Pizzaioli Print Dough Guide
Video 2 — Making The Poolish
1. In a large bowl combine: Bag marked P, yeast packet, honey packet, 1 cup cold water.
2. Stir until combined — will look like a thick paste. Cover tightly with plastic wrap.
Overnight (recommended): Rest on counter min. 1 hr, then fridge overnight. Use within 24 hrs.
Same day: Rest on counter 4 hrs. In summer cool in fridge 20–30 min before next step.
Ready when it smells yeasty and has bubbles on the surface. (~3 min work)
Watch Video 2 on YouTube
Video 2
Video 3 — Hand Mixing Your Dough
1. If poolish was in fridge, let sit on counter 15–20 min. If it sat out all day, cool in fridge 15–20 min first.
2. Add 2/3 cup cold water to poolish. Stir until milky. Do not add a full cup. (0:53)
3. Add the unlabeled flour bag — flour, salt and malt are all pre-mixed inside. (1:58)
4. Add the olive oil packet. (2:39)
WARNING: Do NOT add the bag marked S (Semolina) here. Set it aside — only used when stretching pizza.
5. Using one hand, mix in circular motion until a rough shaggy dough forms. About 2–3 min.
6. Cover and rest minimum 1 hour. Longer is fine. (4:20)
Watch Video 3 on YouTube
Video 3
Video 4 — Slap and Fold
1. Wet your hands lightly — just enough to stop sticking.
2. Slide hands under dough, lift, and slap the bottom edge onto the counter. (0:32)
3. As it sticks, stretch the top toward you and fold it over. (1:56)
4. Pick up, rotate a quarter turn, repeat. Total: 1–2 minutes only.
Done when: dough stretches without tearing and feels as warm as the back of your hand. (4:37)
5. Cover and bulk rest 1–3 hours. Walk away.
Watch Video 4 on YouTube
starts at 0:32
Video 5 — Balling Your Dough
1. After bulk rest uncover dough. Should be soft and noticeably larger.
2. Divide into 4 equal pieces. Pull apart after each cut. (2:58)
3. Shape each ball: flip smooth-side down. Fold edges to center. Pinch seam. Flip smooth side up.
4. Place on parchment-lined tray. Lightly oil tops. (5:20)
5. Cover. Proof at room temp 1–2 hours until roughly doubled.
Cook now? Preheat oven. Cook later? Fridge up to 48 hrs. Freeze? After proofing, thaw overnight in fridge. (8:27)
Watch Video 5 on YouTube
starts at 2:58
Freezing Guide
❄️ Freezing Your Dough
This is the right moment to freeze dough balls for later use. After proofing, place balls on a parchment-lined tray and freeze until solid (about 2 hours), then transfer to a zip bag. They'll keep for up to 3 months.
To use: Thaw overnight in the fridge, then leave at room temperature for 1 hour before stretching.
Read the full freezing guide at prepapizza.com →Videos 8-10 - Stretching and Baking
1. Remove dough from fridge at least 1 hour before baking.
2. Preheat oven to 550 degrees F (max temp) for at least 30-45 min. Place stone, steel or sheet pan inside to heat up.
3. Pour bag S Semolina on counter. Place dough ball on semolina. Dust the top too.
4. Using fingertips, press from center outward to form crust. Flip and repeat.
5. Pick up from one edge and let gravity stretch it. Rotate slowly. Never use a rolling pin.
Sheet pan: Transfer on parchment. Add thin sauce. Bake until crust just starts to color. Remove, pull parchment, add cheese and toppings, return to oven.
Pizza stone/steel: Slide pizza on parchment onto stone. After 2-3 min pull out parchment. Finish baking.
Let cool 2 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!
Dough Making Process at a Glance
A visual overview of the full process — from poolish to pizza. Credit to Slawek Wojtysiak for the original flowchart.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Quick Fix |
|---|---|
| Added the "S" Semolina bag at the mix stage | Don't worry — you're still going to have pizza, you're just making a different style of dough. You need to work in more water, 1 tbsp at a time, until the dough comes together. Alternatively, wet your hands and work the moisture in that way. |
| Used the large flour bag for the poolish instead of the "P" bag | Also ok — you've made a direct dough. Add all remaining water and mix everything together as one bulk. It will still make dough. You may want to ferment longer — at least 2 days for better results. |
| Added too much water — 1 cup plus 2/3 cup | Dough will be overhydrated and very sticky. Refrigerate immediately — cold dough is much easier to handle. Alternatively, dust the dough with small amounts of the semolina bag "S" and work it in a little at a time — this can help firm it up slightly. |
| Dough is still very sticky after mixing | Normal at this stage. Put it in the fridge for 20–30 minutes — cold dough is always easier to work with than warm. |
| Dough tears when stretching | Needs more rest. Cover and leave 30 more minutes before trying again. |
| No rise at all — dough didn't grow | Yeast may not have activated. Check that poolish smelled yeasty before mixing. Always use cold water — never warm. |
| Dough springs back when stretching | Too cold or too tense. Leave at room temperature for at least 30 more minutes before trying again. |
| Dough didn't come together during mixing | Check you used the unlabeled bag (not the S bag) and that water was exactly 2/3 cup — not more. |
