12-72 Hour Pizza Dough

Vegetarian

Ingredients

500 g (4 cups) bread flour (or strong all-purpose flour)

350 g (1 ½ cups) water, lukewarm (about 70% hydration)

2 tsp (10 g) fine sea salt

2 g (½ tsp) instant yeast or 3 g (¾ tsp) active dry yeast

1 tbsp (15 g) olive oil (optional for a softer crust)

Instructions

1. Mix the dough
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water.

Add the flour and salt (and olive oil, if using).

Mix with a spoon or your hands until no dry flour remains. The dough will be shaggy and sticky—this is normal.

2. First rest (autolyse)
Cover the bowl and let it rest for 20–30 minutes.

This step hydrates the flour and makes the dough easier to handle later.

3. Stretch and fold
Perform stretch and folds every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours (4 sets total).

To stretch and fold: Grab one side of the dough, stretch it upward, then fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl 90°, repeat, and do this 4 times per set.

4. Bulk fermentation
Cover the bowl and leave it at room temperature (68–72°F) for about 12 hours.

By the end, it should be more than doubled in size, airy, and bubbly.

NOTE: if you are going for a 72 hour fermentation then only leave the dough out for 1-2 hours at room temperature.
**Cold ferment in the fridge

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled, covered container.

Refrigerate for 72 hours total.

This slow fermentation lets enzymes break down starches into sugars, giving you deeper flavor and better browning.

**Baking day

About 2–3 hours before baking, take the dough out of the fridge.

Divide and shape into balls (if not already done), cover, and let them rest at room temperature until they’re soft, puffy, and relaxed enough to stretch.

Key adjustments vs. your 12-hour dough
Less yeast: For 72 hours, use about ¼ tsp instant yeast (1 g) instead of ½ tsp, so the dough doesn’t overproof in the fridge.

Skip the long room-temp bulk ferment: You just want enough time for the yeast to “wake up” before chilling.