Flexible 3-Day Pizza Dough

Ingredients

• 545 g Bread flour
• 295 g All-purpose flour
• 0.5 g Instant yeast (Use a very small amount; an accurate gram scale is helpful.)
• 21 g Salt
• 16 g Sugar
• 16 g Olive oil (Plus additional oil for the fermentation container, as needed.)
• 545 g Water (Use water at approximately 55°F (13°C).)

Steps

1. 1

   Combine the bread flour, all-purpose flour, instant yeast, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Mix briefly to distribute the dry ingredients evenly.

2. 2

   Add the 55°F (13°C) water and olive oil to the dry ingredients. Mix with a rubber spatula or your hand until the flour is mostly incorporated. The dough will be sticky; do not add extra flour.

3. 3

   Knead the dough in the bowl or on a work surface for 4–5 minutes. Continue until it begins to feel less sticky, even though it will not yet be smooth. Aim for a finished dough temperature of approximately 72°F (22°C).

4. 4

   Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled container and cover it. Let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

5. 5

   After 30 minutes, wet your hands to prevent sticking. Perform four stretch-and-folds: pull one side of the dough upward without tearing it, fold it over the center, and rotate the container to repeat on all four sides.

6. 6

   Cover the dough and let it rest at room temperature for another 30 minutes.

7. 7

   Check the dough using the windowpane test by gently stretching a small piece. If it tears easily rather than stretching thin and translucent, repeat four stretch-and-folds followed by another 30-minute rest. Continue this cycle until the dough passes the windowpane test.

8. 8

   Once the dough has developed sufficient strength, cover it and leave it on the counter overnight for approximately 12 hours. It should double or triple in volume.

9. 9

   Transfer the covered dough to the refrigerator and cold-ferment it for 1–2 days. This extended fermentation develops gluten strength and flavor.

10. 10

    About 5 hours before you plan to bake, divide the dough into three equal portions and shape each portion into a tight ball. Cover the dough balls and let them come to temperature and relax before shaping into three 16-inch pizzas.

Notes

The source provides the dough process but not the pizza-topping or baking instructions. Keep the dough covered during all rests and fermentation stages. Because the yeast quantity is only 0.5 g, weighing it accurately is important. The total time assumes approximately 12 hours at room temperature, 1 day of refrigeration, and 5 hours after balling; refrigeration may be extended to 2 days.

Nutrition per serving

• pizza
• pizza dough
• Italian
• bread
• yeast dough
• long fermentation
• cold-fermented
• vegetarian