What is poolish in pizza making?

Poolish is a type of pre-ferment used in pizza dough, popular in Italian baking. It's made with equal parts flour and water with a small amount of yeast, fermented for 12-24 hours for enhanced flavor.

How long should pizza dough rise?

Pizza dough typically rises for 1-2 hours at room temperature, or 24-72 hours in the refrigerator for cold fermentation. Longer fermentation develops more complex flavors.

What hydration is best for pizza dough?

Most pizza dough uses 60-70% hydration. Higher hydration (65-75%) creates airier, crispier crusts. Lower hydration (55-60%) is easier to work with and produces denser bread.

How hot should you bake pizza?

For best results, bake pizza at maximum oven temperature (250-300°C/480-570°F). Home ovens typically reach 250°C/480°F. Professional pizza ovens reach 400-500°C/750-900°F.

Pizza Dough Calculator

Perfect pizza dough with custom timelines & recipes

🍕 Pizza Style

💧 Hydration

65%

🧫 Yeast Type

⏰ Fermentation

How your dough rises after mixing — cold is slower but more flavour.

🧪 Pre-ferment

Optional: mix part of the flour + water + yeast ahead of time for extra flavour and texture.

🌡️ Room Temperature (°C)

🥖 Number of dough balls

🌾 Flour (grams)

📅 When do you want to bake?