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topping pizza dough with sun dried pesto

Cold Fermented 48-72 Hour Pizza Dough (V)

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Course: Dinner, Entree, Lunch, Main, Party
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: Cold, Comfort Food, Dough, Easy, Easy to make, Ferment, Grill, Kamado Joe, Pizza, Pizza Oven, Recipe, Vegetarian
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Fermenting time: 3 days
Total Time: 3 days 20 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Chef Tony Zentgraf
Making pizza dough at home couldn't be easier!
Plan ahead and get the maximum fermentation and it will deliver a light flavorful crust.
See notes at bottom regarding baking times.
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Recipe Multiplier

  • 17 oz Flour (weight) or approx 3 3/4 cups - = 525 grams by weight
  • 1 ⅔ cups Water - = 325 grams by weight
  • ¼ tsp Dry Active Yeast (not fast acting or rapid rise)
  • 1 ½ tsp Kosher Salt
  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil

Instructions

Mixing the Dough

  • Weigh out the flour and water separately on a scale to the appropriate weight in Grams.
  • In a bowl, add the flour, dry yeast and salt. Mix to incorporate the yeast and salt into the flour.
  • Add the water in three parts, mixing the flour with a spatula.
  • Once the last amount of water is added, turn out the dough onto a floured surface.
  • Kneed for 1-2 minutes to ensure that there are no flour pockets in the dough and the dough comes together.
    **Because the dough will ferment for up to 72 hours total, excessive kneading is not necessary.
  • Use olive oil a bowl or container for the dough to ferment in.

Fermenting the Dough

  • Place the dough into the oiled container. Cover with plastic wrap or cover for the container.
    Ensure the container is large enough for the dough to possibly double over the next 72 hours.
  • For the first 24 hours, leave the pizza dough in the container on the kitchen counter in a warm location.
    The dough will rise some over the first 24 hours.
  • The next day, place the container of the dough in the refrigerator for another 48 hours.
    (The dough can be used after only 48 hours of fermentation but an additional 24 hours of fermentation to get to 72 hours is ideal for maximum flavor. It can go as long as 96 hours, this will expand the flavor even further)
  • After the dough has rested in the refrigerator for the additional 48 hours. The dough should have risen to double the original size.

Forming the Dough and Dividing

  • Flour a cutting board and flour your hands. Remove the dough from the container. The top of the dough will most likely have grayish fermentation spots. Turn the dough over so the drier spotted top is facing down.
  • Stretch the dough from the top underneath to form a dough ball. Continue working your way around pulling and pinching the dough underneath.
  • Once you have the dough formed into a ball, place on the cutting board and use the pams of your hands to continue to form into a ball. (See Video)
  • Divide the dough ball into quarters.
  • Repeat the process with each smaller dough ball. Stretching the dough from the top underneath and pinching on the bottom. Working around until it makes a ball.
  • Place the dough ball on the floured surface and work it into a ball.
  • Place the dough balls on a floured sheet pan and cover.

Resting the Dough

  • Let the dough balls rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour but 2-3 would be idea.
    This will allow the dough to relax so it will be easier to stretch the dough when making the pizza.
  • 3 hours before you will be making the pizzas remove from the dough from refrigeration.
    Place the dough on the counter, this will allow the dough to come to room temperature and proof as well.

Forming the Crust

  • Flour a cutting board.
  • With the dough ball in your hands flatten into a disc.
  • Once you get the dough flattened and have worked your hands around the crust begin to stretch the dough.
    As you are holding the dough, use the tips of your fingers to pull the dough from the center underneath the dough.
    Turning the dough as you reset to pull from the center again.
    stretching fermented pizza dough by hand turning and repeating
  • When you get the dough stretched into a circle. Place the dough on the floured surface.
  • Using the palms of your hands, work the dough by continuing to stretch the dough as you turn the dough on the cutting board to keep the dough round.
  • Once you get to a thickness of approximately ¼", the pizza dough is ready to assemble.
    Enjoy!

Video

Notes

  • Kamado Joe DoJoe temperature was approximately 650° when cooking the pizzas.
  • This dough works well in the DoJoe pizza attachment for Kamado Joe.
  • Oven temperature set at 500° in ovens the time will most likely extend the bake time even if cooking on a pizza stone.
  • If you are using a pizza stone or tiles in the oven let the oven come to temperature and let the stone heat for 30 minutes before baking pizzas.
  • Other pizza setups such as OONI or other pizza ovens, you will have to gage the temperature and time for your setup.