Poolish Pizza Dough Recipe
This is the method we use in our pizza classes at Flour Will Fly — a simple way to make poolish pizza dough at home, giving you better flavour, a lighter dough, and a crust with more character than a straight same-day dough.
A poolish is a simple pre-ferment made with flour, water, and a small amount of yeast. It develops flavour ahead of time and helps create a lighter, more open dough.
Why use a poolish?
Using a poolish is one of the simplest ways to improve your pizza dough without making the process complicated.
It allows the dough to develop flavour ahead of time and helps create a lighter, more open texture. The dough stretches more easily and bakes into a more delicate crust.
Ingredients
Poolish
- 200g flour
- 200g water
- 1g yeast
Final dough
- 300g flour
- 95g water
- 2g yeast
- 6g salt
- 4g sugar (optional)
This dough sits at roughly 59% hydration. That is slightly higher than a very tight dough, which helps create a lighter pizza with better oven spring.
It may feel softer at the beginning, but it will become easier to handle as it rests and develops.
Before you begin
If the dough feels messy at the start, give it a short rest and come back to it. Very often, it simply needs a little time to come together.
Method
Make the poolish
Mix into a thick paste and leave for 2–4 hours until bubbly and slightly domed.
Build the dough
Add the poolish to the remaining ingredients and mix into a rough dough. Let it rest for 5 minutes before handling.
Knead
Knead for 6–8 minutes until smoother. Fold the dough onto itself rather than pulling it.
Avoid adding extra flour during kneading, even if it feels difficult to handle. It will make the final pizza heavier.
Instead, work the dough gently and allow it to develop. If it becomes frustrating, let it rest for a few minutes before continuing.
Shape
Divide into two balls and tighten against the work surface.
Rise
Leave for about 1 hour until slightly puffy and lighter.
Stretch
Press from the centre outward, keeping a thicker edge. If it shrinks, let it rest.
Bake
Preheat your oven to 250°C, or as high as it will go.
Bake first without mozzarella on the lowest rack, then finish in the middle after adding cheese.
A pizza stone or steel will significantly improve the result by helping the base cook faster and rise better.
What good dough feels like
After kneading
Smooth, elastic, slightly tacky
After rising
Puffy and lighter in the hand
When stretching
Opens without tearing or snapping back
Before baking
Light, delicate base with air in the rim
Common mistakes
- Adding too much flour
- Stretching too early
- Using too much yeast
This is the method we recommend starting with.
Explore the other methods
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