Our dough has only four ingredients: flour, water, salt and a little yeast. What makes the difference is the time we give it. After mixing, the dough rests in the fridge for about two days before it is stretched and baked.
What happens while the dough rests
- More flavour. At fridge temperature the yeast works slowly. Enzymes in the flour have time to break starch down into simple sugars and to build the gentle, slightly tangy taste of a well-rested crust.
- Better colour. Some of those sugars stay in the dough, so the crust browns and blisters nicely in a hot oven.
- Easier to stretch. Over time the gluten network relaxes. The dough stretches by hand without springing back, so we never need a rolling pin.
- A lighter edge. Slow fermentation fills the dough with small gas bubbles that puff up in the oven and give the crust its airy, open texture.
Why not just use more yeast?
More yeast and a warm room will make dough rise in an hour or two, but the taste is flatter and the crust is often bready and dense. A slow, cold rest gives the dough time to develop flavour that a quick rise cannot.
Trying it at home
- Use a little less yeast than your usual recipe and keep the dough covered in the fridge for 24 to 72 hours.
- Take it out one to two hours before baking so it comes back to room temperature.
- Stretch it gently with your fingers, starting in the middle and leaving the edge alone.
- Bake on a preheated pizza stone or steel at the highest temperature your oven allows.
Prefer to leave the waiting to us? Our dough is ready every day, and every pizza is stretched to order.