Cold Ferment Pizza Dough

There is nothing better than a delicious slice of pizza. Let’s be honest. Crispy but fluffy, just the right amount of sauce and toppings… Everyone has a favourite. And this, to me, is also the ultimate vegetarian dish. I never seem to add meat on my homemade pizza, mainly because I can’t be bothered.

So I discovered cold rise pizza and it is literally the summum of delayed gratification. 3-4 days of patience and you have the perfect crust. So try this out, it is 100% worth the wait!

What do you need? - for 2 balls of dough

• 280g flour (preferably 00 flour but just regular flour also works)

• 1/2 cube of fresh yeast / 7g of dry yeast

• 5g salt

• a teaspoon of sugar

• 250ml warm water between 30°C and 40°C (or more if the dough needs it)

Combine all dry ingredients together.If you are using fresh yeast, don’t add it at this stage. If you are using dry, add it.

If using fresh yeast crumble into the warm water and leave for a couple of minutes. Then, add the yeast-water bit by bit while mixing everything together. I used a KitchenAid stand mixer with a dough hook on speed 2 but you can also do this by hand. The dough needs to become smooth and a little sticky. You can always add more flour when you are shaping it before baking if too sticky.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or something eco-friendly like bees wax wrap and leave to rise at room temperature for 8 -12 hours. I tend to prepare this in he morning and do this next step in the evening:

Take out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Split into 2 equal parts. Put each one in a different container or zipper bag and leave in the fridge for 2 to 4 days.

Once you’re ready to bake the pizza, take out of the fridge and allow to come to room temperature for 2 hours before rolling it out and topping with your favourite ingredients.

Not too much work but a bit of waiting. And guys, totally worth it.