Easy Poolish Pizza Dough
Learning how to make a poolish is the perfect way to up your pizza game from beginner to pro. This recipe takes some light planning (starting it two days before cooking), but is super easy to do. This recipe is pretty much guaranteed to make you the king (or queen) of sexy pizza crust leoparding.
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Servings: 3 270g dough balls
I bought 15 pizza ovens to hands-on test.It's a hobby, not an obsession! Here are the best pizza ovens.Equipment
- Outdoor pizza oven - You'll need high heat for this recipe. Check out this link for my in-depth review of over 30 pizza ovens I personally tested.
Ingredients
**NEW DOUGH CALCULATOR**
- Poolish dough calculator Easiest way to customize pizza size, quantity, and hydration. The calculator uses this recipe when toggling the "poolish" option.
Preferment (poolish)
- 175 g 00 flour Caputo "Pizzeria" is the ideal choice.
- 175 g Water Lukewarm (80-90F) to jumpstart the yeast.
- 3 g Honey Or about 1/2 tsp.
- 1 g Instant Dry Yeast (IDY) This Caputo yeast (linked) is a game changer and makes a world of difference. It's labeled as Active Dry Yeast, but acts as IDY (mixes directly into flour - no activating)
Final Dough
- 325 g 00 flour
- 125 g Water Lukewarm (80-90F)
- 12 g Salt
Seriously. I have a lot of pizza ovens.Let me show you the best after hundreds of hours testing. Read my in-depth pizza oven reviews!Instructions
Poolish (Day 1)
- In a glass measuring cup or microwavable bowl, heat water in the microwave for 20 seconds; this should result in a temperature of 80-90F.
- If you're using Fresh or Active Dry Yeast, mix the yeast into the water and let sit for 2 minutes. If you're using Instant Dry Yeast (IDY), proceed to the next step. Note: Caputo yeast is labeled as Active yeast, but does not need to be activated in water (works as IDY).
- Add the flour (preferment section only!) and IDY yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer. Next, add the water (preferment section only!) and mix well with hands, or a spoon, until fully incorporated.
- Cover with a lid or saran wrap, tightly. Allow to sit at room temperature for 2 hours before placing in the refrigerator for 18-24 hours.
Dough (Day 2)
- Remove poolish from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature, about 1 hour. With the poolish still in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the remaining water (final dough section!) and mix by hand. Fit the mixer with a dough hook and turn on medium. Slowly add flour (final dough section!) and salt and mix until dough is smooth and elastic, scraping down the flour on the sides with a spatula as needed, 5-8 minutes.
- Remove dough from bowl and knead by hand, 2 minutes. Flip the bowl over top of the dough and allow to rest for 20 minutes; you will notice the gluten is stronger after the rest. Divide the dough into equal pieces, roughly 270g each. Knead into a taut ball before placing in a lightly oiled bowl or proofing container, seam-side down. Cover the bowl with a lid or saran wrap and place in the refrigerator to cold ferment for another 18-24 hours.
Pizza Day (Day 3)
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature, at least 2 hours (assuming 70F; +/- an hour depending on room temp). With a lightly floured dough scraper/cutter, gently pick up a doughball and place it into a bowl with 50/50 semolina and 00 flour. Lightly coat both sides to prevent stickiness before continuing to stretch and bake.