Double-fermented, impossibly airy, with a leopard-spotted char and a chew that haunts your dreams. This is the dough.
All weights in grams. Use a scale — Vito insists on this and he’s right. Cups are too inaccurate for dough. Caputo Pizzeria 00 flour is the gold standard, but any quality 00 or strong bread flour will work.
Start this the night before — it needs 16–24 hours in the fridge.
In a large bowl, combine lukewarm water, honey, and dry yeast. Stir gently until dissolved. Let sit for 2–3 minutes until slightly foamy.
Add 00 flour and mix with a spatula until smooth — no dry pockets, no lumps. The consistency should be like thick pancake batter.
Cover tightly with plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for 1 hour. Then transfer to the refrigerator for 16–24 hours. The poolish will bubble, rise, and develop complex flavor.
Don’t exceed 24 hours — the poolish will become acidicThe poolish is the soul of this dough. It’s a 1:1 ratio of flour and water with a tiny amount of yeast and honey. The long, cold fermentation develops deep flavor and makes the final pizza far more digestible than a same-day dough ever could.
Remove the poolish from the fridge 30–45 minutes before you begin. Let it come to room temperature — it should be bubbly and alive.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, add the entire poolish. Pour in lukewarm water with salt dissolved in it. Stir to loosen the poolish into the water.
Add 00 flour. If using a stand mixer with dough hook, mix on low for 8–10 minutes. By hand, work the dough for 10–15 minutes. Add the water gradually — the flour needs to absorb it little by little.
Do not dump all the water at onceWhen it’s ready, the dough will be sticky but cohesive — it pulls away from the sides of the bowl and holds together as a mass. At higher hydrations (68%+), expect a wetter, more slack dough. This is normal. The gluten will tighten during the rest. Don’t be tempted to add more flour.
Turn the dough onto a lightly oiled surface. Using a bench scraper and oiled hands, work it into a tight ball — keep the top on top. Fold the edges underneath, rotate, repeat. The surface should become smooth and taut.
Place the dough smooth-side up in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour. It will relax and begin to rise.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface. Oil your hands. Using a bench scraper, divide into 8 pieces, weighing each at 280g on a scale. Cover any dough you’re not actively shaping with a clean towel.
For each piece: keeping the top always on top, fold the edges underneath itself, rotate a quarter turn, and repeat. Then cup your hands around the ball on the counter and pull it toward you in small circles, sealing the bottom with each pass. You want a taut, smooth surface with the seam sealed underneath.
Place the balls seam-side down on a floured sheet pan, 3–4 fingers apart. Brush or drizzle a little olive oil on top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for 2–3 hours until fully proofed — they should be soft, pillowy, and roughly doubled.
Store in fridge for up to 5 days — freeze after shaping, not after risingTo use frozen dough balls, remove from the freezer and set on the counter for 8–12 hours, or thaw in the fridge for 24 hours. Then stretch, top, and bake as normal. Do not let frozen balls do a second rise before freezing — freeze them immediately after shaping.
Preheat your oven as hot as it goes — 500°F / 260°C minimum — with a pizza stone or baking steel inside for at least 1 full hour. If using a pizza oven (Ooni, etc.), aim for 800–900°F on the stone.
Dust a proofed ball generously with flour or semolina. Lift it gently and press out from the center, leaving a 1-inch border untouched for the cornicione (the puffy rim). Stretch by draping over your knuckles and letting gravity do the work. Do not use a rolling pin — ever.
Top quickly — less is more. A thin layer of crushed San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, a thread of olive oil, and fresh basil after baking. Transfer to the oven and bake for 7–10 minutes in a home oven, or 60–90 seconds in a pizza oven.
Lower hydration (55–62%) produces a stiffer, easier-to-handle dough — ideal for beginners and home ovens. Higher hydration (65–75%) gives you bigger, more open crumb and those gorgeous leopard spots, but it requires more confidence stretching and works best in very high heat. If you’re baking at home under 550°F, stay in the 60–65% range.