L’Industrie-Style Pizza Dough
Ingredients
| % |
Ingredient |
500g Flour |
1000g Flour |
2000g Flour |
3000g Flour |
| 6.25% |
Petra 9 Flour |
31g |
63g |
125g |
188g |
| 25% |
Petra 0102 Flour |
125g |
250g |
500g |
750g |
| 6.25% |
Semolina Flour |
31g |
63g |
125g |
188g |
| 62.5% |
Petra 5063 Special Flour |
313g |
625g |
1250g |
1875g |
| 50% |
Water |
250g |
500g |
1000g |
1500g |
| 4.4% |
Salt |
22g |
44g |
88g |
132g |
| 3.75% |
Sugar |
19g |
38g |
75g |
113g |
| 3.1% |
Olive Oil |
16g |
31g |
63g |
93g |
| 6.25% |
Sourdough Starter (Bread 41) |
31g |
63g |
125g |
188g |
| ≤6.25% |
Poolish Water (see Notes) |
≤31g |
≤63g |
≤125g |
≤188g |
Percentages are baker’s percentages relative to total flour weight (Petra 9 + Petra 0102 + Semolina + Petra 5063 Special).
How to Make
Build your poolish first (equal parts flour and water from your total, plus a small amount of fresh yeast), and let it ferment several hours until active and bubbly.
Mix the poolish with the remaining flours, water, sourdough starter, sugar, oil, and salt in the stand mixer. Knead until smooth and the dough passes a windowpane test — this is a stronger, higher-hydration dough than a standard NY dough, so it will take longer to develop than you might expect.
Bulk ferment at room temperature for 5–6 hours, then divide and ball. Cold ferment the balls in the fridge for the remainder of the 1.5–2 day window. Pull balls out and let them come to room temperature before stretching and baking.
Timing
1.5–2 days total. Mix and build poolish day 1 morning, bulk ferment 5–6 hours, ball, then cold ferment the balls until day 2 (or into day 3) before baking.
Makes
Based on ~300g dough balls (sized for a 30cm/12” pizza — realistic for home stretching without a commercial sheeter):
- 500g flour batch (~869g total dough) → ~3 pizzas
- 1000g flour batch (~1,738g total dough) → ~6 pizzas
- 2000g flour batch (~3,476g total dough) → ~12 pizzas
- 3000g flour batch (~5,215g total dough) → ~17 pizzas
Adjust ball weight ±20g for a thinner or thicker crust to taste.
Notes
- This is a slow, multi-day dough. Don’t attempt it same-day — budget 1.5–2 days from mix to bake.
- Petra 5063 handling notes: it’s built for room-temp fermentation windows of 8–12 hours, or refrigerated for longer holds, and its recommended hydration range tops out around 70%. It also absorbs less water than Caputo Nuvola (roughly 58.5% of its own weight). If your dough feels noticeably slacker/wetter than you’re used to once you swap in the 5063, dial back the “Poolish Water” adjustment line first before touching the main water — small steps.
- Poolish: their in-house process reportedly uses a poolish built at equal parts flour and water (roughly 4kg flour : 4kg water in their commercial batch), made with fresh yeast — no additional yeast goes into the final dough beyond what’s in the poolish. Scale that ratio down to your batch size to build your poolish; the “Poolish Water” line above is the adjustment water — reduce it (down to zero) for a wetter, more active poolish.
- Hydration: reported to run in the 70%+ range, notably higher than typical NY-style dough (mid-to-high 60s). Don’t be alarmed if this feels wetter than a “classic” NY dough — it’s intentional.
- Fermentation schedule (as close as we can reconstruct it from people who’ve watched them work): mixed early morning, 5–6 hours bulk ferment at room temp, then balled — they’re seen balling dough around midday, meaning the balls themselves then go on to cold ferment for the bulk of the 1.5–2 days before bake.
- Bread 41 starter: works fine here. It’s typically maintained cold and at high hydration — pull it out the night before and let it come fully active at room temp before using. No need to convert it off rye/wholemeal unless you want a milder flavor.
Buy
- Petra 9 / Petra 0102 / Petra 5063 Special — the full authentic blend, all sourced together. No Irish stockist found for any of the three; order from YouDreamItaly (ships from Naples, EU-wide delivery), all available in 12.5kg bags. Confirm the shipping cost at final checkout before submitting, as some buyers have reported quoted shipping costs changing at that step. Their eBay storefront (same seller, 94% positive feedback) is a lower-risk alternative if you’d rather have eBay buyer protection. Store the Petra 9 in particular in an airtight container — being whole grain, it has a shorter shelf life than refined flour
- Caputo Nuvola — no longer needed for this recipe now that Petra 5063 Special is sourced, but worth keeping in mind as a substitute for 5063 in a pinch (similar Tipo 0 category, higher protein). Available locally via Kate’s Kitchen (kateskitchen.ie, ships nationwide), Italicatessen (Dublin), or Evergreen Healthfoods
- Fresh yeast (for the poolish) — most Irish supermarkets or a local bakery counter
Freezing
This dough freezes well, and given the effort involved, it’s worth batching. Two approaches:
Freezing
Freeze right after balling, before the long cold ferment — this preserves yeast/bacterial activity best.
- Divide and ball as normal after bulk ferment.
- Flatten each ball into a rectangle (~280×180mm works well).
- Flash-freeze the flattened pieces uncovered on a tray for 30–60 minutes, until firm.
- Bag two per 300×400mm vacuum bag, leaving a gap between them. Orient the 280mm side across the bag’s 300mm width.
- Seal on the Henkelman Boxer 35 at ~50% vacuum (same setting as bread/rolls) — full vacuum isn’t needed once the dough is firm, and keeps handling simple.
- Freeze flat. Use within 4–8 weeks for best quality, up to ~3 months.