Poolish Pizza Dough with Fermented Yeast Starter
Calling all pizza lovers! This yeast starter pre-ferment poolish pizza dough is an absolute game changer for a flavorful, light, and airy pizza crust. Get ready to master the art of making gourmet poolish pizza dough with basic pantry staples right in your own kitchen. Trust me, you will never think about that store bought cardboard ever again after one bite of fresh baked pizza dough like this! The flavor of the pizza dough will have you coming back slice after slice. Simply add your favorite pizza toppings and bake for a delicious pizza! Full recipe card below.
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What is a Poolish?
A poolish is a type of pre-ferment starter using 100% hydration typically used in bread making to create a more flavorful dough in a shorter amount of time. Since bread and pizza dough are comprised of the same basic ingredients, a poolish can also be used to make a more flavorful pizza crust using the same basic principles. The poolish itself is a starter that uses equal parts flour and water with a small amount of yeast. While this is similar to other dough starters like sourdough bread, the main difference in a poolish is the type of yeast used. A poolish uses commercial yeast while a sourdough starter uses wild yeast.
Ingredients
Most pizza dough recipes have a few basic ingredients that are consistent across the board and simply vary in quantities. I will break down what I use and why and give you a few alternatives for substitutions.
Flour  – For this recipe I always use bread flour or 00 flour. Believe it or not, different flour contains different levels of protein which changes the gluten structure formed when combined with yeast. When it comes to making pizza the type of flour you use can have a big impact on the crust. Many professionals use 00 flour but it is difficult to find in grocery stores and is more expensive than traditional flour. Instead, I like to use bread flour. It is similar to 00 flour in that it has a higher protein content which means more gluten can develop helping to provide more structure for your pizza dough. All purpose flour can be used here as well, but because it has a lower protein content it will not form as much gluten and isn’t the best choice. I highly recommend sticking to bread flour or 00.
Water – Cold water is key in this recipe since the poolish itself is 100% hydration level (equal parts water to flour). When it comes to pizza making, each different type of pizza falls into different hydration levels. The final dough in this recipe is 60% hydration which is typical of Neapolitan style pizza and New York style pizza.
Yeast – I always use active dry yeast because I buy it in bulk, but instant yeast will work here as well. You can use them interchangeably in a 1:1 ratio as long as the yeast is being dissolved in water. Active dry yeast needs to be activated in water where instant yeast does not need water to activate. You can also use fresh yeast as well.  Either way, yeast is a required ingredient here.
Honey – There is truly nothing better than a little bit of honey in dough or bread! The sugars in the honey help activate the yeast and create better flavor. I normally buy honey in bulk at Costco and get raw honey. This type of honey is more potent and has a bit sweeter of a taste. You can also try adding maple syrup if you do not have honey.
*** Pro Tip – When measuring honey spray your measuring spoon with cooking spray first. The honey will slide right off.
Salt – Salt actually helps to strengthen the gluten in the dough.
Olive Oil – I use extra virgin olive oil in this recipe. I add a little olive oil to the dough itself so it stays hydrated and doesn’t dry out during proofing.
Pizza Toppings – Add your favorite pizza toppings and sauce or try one of my pizza recipes.
Measuring the Ingredients
Most professional bakers use a food scale to measure out their ingredients since it is much more accurate than measuring with cups and spoons. While I normally do not publish recipes by weight, this one really should be made using weight. Also, when using a food scale, you wont have as many dishes because you can add directly into the bowl each time.
Poolish Pizza Dough Timeline
Because this poolish pizza dough recipe has several steps I want to cover the timeline in detail so there is no confusion. The full process takes between 20-29 hours to make. So I usually start to make it around noon on day one and finish it the next day for pizza on night two.
- Make the poolish starter. Sits at room temperature for 1 hour. Cold ferment in the fridge for 15-23 hours. Total time = 16-24 hours.
- Bring Poolish up to room temperature for 30 minutes. Mix poolish with main dough ingredients. Bulk fermentation for 1 hour. Total time = 1.5 hours.
- Form dough balls and rise in a proofing box for 2-3 hours at room temperature. Total time = 2-3 hours.
- Make pizzas
Making the Poolish
The first step in this recipe is making the poolish. This is the fermented starter and uses a cold ferment in the fridge for 15-23 hours plus one hour at room temperature before going into the fridge. While the ferment takes some time, the poolish mixture only takes about ten minutes to whip up. Because the dough is at 100% hydration at this step, it will be a very wet dough. This is normal.
The Dough Rise
The dough rise will not really start until you have mixed in the remaining dough ingredients and begin the bulk fermentation (step 2) since the first round of fermentation was for the starter. It will start with a bulk rise which means the entire ball of dough rises at the same time rather than balling it up into individual dough balls. For this part I keep my dough in the mixing bowl and cover it with a cutting board or plastic wrap. At this point the dough will no longer be wet.
The second rise will occur once the dough has been sectioned off into dough balls. To form my dough balls I usually use a dough cutter and form individual balls cupping the dough in a downward motion and pinching the bottoms of the balls together. They should be a smooth ball about the size of your hand. This recipe will yield six doughs for ten inch pizzas. This last rise should be done in a proofing box on the counter at room temperature. If you need to extend the time of this step you can also do this in the fridge for 3-6 hours since the cold temperature slows down the fermentation process.
