Name: Our Best Poolish Dough
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 2 min
Total time: 17 min
Yield: Six 12-inch (30-centimetre) pizzas

Our Best Poolish Dough

If you’re ready to take your pizza-making skills to the next level, a great place to start is the world of preferments. A simple mix of flour, water and yeast that’s made in advance of cooking, preferments are added to the final dough for extra flavour, texture and quality.

One of the most popular types of preferments is poolish, which refers to the techniques of Polish bakers who transported their methods to France. For insight, we turn to the pages of “Modernist Pizza” by the founder of Modernist Cuisine, Nathan Myhrvold, and head chef of Modernist Cuisine, Francisco Migoya:

“Poolish is a high-hydration (100%) preferment made from flour, water, and instant yeast. [...] One of the most common types of preferments, poolish is widely used by professional pizza makers in North America (though rarely by Italian pizzaioli, who generally prefer to make direct doughs). Because it is based on commercially manufactured yeast, it does not have the tangy flavour of a levain [sourdough starter].”

According to Migoya, a poolish can be mixed and fermented at room temperature, doesn't need to be maintained, and, due to its wetness, is easier to incorporate into the final dough than a biga. (A biga is a term used in Italian baking and is usually drier and stiffer than a poolish.) Adding a poolish to the dough will also give you a shorter mix time and less dough development, making for a more visually appealing crumb.

A poolish typically needs 6 to 12 hours to ferment, adding a nice buttery and nutty flavour to the final dough. This is great for classic pizzas like our recipe here with tomato sauce, mozzarella, Parmesan and fresh basil, but it also works well for dessert pizzas!

Difficulty

Servings

Six 12-inch (30-centimetre) pizzas

Prep Time

(not including dough prep and proof time )

Cook Time

2 minutes

By Ooni HQ

Note

We like to use “00” flour when making Neapolitan-style poolish dough, but you can also use all-purpose flour. For the sauce, we recommend our classic pizza sauce.

Method

1: Mix the poolish: combine all ingredients and mix until the flour is completely incorporated.

Store in an airtight container and let it proof for 12 hours.

2: When ready to mix the dough, put the water and poolish into the bowl of a stand mixer.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour and salt together, add it to the liquid, and mix on medium-low speed until dough forms, about 4 minutes.

Tip: If you don't have a stand mixer, mix the ingredients with a wooden spoon or your hands, then knead by hand until a smooth dough forms, about 15 minutes.

3: Let the dough rest for 2 hours.

Use your dough scraper and a digital scale to divide the dough into six 260-gram dough balls and store them overnight in the fridge. If you want to make pizza that same day, let the dough balls rest at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.

4: Before stretching and topping your dough, fire up your oven and allow it to preheat for 15 to 20 minutes.

Aim for 450 and 500 °C (850 and 950 °F) on your baking stone. You can check this quickly, accurately and from a safe distance with an infrared thermometer.

5: When the dough is ready, place the ball on a lightly floured surface, flour your hands and use your fingertips to press the dough into a small, flat disc.

Working from the centre, push the dough outwards while spreading your fingers, making the disc slightly bigger. Pick up the dough and gently pinch it all around the edge, allowing gravity to pull it downwards into a circle. Neapolitan-style pizza bases are very thin, so you should be able to see through the base when you hold it up to the light. Take care when doing this, as you don’t want it to tear.

6: Once the dough is fully stretched, lightly flour your pizza peel and lay the base on it.

If at this point you see any small holes in the dough, gently pinch them back together.

7: Add 80 grams of the sauce and 100 grams of mozzarella.

8: When your oven is hot enough, launch your pizza and cook it for 1 to 2 minutes, turning every 20 seconds to ensure an even bake.

9: Remove from the oven, add 1 tablespoon (5 grams) of basil and 1 to 2 tablespoons (10 grams) of Parmesan, slice, serve and enjoy that pizza greatness!

Ooni HQ

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Equipment