Poolish Pizza Dough Calculator
A 100% hydration pre-ferment made 8-16 hours ahead. Adds depth of flavour and opens up the crumb. Calculator handles the two-stage math for any pizza style.
Use the Poolish Calculator
Pre-configured with Poolish-specific defaults — hydration, yeast, timing
🍕 Open CalculatorWhy Poolish needs its own calculator
A poolish is a wet pre-ferment. Equal parts flour and water (100% hydration), plus a pinch of yeast. You mix it the night before and leave it on the counter for 8 to 16 hours. Next day you combine it with the rest of your flour, water, and salt for the final dough. The slow fermentation produces organic acids that add tang and depth. It also makes the dough more extensible and improves the open crumb structure.
What makes a good Poolish pizza dough calculator
A calculator is only useful if it handles the specifics of the style. For Poolish that means:
- Correct default hydration (depends on style) — too low and the crumb is dense, too high and the dough becomes unmanageable
- Style-appropriate ball weight (250g default) — different from Neapolitan or New York
- Accurate yeast scaling based on total fermentation time, because yeast amount needs to change exponentially with time
- Pre-ferment support — poolish or biga for when you want more flavour depth
- Timeline that works backwards from your dinner time — so you know when to mix, bulk rise, ball, and bake
Our calculator does all five. It is free, works on any device, and does not ask for your email.
Frequently asked questions
How much poolish should I use?
Between 20% and 40% of your total flour. 20-25% gives a subtle background flavour. 30-40% produces a more pronounced poolish character. The calculator defaults to 30% when you enable poolish — adjust as needed.
How long do I ferment a poolish?
8 to 16 hours at room temperature. In a warm kitchen (22-24°C) aim for 10-12 hours. In a cool kitchen (18-20°C) go 14-16 hours. The poolish is ready when the surface is covered in small bubbles and it has a slight tangy smell — just before it starts collapsing.
What is the difference between poolish and biga?
Poolish is 100% hydration (equal flour and water). Biga is 45-55% hydration (stiff dough). Poolish develops sharper, tangy flavours. Biga gives a more mellow sweetness and firmer crumb. Both work for pizza — try the calculator with either.
How much yeast goes in a poolish?
Very little. For a 12-hour room temperature poolish: 0.1-0.2% instant yeast of the poolish flour weight. For 8 hours: 0.3%. For 16 hours: 0.05%. The calculator handles this — you just pick the fermentation hours.
Can I use poolish with sourdough?
Technically no — poolish is yeast-based. For a sourdough equivalent, use a levain or a straight sourdough starter at 100% hydration. The calculator supports sourdough mode as a separate option.
Ready to make Poolish pizza?
Open the calculator, enter how many you want to make, and get your recipe
🍕 Start CalculatingRelated reading
- In-depth Poolish dough guide — the full technique explained
- full poolish guide — put your calculated dough to use
- Hydration guide — why percentages matter
- About Jordy — who built this and why