Cold-fermented pizza dough scaled for four 16-inch pizzas at 480 g per ball. Long fridge rest builds the flavor. Adapted from the Dough Guy calculator.
At a Glance
| Yield | 4 dough balls, 480 g each (16-inch pizzas) |
| Active time | ~20 minutes mixing |
| Bulk rest | 1 to 3 hours at room temp |
| Cold ferment | 2 to 4 days (3 days ideal) |
| Bakers percentage | ~62% hydration, 2.5% salt, 0.4% yeast |
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Bread flour | 1137 g |
| Water | 705 g |
| Active dry yeast | 4.5 g |
| Salt | 28 g |
| Sugar | 23 g |
| Olive oil | 38 g |
Method
Prep the water
Cool the water to under 60°F. Cold water slows fermentation during the mix so the dough doesn’t over-proof before you get it into the fridge.
Yeast and water
Combine the water and active dry yeast in the mixer bowl. Stir briefly.
First mix
Add the flour and olive oil. Mix on low for 2 minutes until it comes together into a rough mass with no dry flour left.
Salt and sugar
Add the sugar and salt with the mixer running on low. Salt slows the yeast, so adding it after the initial hydration lets the flour absorb water first.
Develop the dough
Mix for 10 more minutes on low. The dough should end up smooth, elastic, and pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
Bulk rest
Cover and let rest at room temperature for 1 to 3 hours. It will relax and start to build volume.
Ball and seal
Divide into 4 equal portions (~480 g each). Shape each into a tight ball, sealing the seam underneath by pinching or by cupping and dragging on the counter. A tight seal keeps the ball’s structure through the long ferment.
Cold ferment
Place the balls in oiled containers with lids (individual quart deli containers work great). Refrigerate for 2 to 4 days. Three days is the sweet spot for flavor and extensibility.
Before baking
Pull the dough balls out 1 to 2 hours before shaping so they come to room temperature. Cold dough is stiff and fights back when you try to open it.
Notes
- Bread flour, not AP. The higher protein gives you the chew and structure for a 16-inch pie. King Arthur bread flour is a reliable baseline.
- Weigh everything. The percentages here are dialed in; volume measurements will drift.
- The 3-day sweet spot is worth planning around. 24 hours works in a pinch but you lose the depth of flavor. Past 4 days the dough gets too slack and hard to work.
- Freezing: dough balls freeze well for up to a month. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then room temp for 2 hours before shaping.
- Room temperature matters. In a cool kitchen (under 68°F), go the full 3 hours on bulk rest. Warm summer kitchen, 1 hour is plenty.
- This is a lot of dough. Half or quarter the recipe for smaller batches; percentages stay the same.
Source
Recipe from doughguy.co/pages/dough. See their site for the calculator that scales this to any pie size or count.