a home oven turned up to its' highest setting. If you've got a pizza/baking stone, pop that in your as well.
If you're like me & use a Gozney pizza oven, this dough cooks best when the oven is preheated to 400°c - 450°c (750°f/840°f) & the flame is set to medium.
7. Stretching - Use your hands to stretch the dough out before topping. This keeps the gas trapped in the dough, giving the pizza a better crust. Don't use a rolling pin! There's a visual guide on how to do this, in the recipe video.
❤️ Stay connected with Salt Butter Smoke
The Prep List is my free weekly newsletter with seasonal recipes, kitchen notes and behind-the-scenes from my kitchen. Add Salt Butter Smoke as a Google Preferred Source to see more of my recipes in Search.