Your dough is ready to make when it is pliable and can be formed into a circle without over working it. If the dough is overly sticky and rips easily, it has been over proofed and needed less time. If the dough is very springy and doesn’t hold it’s shape, it is likely under proofed and needs more time. But even if these errors occur, you can still make the pizza. This dough takes some practice to get just right.
Mixing Kneading Options
I normally mix my poolish by hand with a spoon and mix the rest of the dough with my stand mixer and a dough hook. If you do not have a stand mixer, you can use a handheld mixer with dough hooks or you can knead the dough by hand. You want to be careful not to overwork the dough. The dough is ready to rise once it starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and is no longer sticky.
Shaping the Dough
First let me say this part takes practice, so don’t be sad if your pizza isn’t a perfect circle. Mine rarely is! But I will also say, if your dough is under or over proofed, shaping it is much more difficult.
For this part I use semolina rather than flour because it doesn’t leave a bitter taste and it is easier to slide the dough off a pizza peel using semolina. You can also use a lightly floured work surface if flour is all you have. I start out by flattening out my dough ball with the palm of my hand. Then I pick it up with my hands at ten and two like driving a car, I rotate the dough letting gravity do its thing and stretch the dough out. I do this until the dough is the right size and resembles a circle.
I do not recommend using a rolling pin because it flattens the dough too much and takes all the air away which is what gives you a light and airy crust.
Making the Pizza
Being pizza aficionados, we own a lot of fancy equipment for pizza making. While you can bake this pizza dough in a normal home oven on a baking stone, I think it is best in a high heat pizza oven. Having a pizza peel is also very handy for outdoor pizza ovens.
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Poolish Pizza Dough with Fermented Yeast Starter
- Total Time: 27 hours 47 minutes
- Yield: 6 - 10 inch pizzas 1x
Description
Calling all pizza lovers! This yeast starter pre-ferment poolish pizza dough is an absolute game changer for a flavorful, light, and airy pizza crust. Get ready to master the art of making gourmet poolish pizza dough with basic pantry staples right in your own kitchen. Trust me, you will never think about that store bought cardboard ever again after one bite of fresh baked pizza dough like this! The flavor of the pizza dough will have you coming back slice after slice. Simply add your favorite pizza toppings and bake for a delicious pizza!
Ingredients
Poolish Starter
- 300 g Cold Water
- 5 g Active Dry Yeast
- 5 g Honey
- 300 g Bread Flour
Main Dough
- 300 g Cold Water
- 25 g Salt
- 10 g Olive Oil
- 700 g Bread Flour
Instructions
Poolish Starter
- In a large Tupperware container with a lid, combine the water, yeast, honey, and flour. You can mix this by hand with a spoon. It will be a very wet loose dough.
- Let mixture sit at room temperature for 1 hour, covered with lid.
- Refrigerate covered mixture for 15-23 hours.
Main Dough
- After 15-23 hours, remove poolish starter from fridge and bring up to room temperature for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the poolish with the cold water and mix on low speed with a dough hook until combined.
- Next, add the salt and mix until combined.
- Then add about half the flour, mix and repeat for the second half of the flour.
- Add the olive oil and mix one last time only until combined. Dough should be a little rough looking but pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Cover the dough and bulk rise for 1 hour.
- After one hour, divide dough into six equal sized balls.
- Place in a covered proofing box and rise one last time for 2-3 hours.
- Using semolina on your work surface flatten out each dough ball with the palm of your hand. Then pick it up with your hands at ten and two like driving a car, and rotate the dough letting gravity do its thing and stretch the dough out. Do this until the dough is the right size and resembles a circle.
- Top pizza and bake. For high heat pizza ovens, bake at 800 degrees for about 60-90 seconds. For normal indoor ovens, bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
Notes
My sweet spot for a perfect proof is about 27.5 hours with 22 hours for the initial poolish and 3 hours on the final rise. The prefect time in your climate will take practice to learn as it can vary based on humidity levels.
To slow down your final proof, you can cold ferment in the fridge.
Do not let the dough sit for too long with toppings prior to baking or it may get soggy in the middle.
Bake within 4 hours or refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Fermentation/Rise: 27 hours, 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 minutes
- Category: Pizza
- Method: Pizza Oven
- Cuisine: American, Italian
Storage
The best way to store leftover pizza dough is in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days after making it. If you cannot use it within three days, you can freeze it in a zip-lock freezer bag or use a vacuum sealer and freeze the dough for up to 3 months. This recipe will make six 10 inch pizzas. I usually make a few and freeze the rest for future use. When you want to make pizza next time, thaw the dough in the fridge and put it on the counter an hour before making. Frozen dough keeps for about three months but don’t forget to date the bag in case you forget when you made it last.
When to Make Poolish Pizza Dough
I make this recipe a few times a month to keep us stocked with homemade dough. There is nothing quite like the taste of homemade pizza and cooking it can be a fun family affair. Every Friday night we put on some music, open a bottle of wine, and make pizza. This poolish dough is the perfect dough for pizza parties as it makes six 10 inch pizza doughs, just make sure you allow enough time. If done properly, this will yield a delicious dough that is light and airy and full of flavor.
Looking for more pizza ideas? Try my garlic white goat cheese pizza, skillet pizza dough with honey, buffalo chicken pizza, or summer lemon ricotta pizza. Looking for a homemade pizza sauce? Try my red pizza sauce with tomato paste or garlic white pizza sauce.
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