Overnight Pizza Dough with Poolish

Pizza dough

Overnight Pizza Dough with Poolish

A 75% hydration pizza dough with half its flour prefermented in poolish.

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Ingredients

Group	Ingredient	Amount	Preparation
Poolish	White 00 or all-purpose flour	500 g
Poolish	Water	500 g	Warm
Poolish	Instant dried yeast	0.4 g
Final dough	White flour	500 g
Final dough	Water	250 g	Warm
Final dough	Fine sea salt	20 g
Final dough	Ripe poolish	all	About 1,000 g, including the yeast; do not weigh out and discard the small excess
Handling	Olive oil and flour	as needed

Tools & alternatives

Utensil checklist

Tick the tools you have ready. Choose the recommended tool or its workaround; keep the specified pan size and heat rating.

Recommended Tools Regular Baker	Casual Baker Workarounds Hacks
Digital kitchen scale with a fine scale for small yeast doses	Borrow a suitable scale for the gram amounts; tiny yeast doses need a fine scale, not a guessed pinch.
2 covered tubs	Use a food-safe container of similar capacity with a loose lid or plate. Leave room for rising; do not seal fermenting dough airtight.
Bench scraper	Use a firm food-safe spatula for lifting dough, or a kitchen knife for dividing it. Avoid sharp edges on nonstick surfaces.
Covered tray	Use an existing pan of the same dimensions, depth and material where possible. A different size changes thickness and cooking time; do not fill a smaller pan with the full batch.

Timing & recipe details

Time & temperature

Heat: Set by the final pizza or focaccia recipe
Cooking time: No baking in this dough recipe

Prepare the dough here, then follow the chosen pizza or focaccia finish.

Makes: 5 equal dough balls; about 354 g each
Heat: Dough component; choose an included pizza or focaccia finish
Plan for: 12–14 hours poolish + about 6 hours bulk + at least 1½ hours proof/chill

1,000 g total flour75% hydration2% salt0.04% instant yeast50% prefermented flour

Use the recipe tools

Core dough totals include the flour and water in the portion of preferment used. Extra feeding culture, toppings and inclusions are separate.

Method

01 · Mix poolish
12–14 hours
Use: Poolish ingredients
Mix flour and yeast, add water and combine fully. Cover at 18–21°C.
Ready when: About tripled; surface bubbles pop repeatedly. Use at peak, before collapse.
01 Mix poolishMix the wet poolish thoroughly; use it when risen and actively bubbling.
02 · Mix final dough
Until combined
Use: Final flour, salt, final water, all poolish
Mix flour with salt. Pour the 250 g warm water around the poolish to loosen it; add the entire contents to flour. Alternate pinching and folding with a wet hand.
Ready when: Uniform dough, about 24°C.
02 Mix final doughWork the loosened poolish into the final flour and salt until uniform.
03 · Fold + bulk
About 6 hours from final mix
Use: Dough
With a wet hand, lift one side until it resists and fold across the dough; repeat around all four sides. Stop before tearing. Cover again. Repeat for 2 folds within the first hour. After the second, oil dough and tub lightly. Cover.
Ready when: About 2½ times its original volume.
03 Fold + bulkLift and fold a connected edge, keeping this soft dough intact.
04 · Divide + round
About 15 minutes
Use: Fermented dough
Gently ease onto a floured counter and divide equally. Fold each piece’s edges into its centre; turn seam down, cup and drag on a flour-free patch, rotating 2–3 times, to make a medium-tight ball. Preserve internal gas.
Ready when: Five equal balls, about 354 g each; very soft but coherent.
04 Divide + roundDivide into five equal balls and round gently on a clear patch of counter.
05 · Relax + chill
At least 1½ hours
Use: Balls
Space on a floured tray, oil/flour tops, cover. Rest 60 minutes at room temperature, then refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
Ready when: Cold and relaxed. Use fists, without tossing, to stretch. Refrigerate unused dough up to 2 days.
05 Relax + chillKeep the five balls covered during their rest and refrigeration.

What to look for

Stage	Look and feel	Needs attention
Poolish peak	Tripled, aerated, and actively bubbling.	Long-collapsed poolish; peak lasts less time in a warm kitchen.
Shaping	Thin centre supported by a continuous rim.	Heavy toppings or warm dough that tears on the peel.

Troubleshooting

If you see	Likely cause	What to do now	Next time
Dough tears while stretching	It is too warm, under-relaxed, or stretched too thin	Patch a small tear; rest a resisting ball briefly, or chill a soft one; stretch over fists without tossing.	Complete folds, refrigerate before shaping, and keep toppings modest.
Bulk rise is slower than the schedule	Cool dough or weak leavening	Wait for the stated volume and bubbles; use a moderately warmer spot.	Measure dough temperature and verify active yeast or a reliably rising levain.

Recipe notes

Adjust water temperature for the flour and room to reach the stated final dough temperature. Divide the whole batch equally; portion sizes are approximate. Use 200 g for a thin 23 cm skillet pizza and about 340–350 g for a thick skillet pizza or a 30 cm stone pizza. Finish with a pizza or focaccia recipe. For easier handling, reduce final-mix water by 40–50 g to 200–210 g, giving about 70–71% hydration. Keep the poolish unchanged.

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