Cold-Fermented Pizza Dough

Three pizza dough ball on brown baking paper.

No ratings yet

Cold-Fermented Pizza Dough

Simplify pizza night with this easy cold-fermented dough recipe. By preparing it at least a day ahead, you'll be rewarded with extra flavor and a restaurant-quality pizza crust with a chewy and fluffy texture. Conventional and pizza oven approved!

Prep Time20

Proofing Time12

Total Time12 20

Course: Bread, Dinner

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings: bases

Calories: 679kcal

Author: Caro Jensen

Ingredients

450 ml water room-temperature
2 g instant dry yeast
750 g bread flour 00 flour
22 g salt

Instructions

Combine the water and instant dry yeast in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine for the yeast to dissolve.
450 ml water, 2 g instant dry yeast
Add the flour and start mixing with the dough hook of your stand mixer or your hands. Once you have a shaggy dough, add the salt.
750 g bread flour, 22 g salt
Combine everything to a smooth dough and knead the dough with a stand mixer for 5 minutes or 10 minutes by hand on a lightly floured surface.
Add the dough back into to the bowl and cover it with a plate or damp tea towel. Let it rest for 1 hour at room temperature to allow the yeast to kick-start and the gluten to relax.
After the initial resting time, divide the dough into 4 equal-sized portions and shape them gently into round dough balls. Place them in a large airtight container, about 1 inch apart, and store them in the fridge overnight or for at least 8 hours.
Remove the container from the fridge 2 hours before you're making your pizzas for the dough to warm and relax. Shape the dough into pizza bases and bake with your desired toppings.

Notes

Quantity: This recipe makes four 12-inch pizzas once shaped. Double or triple the recipe using the toggle in the recipe card to make larger quantities.

Too sticky: This could be due to incorrect measuring of the ingredients or not enough kneading. Use a little extra flour when shaping, but be careful not to add too much, which can make the crust tough.

Storage: I don't recommend letting the dough ferment longer than 4 days in the fridge or the dough will over-ferment and become slack and weak. You can freeze pizza dough in a freezer-proof container for 3 months however to extend its lifespan.

Nutrition