Poolish For Pizza Dough (or bread)

Step 1

Poolish Recipe

Step 2

Pour 75 ml of room temperature water into a mixing bowl.

Step 3

Add the yeast and honey to the water and mix well.

Step 4

Add flour to the water and incorporate it fully until you're left with an extremely wet dough about the consistency of thick pancake batter.

Step 5

Transfer the poolish mixture to a resealable container, or a bowl tightly covered in plastic wrap. Let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour, or until you see some yeast activity such as as rising slightly or small bubbles.

Step 6

Place the poolish in the refrigerator to cold ferment overnight.

Step 7

Depending on how cold your refrigerator is, the poolish will last anywhere from 2-7 days. It can still be used beyond this date, in most cases, but the taste of the crust will change due to the extended fermentation process. This may or may not be a good thing depending on your preferences.

Step 8

Poolish Pizza Dough Recipe

Step 9

Pour 127ml of luke warm water (or .65 cups) into the mixing bowl.

Step 10

Transfer your poolish (150 grams, if you followed this recipe) into a large mixing bowl with the water and mix them together loosely.

Step 11

Add 6 gram (or 1-2 teaspoons) of honey in with the water and poolish. Mix well until all of the poolish has blended in with the water. It will become quite white and foamy as the gas from the poolish is released into the water.

Step 12

Measure out 213 grams of flour (or about 1 cup) and mix it with 9 grams (1.5 teaspoons) of salt. Add about half of this flour/salt mixture to the water/poolish mixture and mix well. A stiff rubber spatula works well for this.

Step 13

Add 1 tablespoon (or around 13 grams) of extra virgin olive oil and mix well.

Step 14

Add the rest of the flour and mix it until all of the dry ingredients have been hydrated by the wet ingredients. Cover the bowl tightly and let this mixture rest for 15 minutes.

Step 15

When 15 minutes have passed, give the dough mixture another quick stir with the spatula. It works best to fold the dough on top of itself several times then form it into the rough shape of a ball. You should notice that the consistency of the dough is much smoother and less sticky than it was previously, this means the gluten is starting to form.

Step 16

At this point you have a choice - you can either knead the dough for about 15-20 minutes until the gluten fully forms or you can leave it to rest overnight in the fridge. Both of these methods will encourage gluten formation which is what makes for a good crust. The overnight no-knead method is best in terms of simplicity and the double fermentation effect, but if you need the dough the same day you'll have to knead it by hand until the dough is elastic and smooth.

Step 17

Tip: If you've never kneaded pizza dough before, you can make the process easier (but slightly longer) by kneading for only a few minutes at a time and letting it rest for 15 minutes in between. Each time it rests, the dough will become more elastic and easier to work with. When kneading, coat your hands with a small amount of olive oil, lift the dough up and slap it back down onto the counter while folding it over onto itself. Repeat this 3 or 4 times then let it rest for 15 minutes. Repeat this whole process until the dough becomes elastic and smooth then form it into a ball.

Step 18

When the dough is kneaded, divide it in half and form each half into a smooth and tight ball. Place the balls onto a lightly oiled pan and cover it gently with plastic wrap so it can expand. Let the balls proof for 1-2 hours at room temperature before shaping them into a pizza. If you only plan on using 1 of the balls, you can place the other in the fridge and skip the proofing process.