Cold-Fermented Pizza Dough

A margherita pizza with a charred crust on a wooden pizza peel.

4.71 from 27 votes

My go-to 72 hour cold-fermented pizza dough recipe is flexible enough for either an outdoor oven or a home oven and uses a slow, cold fermentation method to yield better flavor and texture.

Prep Time1

Cook Time15

Inactive Time1 6

Total Time1 7 15

Servings: 230g pizza dough balls (10” - 12” pizzas)

Calories: 514kcal

Author: Karishma Pradhan

Equipment

Scale highly recommended
Baking Steel or pizza stone
Pizza Peel

Ingredients

686 g 00 High-Protein Flour like Antimo Caputo | 100%
20 g Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt if using any other brand of salt, use 20g or 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon in volume | 2.9%
¼ teaspoon Instant yeast 0.12%
425 g Lukewarm water make sure to use lukewarm but not hot water as it will kill the yeast | 62%
8 g Extra-virgin olive oil optional for outdoor pizza ovens* | 1.2%
Semolina or 00 Flour for dusting

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare the Dough:

Mix the dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine 686 g 00 High-Protein Flour, 20 g Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, and ¼ teaspoon Instant yeast with a wooden spoon.
Add the wet ingredients: Form a shallow well with your fist in the center of the bowl. Slowly pour in 425 g Lukewarm water and 8 g Extra-virgin olive oil (if using).
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with your hands or the spoon until just combined. Continue kneading until the dough is lumpy and shaggy, but no dry bits remain, about 1 - 2 minutes.
Autolyse: Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Stretch and fold: Perform three sets of stretch and folds, each separated by a 30-minute rest period. Perform each stretch and fold by gently pulling one side of the dough up and over to the opposite side. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat until you’ve folded all sides. For more details, please check out the How To section of my post.
Stretch and Fold #1: Perform the first stretch and fold, then rest, covered, for 30 minutes.
Stretch and Fold #2: Perform 30 minutes after stretch and fold #1, then rest, covered, for 30 minutes.
Stretch and Fold #3: Perform 30 minutes after stretch and fold #2, then rest, covered, for 30 minutes.
Note: After the final rest, the dough should feel quite strong (it will resist stretching slightly) and show visible gas bubbling. If you’re not seeing this gas bubbling, let sit out for another hour or so until you observe this.
Chill: Cover dough with plastic wrap (or transfer to an airtight container) and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 24 hours (up to 72 hours).
Divide and Proof: On the day you plan to make the pizza, remove the dough from the fridge.
Divide dough into 5 equal sections. Form each piece of dough into a ball, then place in a large container generously dusted with flour or oil. Alternatively, you can place each ball into an individual container (sometimes I use deli containers or a plate).
Cover and proof for at least 3 - 5 hours until the dough has reached room temperature, expanded in size, and appears bubbly and soft.

Prep the Oven (Standard Home Oven Method):

45 minutes before pizza dough is at room temperature, arrange oven racks to prepare for baking and preheat your oven to the highest temperature. For me, this temperature is 600℉ / 315℃.
There are two main methods of cooking your pizza in the oven. I recommend trying both and seeing which method produces the best pizza for you (see 'Launch and Bake' section for full details on each method):
1 - Top rack method: For this method, place your baking tool of choice (steel or stone) on the top rack of the oven, about 5 - 6 inches from the broiler.
2 - Switching racks method: Place your baking tool of choice over a rack set on the bottom-third of the oven. Place the top rack 5 - 6 inches from the broiler.

Prep the Oven (Portable Outdoor Oven Method):

For a portable outdoor pizza oven (Ooni or Roccbox), preheat the oven at least 30 minutes prior to baking the pizzas.
I typically preheat my oven to 900℉ / 482℃.

Stretching and Topping:

Transfer: Once dough has come to room temperature, you’re ready to make the pizza.
Flour your pizza peel with semolina flour or 00 flour. Carefully and gently pick up the dough from the container and transfer to the peel. Dust the dough with flour as needed to prevent sticking.
Note: You can check that it’s not sticking by sliding the dough around the peel. If it is sticking, add a bit more flour to the bottom. I like to do this every minute or so to ensure my dough is not sticking, especially once I start adding the sauce and toppings.
Stretch: Form a rim for the crust by gently pressing your index finger all around the perimeter of the dough, about ⅔” from the edge. Stretch the dough as desired.
Pizza should stretch to at least a 10-inch diameter.
Top: Ladle or spoon the sauce on top of the dough. You will likely need less sauce than you think (and too much sauce can weigh down the pizza), about 3 - 4 tablespoons of tomato sauce max. Top the pizza with desired toppings.
Check Sticking: Make sure the pizza is not sticking to the peel before launching. If it is, add a bit more flour, then hold the handle of the peel and slide the dough around to ensure it’s not sticking at all.

Launch and Bake

Standard Home Oven:
Launching Tip: Launch the pizza in the oven by holding the peel parallel to your baking sheet/stone/steel and gently sliding the pizza onto it. There’s no need to rush it; you can do this slowly to get the hang of it. Immediately close the oven and bake according to your desired method.
1 - Top rack method: Once ready to form the pizza, turn the oven to the broiler setting on high. Launch and broil for 2 minutes, then turn off the broiler but keep the oven on at the hottest temperature until the pizza is finished cooking (about 1 - 2 additional minutes).
2 - Switching racks method: When ready to launch the pizza, bake for 3 - 4 minutes on the bottom rack until the bottom is nicely browned. Then, turn the broiler setting on high and transfer the pizza to the top rack to finish cooking for 1 - 2 minutes.
Repeat the process with the next pizzas.
Portable Pizza Oven:
For my Ooni Koda 16, I typically launch the pizza at the highest temperature setting, then lower the knob to about ½ of the max heat right after launching for the rest of the baking.
I cook the pizza for 30 seconds, then rotate every 15 seconds until cooked through (about 2 minutes). If I find I want a crispier bottom crust, I will turn the heat down fully to low and cook for an additional 30 seconds or so.
I'll then crank the oven temperature back to the max in preparation for the next pizza. Repeat the process with the next pizzas.

Video

Notes

Note: This pizza dough is for intermediate pizza bakers (that is, you’ve made pizza in your home oven at least a few times and are familiar with kneading, balling, and hand-stretching your dough). For beginner pizza bakers, I recommend Roberta's Pizza Dough Recipe.

* Oil helps promote browning and makes the dough easier to stretch, but it's not traditional in Neapolitan dough so feel free to play around if using an outdoor pizza oven.

Tips:

I developed this recipe using metric measurements, so for best results, please use a scale.
These make 5 personal-sized pizzas. For larger pizzas, feel free to scale the recipe up.
If using Antimo Caputo flour, make sure you buy the right kind for the oven you're using. For standard home ovens: Buy the "Chef's Flour" (usually in a red bag). For high-temperature pizza ovens (900°F or 482°C): Buy the "Pizzeria Flour" (usually in a blue bag).
Even Baking: In a standard home oven, you may notice your pizza doesn’t cook perfectly evenly, especially with the broiler. Feel free to rotate the pizza 180 degrees halfway through the cooking process to ensure even charring.

Storage: Pizza dough can be stored in the refrigerator for cold fermentation for up to 72 hours. After 72 hours, the dough may begin to over ferment/overproof, though I typically haven't had issues within the first 96 hours in the fridge.

Nutrition