Pizza Nuvola (24h biga ferment)

• porcje: 4 balls, 280g each
• czas aktywny: 45 minutes
• całkowity czas: 26–28 hours

Składniki

Biga (pre-ferment)

500 g (17.6 oz) tipo 0 flour, 12.5% protein

260 g (9.2 oz / about 1 cup + 1 tbsp) water

4 g (about 1 tsp) fresh brewer’s yeast

Final dough

All of the biga

100 g (3.5 oz) tipo 00 flour, 12% protein

2 g (about 1/2 tsp) fresh brewer’s yeast

140 g (4.9 oz / about 9.5 tbsp) water

80 g (2.8 oz / about 5.5 tbsp) water, reserved to add gradually

15 g (2.5 tsp) fine sea salt

20 g (1.5 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil

Wskazówki

1. Mix the biga: combine the tipo 0 flour, 260 g water, and 4 g fresh yeast quickly, just until barely shaggy — do not overwork it. A rough, undermixed biga develops flavor and structure slowly during the long cold ferment.

2. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. The cold, slow fermentation builds acidity and gluten strength without over-fermenting the yeast.

3. The next day, tear the biga into pieces and add the tipo 00 flour, 2 g fresh yeast, and 140 g water. Knead until the gluten network is well developed and the dough is smooth and elastic.

4. Add the reserved 80 g water in a thin stream, a little at a time, letting the dough fully absorb each addition before adding more. This staged hydration (bassinage) lets you push water content higher than the gluten could absorb all at once, keeping the dough airy without going slack.

5. Add the salt and olive oil last, kneading until fully incorporated. Salt and fat are added late so they don’t interfere with early gluten development.

6. Transfer the dough to the counter, perform a few reinforcing folds, then place it in a lightly oiled container. The folds realign gluten strands for better strength and gas retention.

7. After 20 minutes, do another round of folds, then let the dough bulk-ferment until visibly puffy and airy.

8. Divide into individual dough balls and let them rise until doubled in size.

9. Gently stretch each ball into a pizza base without pressing out the air bubbles — this preserves the open, honeycomb crumb structure.

10. Bake on a baking stone at 260–300°C (500–575°F) for 5–6 minutes.

11. Finish with a second bake of 2–3 minutes to crisp the crust fully.

12. Top as desired and enjoy.

Notatki

• “Tipo 0” and “tipo 00” refer to Italian flour classifications based on how finely milled and how much bran/germ is removed; 00 is more refined. If unavailable, a high-protein (12–13%) bread flour or Italian-style pizza flour is the closest substitute for both.

• Fresh brewer’s yeast (lievito di birra fresco) can be substituted with about one-third the weight in active dry yeast, or roughly 40% of the weight in instant yeast.

• A baking stone or steel preheated well in advance is essential to hit the 260–300°C target and get the characteristic leopard-spotted, crisp base; a home oven’s max setting plus a stone preheated 45–60 minutes beforehand works well if a proper pizza oven isn’t available.

• The bassinage technique (adding water gradually near the end) is what allows this dough to reach a high hydration (total water is about 76% of total flour weight) while staying manageable and yielding a very open, airy crumb.